作者 傑奇‧艾倫‧朱利安諾 博士
從人口分佈圖來看，立即可看出，地球表面的生活空間，並沒有被明智地使用。大量的人口群聚在海邊，山邊以及終年氣候溫暖的區域。在美國加州南部，１千５百萬人所居住的沙漠地區，其資源則來自於數千哩遠的地區提供。可是美國第四大州的蒙大拿州，人口則少於一百萬人。
從太空中所拍攝到歐洲，北非及中東夜晚。（照片提供 NASA）
假若地球上的62億人口，是根據人口容量和生態系統法則來分佈，那今天我們對於環保議題的討論將會非常不同。其實，在這個地球上，已經有足夠的資源，來讓每一個生活其上的男女老少，吃的飽，穿的暖，住的好及得到好的照顧，所缺乏的是用心去做的「心」。
假若人們是靠著這種入不敷出、建基在貪婪的經濟法則來生活，認為可以為了少數人的富裕而消耗大量資源，那麼不論人口數目的多寡，地球都將無法承受。
當我們要指責任何人口問題時，都必須非常小心。問題在人們生活的方式，而不是他們是否應該存在。
我新生的孩子，將會被教導，去瞭解那些存在於我們和自然世界之間的緊密關係，他也會瞭解到，一個人的富有不應使其他人受苦。
他會被教導，盡量減少他所佔據珍貴的地球空間，而且視地球的資源如同寶物。他將會待動物如鄰居和朋友，而非奴隸或食物。
除此之外，我的摯友也是同事葛洛莉亞‧奧倫斯坦博士，一個生態女權主義（註）的倡導者，當她聽到賈斯汀的出生時，她告訴我說，地球的生態鬥士永不嫌多。（註：ecofeminism，結合深層生態學的女權主義，前者探討人類的破壞自然，在心理上、倫理上的關係，並研究如何以肯定生命的態度取代。）
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.
全文及圖片詳見 : http://ens-news.com/ens/may2001/2001L-05-25g.html
參考資料
1. 埃利希的分析報告:
http://dieoff.org/page27.htm
2. 網路上的人口指數:
http://popindex.princeton.edu
3. 美國人口普查局:
http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/BasicFactsServlet
4. 科學工作者關懷聯盟的人口發展及環境報告: http://www.ucsusa.org/balance/pop.science.html
5. 世界策略協會:
http://www.worldgame.org
傑奇‧艾倫‧朱利安諾博士是西雅圖的作家與教師。為了妻子和新生兒，他正在重新安排的自己的生活。請將你的想法評論或願景寄給他mailto:jackie@healingourworld.com ，也可以參觀他的網站http://www.healingourworld.com
【文章連載】
■人，太多了嗎？ (上) (下)
作者
In my healing journey and learning to attain the breath awareness, I become aware of the reality that all the creatures of the world are breathing the same breath. Take action, here and now. From my physical being to the every corner of this out of balance's planet.
