Warren is absolutely right, and we are caught in a double bind there. We
want to limit population growth, but we also want to raise people's standard
of living, which means that they will consume more. Of course there are
reassuring data that indicate that reduction in poverty leads to reduction
in family size, but probably not a corresponding reduction in family
consumption.
A telling example is that China has a huge impact in terms of pollution, CO2
emissions, consumprtion, etc., but on a per capita basis it is one of the
cleanest countries on earth!
I do however have some concerns about how resource consumption is measured.
The hydroelectric power consumed in countries like Norway can hardly be
compared with energy from burning mangrove branches in SE Asia. I also think
that some allowance should be made for regional necessities like heating.
Still we cannot get away from the basic issue that consumption is the
critical issue.
Bill Silvert
----- Original Message -----
From: "Warren W. Aney" <a...@coho.net>
To: <ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU>
Sent: Sunday, September 27, 2009 4:22 AM
Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] Population control
I know this has been discussed before, but the point still needs to be made
that overconsumption and overpopulation both need to be addressed as our
greatest problems.
We over-consumers might say overpopulation is the greatest problem, since
we
can then point at other cultures as being the primary source of the
population problem, thereby exonerating our overconsumption. And I'm sure
these other cultures point at us overconsumers as exonerating their high
reproductive rates -- they need these extra hands to produce and survive,
perhaps in hopes of somehow approaching even a fraction of our level of
consumption in the process.
But the fact remains, in a high-population growth nation such as
Bangladesh
it takes 90 of these over-populators to consume as much as one of us
over-consumers.
In Ecology 101 we all learned that species' population growth limits
aren't
defined by numbers but rather by resource consumption.
Warren W. Aney
Senior Wildlife Ecologist
-----Original Message-----
From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news
[mailto:ecolo...@listserv.umd.edu] On Behalf Of William Silvert
Sent: Saturday, 26 September, 2009 13:28
To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU
Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] Population control
It is always time to address the problem of overpopulation. It is probably
the greatest problem we face.
Of course there are those who disagree. I received an off-list reply
accusing me of racism because I bemoaned the world's increasing
population,
but we still have to deal with the issue rationally, and overpopulation is
definitely a huge issue.
Bill Silvert
----- Original Message -----
From: "bangrand" <bangr...@isu.edu>
To: <ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU>
Sent: Thursday, September 24, 2009 6:38 PM
Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] Population control
I raised this issue about a year ago and was admonished that
overpopulation was a red herring. Is it finally time to address this
taboo?
randy
