- World population doubled in the 40 years from 1959 to 1999, currently standing at 6.7 billion, and is currently growing at a rate of 1.15% per year.
- 1.1 billion people are currently living in extreme poverty (that’s 16.4% of the current world population living in extreme poverty).
- Each year, about 18 million people, mostly children, die from starvation, malnutrition, and related causes.
- One third of the current world population lacks food security.
- Earth’s human population is estimated to reach 9 billion by 2042.
If the Earth can not feed 6 billion people, how can we expect it to feed 9 billion, without disastrous and irreversible consequences?
The immense pressure placed on the world’s arable land, water, resources and energy to produce food, is severely decreasing the potential for land productivity through land degradation. Erosion, loss of soil fertility, salinisation of the soil, and depletion of the water table – these are the starkly visible results of unsustainable agricultural practices.
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Hasty ‘solutions’ have been implemented: ie. further clearing of forests on a massive scale in developing countries, while the developed world is using astounding amounts of fossil fuels in the production of fertilisers, pesticides, machinery, and in irrigation.
Alternatively, to feed humankind without destroying the Earth’s future ‘carrying capacity’, it is my considered opinion that the following are paramount:
- the increase in human population must be curtailed
- sustainable agricultural practices need to be employed world wide
- the developed world must reduce consumption
- Climate Change must be addressed with urgency
- education must be made available to everyone world wide, and encouraged
- family planning services must be made available to all in developing countries
- women in developing countries need to be empowered
At present, fertile cropland is being lost at an alarming rate. Most replacement of degraded agricultural land is now coming from marginal and forest land. Forests are disappearing; deserts are marching forward; waterways are drying up; pollution surrounds us. Human hunger and misery is commonplace. And, still the human population increases unchecked.
Nature is showing humans how foolish they are - not everywhere is suitable for human habitation. The masses of people who settle in the path of wildfires, lava flows, tsunamis, earthquakes, tornadoes and landslides, risk perishing at the hands of nature – “natural disasters?” – no; simply natural events – humankind is taking the Earth and the power of Nature for granted.
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The consumption of resources produces waste and pollutants. The human population is producing waste and pollutants on a vast and runaway scale, with the resulting toll on the environment staggering - when the developing world catches up to the West’s extravagant standard of living, what then?
It is easy for ‘us’ in the economically rich West to distance ourselves from the struggling underdeveloped and developing world, but the developed world’s rampant consumerism magnifies the environmental problems of our planet.
Consumerism equates to the wasteful use of energy and materials. In our society of disposable and poor quality goods, along with fads and swiftly advancing technology, waste is disgracefully excessive. Society is an instrument used in the accumulation of wealth and power by business and governments. The masses are manipulated by advertisements, ie. personal happiness is related to purchasing material possessions.
We can not ignore the role that consumerism is playing in the irreversible degradation of our planet.
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I don’t pretend that I am living a sustainable life with no environmental debt. I am part of the problem. And I don’t profess to have any answers. I just wish to voice my views and concerns in the hope of fostering awareness further afield – you never know how many readers might stumble onto my writing over time and take away something positive. I would like to think that I have the ability to plant the seed of responsible thought – a planted seed can grow into something mighty.
Small everyday changes are easy to implement without harming our lifestyle. A willingness to try new things and discuss alternate concepts can benefit individuals along with the environment. We can reduce waste in our life with little time and effort. We can make responsible choices if we are not impulsive or selfish.
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As for procreation, it is not our right to bring as many new lives into this world as we desire – rather, it is our duty to future generations and the Earth that will support them, to reproduce responsibly.
Our current population growth is unsustainable, and is leading to environmental devastation on a world scale. Our planet is a closed system; our usable space and resources are finite.
7 comments:
In response to your post on overpopulation, overconsumerism and environmental destruction :
Industrial Society Destroys Mind and Environment.
Industrial Society is destroying necessary things [Animals, Trees, Air, Water and Land] for making unnecessary things [consumer goods].
"Growth Rate" - "Economy Rate" - "GDP"
These are figures of "Ecocide".
These are figures of "crimes against Nature".
These are figures of "destruction of Ecosystems".
These are figures of "Insanity, Abnormality and Criminality".
The link between Mind and Social / Environmental-Issues.
The fast-paced, consumerist lifestyle of Industrial Society is causing exponential rise in psychological problems besides destroying the environment. All issues are interlinked. Our Minds cannot be peaceful when attention-spans are down to nanoseconds, microseconds and milliseconds. Our Minds cannot be peaceful if we destroy Nature [Animals, Trees, Air, Water and Land].
Chief Seattle of the Indian Tribe had warned the destroyers of ecosystems way back in 1854 :
Only after the last tree has been cut down,
Only after the last river has been poisoned,
Only after the last fish has been caught,
Only then will you realize that you cannot eat money.
sushil_yadav
Delhi, India
Perhaps we should remove all the government subsidies paid to people to produce and raise children. It surely has reached a stage when people who want children should cover the costs themselves. To continue to assist people to reproduce is madness, yet if we were to cease payments there would be outrage and probably a change of government. People are not very intelligent, only cleaver self-centred apes!
I wish humans would be intelligent enough to stop before the last fish has been caught, but I see evidence of the contrary. Greed and belief that the environment will provide are the norm.
People just can’t fathom that the earth has limits. When Europe overflew, people emigrated and settled other lands, and it’s difficult to change and know that this is not an option anymore.
When I heard that millions of British people were thinking of emigrating because of the current crisis, most of them down under, I felt very sorry for Australia.
Hi Gaye,
I believe that a major rethink needs to take place in regards to our economic machine,and our population control strategies.
Unfortunately this will require a centralised administrative body, as I don't see communication between such disparate country states being able to make the changes necessary.
I say unfortunatly as I have misgivings over such a monolithic control device.
We, as a species, have to come to terms with the problems we face or, I believe, the planet will sort it out for us...and in the not to distant future.
Life will continue on this planet without us, and diversity will eventually be restored as so many extinctions in the past have shown us.
Lets hope the solutions our own kind propose on us for this dilemma are a little more humane than my darkest thoughts.
Memorials to the fallen, be it war or disease, are not much solace to those whos lives are cut short through an inability in mankind to rise to the common purpose with its obligations to humanity and its role in nature being realised.
We come of age as a species or fall.
Dave
Hi Gaye,
I agree with what you've written -- too often the threat to biodiversity and sustainability is ignored in the discussion about cliimate change, but these issues are connected.
Just as an example, we're being told that electric cars will solve the greenhouse problem, while the government clearly has very little interest in making public transport a realistic alternative.
Meanwhile, the government hands out cheques to encourage us to spend.
And we're still being told to reproduce -- remember Peter Costello telling us to have one child for each parent (ie two) and one for the country?
I also agree that women's rights are a vital part of the solution -- many women have no control over the number of children they have.
Hi Gaye
Really well said.
The personal and the political can coincide - painfully sometimes.
Clearly we are a species out of control.
But, as for controlling our fertility, it comes down to the individual case by case.
Denis
A very difficult subject you've tackled, and very well. But although I read extensively on these and related matters, I'm so overwhelmed by the burden of my awareness and almost paralysed by the immensity of it all. So I resolve that in my remaining decades of life I can only try to emulate the Buddhist traits of loving-kindness and compassion toward individual others. I'm afraid that saving the earth must be for the young, but I do try to live more simply and thoughtfully.
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