|
By Jackie Alan Giuliano, Ph.D.
Looking at a population map, one instantly sees that our Earth's surface is not used wisely for living space. Huge populations of people flock to the coasts, the mountain passes, and to areas of year round mild climate. In Southern California, 15 million people live in a desert that must supported by resources from thousands of miles away. Yet Montana, the fourth largest state in the nation, has less than a million people.
Lights of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East from space. (Photo courtesy National Aeronautics and Space Administration)
If the Earth's 6.2 billion people spread out over the globe, occupying regions according to their carrying capacity and living within the means of the ecosystem, our environmental discussions today would be very different. There is already sufficient wealth on our planet to feed, clothe, house, and care for every last woman, man, and child in the world. What is lacking is the heart to do so.
Populations of any size will never be sustainable if they are living above their means according to the economic rules of a greed based system that insists we consume vast quantities of resources in order to keep a tiny percentage of the population very rich.
We must be careful in placing blame on any population, no matter what its size. What is at issue is the way in which people live, not whether or not they should live.
My newborn son will be brought up to understand the deep connections that exist between us all and the natural world. He will be taught to understand that for one person to be rich, someone else does not have to suffer.
He will be taught to minimize his footprint on our precious Earth and consider the resources of the Earth to be sacred gifts. He will view animals as his neighbors and friends, not his slaves or his food.
And besides, as a dear friend and colleague of mine, Dr. Gloria Orenstein, one of the framers of the field of ecofeminism, told me when she heard of Justin's birth, the Earth can always use another
eco-warrier.
RESOURCES
1. Read Ehrlich's analysis at: http://dieoff.org/page27.htm
2. Visit Population Index on the web at: http://popindex.princeton.edu
3. Visit the U.S. Census Bureau at: http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/
BasicFactsServlet
4. See a report on population, development and the environment by the Union of Concerned Scientists at:
http://www.ucsusa.org/balance/
pop.science.html
5. Visit the World Game Institute for help with these issues at:
http://www.worldgame.org
Jackie Alan Giuliano, Ph.D. is a writer and teacher in Seattle. He can be found rearranging all his priorities with his wife and new son. Please send your thoughts, comments, and visions to him at
jackie@healingourworld.com and visit his web site at
http://www.healingourworld.com
http://ens-news.com/ens/may2001/2001L-05-25g.html |
