"Many people, especially ignorant people, want to punish you for speaking the truth, for being correct. Never apologize for being correct, or for being years ahead of your time. If you are correct and you know it, speak your mind. Even if you are a minority of one, the truth is still the truth." Gandhi
When it comes to my writing about humanity's most profound predicament of the 21st century, which is human overpopulation, I receive a lot of mail from readers who either lack education or intellectual horsepower to comprehend our dilemma or they suffer from religious myopia or they lack world travel experiences or they fail to understand science. They cannot "see" it or they won't "see" it from their emotional, religious and/or ineffectual worlds.
They still insist that the world is flat, that the Pope was right and Galileo wrong, that massive species extinction is a lie, that air pollution is a myth and that climate change is a hoax. They think that 80,000 chemicals injected into the air, water and land 24/7 does not cause cancer and does nothing to hinder the basic operations of life on Earth. They think the bigger the cities the better the living conditions. Such people think the oceans can absorb all the chemicals, oil, sewage and plastic trash humanity can toss. Such people think the planet can hold an infinite number of human beings.They also use the word "if" to bring their righteous indignation to the forefront. "If" only humans would share and be kind and love one another, and stop consuming too much, life on this planet would all turn out okay. If humans conserved more water, then more people could be added. Thus, use less and less so we can add more and more humans. Of course, such individuals don't know the end results of endless and forever human population expansion. It's beyond their mental acuity.
And I love this one: "All 7.1 billion humans can be stuffed into half the State of Texas with a one acre garden."Let's just say for kicks, grins and giggles, at 7.1 billion humans and headed for 10.1 billion by mid century--we humans can ignore the warning signs and keep growing. Sure, let's add 1 billion people every 12 years to this planet on top of the current 7.1 billion, and see what happens.
Let's forget that 10 million children starve to death annually every year, year in and year out. They cannot obtain enough food because they do not enjoy enough arable land and water. Another 8 million adults die annually year, year after year, but let's add 80 million net gain annually to the planet just to find out how many more can live in misery and suffering. It's all because of corrupt governments and greedy, heartless men. Of course there is no human overpopulation predicament to my antagonizers. No amount of proof or facts or science will deter them.
Let's forget that human encroachment and expansion cause the extinction of 80 to 100 other creatures on the planet every single day of the year according the exhaustive studies by Oxford University's Norman Myers. Harvard biologist E.O. Wilson figures over 30,000 creatures will suffer extinction by mid century. Let's forget that 100 million sharks are killed annually for the past 25 years to feed our ravenous human appetites. Can you imagine the kill-off rate with 3.1 billion more humans? Our oceans will become a lifeless waste land. (Source: OnEarth Magazine, Julia Whitty, Life Magazine, August 1991)Let's forget that human fossil fuel burning rains carbon particles into the oceans at such an accelerating rate of speed that the oceans suffer acidification. That kills reefs and plant life and rocks the eternal balance of the oceans, so much so, they are dying. Since we can't "see" it, such a phenomenon can't be happening.
Let's forget that humans toss billions of plastic containers into the oceans so much so that 46,000 pieces of plastic float on every square mile of the Earth's oceans. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, now at over 100 million tons of plastic and greater than the size of Texas, floats and kills millions of marine and avian life annually. That's the one in the Pacific Ocean. Some estimates show humans toss 2.5 million more pieces of plastic every friggin' hour into the oceans because they are too lazy to create 10 cent deposit-return laws. So, gosh, no, humanity doesn't have an overpopulation problem.
Let's forget that our carbon footprint from burning 84 million barrels of oil daily around the planet certainly couldn't be changing the very "balance" of the biosphere, so that it's not causing super storms like Katrina, Sandy, and hurricanes over Asia that wreck everything in their paths. When you add up all the oil, coal and wood burned planet-wide, surely it cannot be causing any problems. So, another 3.1 billion of us by mid century won't harm anything. By the way, by 2030, China expects to burn 98 million barrels daily by themselves as they add 16 million new cars annually with no end in sight. (Source: The Long Emergency by James Kunstler)
Let's forget that for every American added to the USA, we must destroy 25.4 acres of land to support that person. It's called "ecological footprint" and it's expanding worldwide as it wipes out that 100 species per day because they no longer enjoy land, water and habitat to reproduce. If America adds its projected 100 million within 25 years, that's 2.54 billion acres of wilderness habitat destroyed for human growth. Don't you wonder why all those species vanish from the planet? Beats the hell out of me! (Source: www.allspecies.org ) So, obviously, humanity cannot be held responsible for being overpopulated on this finite planet.Let's forget that people living and working in Los Angeles with 15 million people to Mexico City with 22 million people, all the way to 36 million in Tokyo--must not be having problems with breathing toxic, particle-laden air with every breath. It cannot come from the millions of smoke stacks and chimneys vomiting all that exhaust into the once pristine biosphere. It's not a problem in Beijing today where you can't see down the block because of all the air pollution blackening the sky. Of course, it's not a problem because when the wind blows, it all goes away to rain down as acid rain on the land and then, out to sea to acidify the oceans. Let's forget that 1 in 3 Americans will suffer cancer in their lives. You see overpopulation remains a myth and the Pope is correct and Galileo was wrong.
Obviously, with these few examples, we humans don't have a problem. We can keep growing, multiplying and trashing the planet at our leisure. We can keep adding 80 million of ourselves annually without end. It's just not a problem to my detractors. They carry the Bible, Koran or some other magic book to show that God controls everything and it will all turn out just ducky.
For the rest of us that house educated brains, IQ's over 120, common sense, forethought and understanding--we must take action to supersede the world's idiots, morons, zealots and intellectual troglodytes. (Especially the Pope!)
You're urged to join www.CapsWeb.org ; www.NumbersUSA.org ; www.Fairus.org ; www.TheSocialContract.com
Alexandra Paul talks about human overpopulation and saving our world by all women having 1 child only: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNxctzyNxC0
This film will rock you: MOTHER: CARING FOR 7 BILLION
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In a five minute astoundingly simple yet brilliant video , "Immigration, Poverty, and Gum Balls" , Roy Beck, director of www.numbersusa.ORG, graphically illustrates the impact of overpopulation. Take five minutes to see for yourself:
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
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