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Over population hurting the environment

Friday, November 2 at 11:59 AM

Frederick C Sage of Boulder writes:

Colorado is swarming with people who claim they are all for protecting the environment. It’s interesting that they tend to ignore the basic cause of environmental degredation: Over population. We cannot continue doubling and redoubling the numbers of people dependent on a static resource base without very adverse consequences.
The Manchester Guardian reported recently that if the population of the UK kept increasing at its present rate, Britain would be as crowded as Bangladesh in forty years. It can’t happen here? Don’t kid yourself.
Visit the third world and what strikes you first? The swarms of people condemned to a life of hopeless, grinding poverty. There is no way,whatever, to avoid such a fate in this country as long as the additions of people exceed the replacement rate. So, it will not hit until many years down the road, but hit it will. Do we have the right to inflict the disaster on our great grandchildren by our brainless breeding?

This letter has not been edited.

READER COMMENTS

Mr. Sage,

Please feel free to refrain from reproducing. But your argument based on a comparison to Great Britain is like comparing California to Rhode Island!

The total land mass in the UK is 242,900 squared km, on which 60.7 MILLION people live. In the US, 301.1 million people live on 9,269,091 squared km. The "average household" since 1970 has DECREASED in size from 3.14 to 2.57 (according to 2004 US Census statistics). According to the US Labor Statistics Division, the US will experience a deficit of 35 MILLION workers by 2030.

Just what is the point of your letter, considering your obvious lack of research?

Posted by Dan2 on November 2, 2007 02:41 PM

Personally, I haven't reproduced, yet I still feel like I could be doing more to help.

Perhaps if I were to start killing people.

Posted by on November 2, 2007 07:00 PM

If "total land mass" includes uninhabitable areas, those statistics Dan2 quotes mean little. A shrinking "average household" is equally specious unless you ratio it with the current size of an "average dwelling."

Posted by Hans Christian Brando on November 2, 2007 07:01 PM

That's why I moved out of Colorado 8 years ago,the liberals move in like cockroaches,screwing up everything.

Posted by Keith on November 2, 2007 08:05 PM

Mr Sage,
You should by all means discontinue your brainless breeding at once.

Posted by skeptical on November 2, 2007 11:07 PM

All the U.S. needs to do to stop an increase in population is to not allow anymore immigrants into our country. We could significantly slow down the rise in population if we did much more to stop illegal immigration. Last time I looked our "breeding" in the U.S. has not increased our population for some time!

Posted by brain on November 3, 2007 12:04 PM

Moratorium on immigration, especially from third world and developing countries.

Posted by on November 4, 2007 06:39 AM

Mr. Sage, I agree the brainless should refrain from breeding. Have you had your vasectomy?

Posted by clyde on November 4, 2007 10:57 PM