At my latest talk on the topic of overpopulation, I said I had one mission. I wanted overpopulation to have a seat at the table. That table is one that insists on creating a more just world. Instead this troubled topic spends its time growing under the bus where it lives in the silenced aftermath of crippled misunderstanding. The most compelling reason it needs to be revisited and resurrected is that left alone it will overwhelm our resources.
Overpopulation will leave any hope of justice extinguished by the realities of ecology. Contrary to all political agendas and corporate sponsored commercials, we do live on a limited planet. Instead of being a narrative that excuses the horrors of genocide, overpopulation must be understood as a truth that when addressed, prevents misery and suffering. Left alone, with no attention paid to its ability to destroy the world as we know it, it will continue to cause misery.
Preventing the annihilation of our planet’s ability to support life is a good thing, a just act. When I say I want overpopulation to have a seat at the table, I mean that we must look at our human numbers in relation to our shrinking water tables and our wildlife populations. We must measure our diminishing mineral resources and the pollution created in their extraction and then make the best, most humane decisions to turn this mess around. This issue is solvable. T
To continue to be blind to the pressure the nearly 8 billion have on our beleaguered planet is to insure a very inhumane future which has already begun. We continue to grow between 81-87 million a year which exacerbates all of our problems. Scarcity, carbon emissions, political strife and endangered species are all a byproduct of the ravages of overpopulation. Of course our consumption is out of control in the developed world, but that issue already has a seat at the table, while the overpopulation issue is rarely mentioned. Limiting family sizes may seem extreme especially when the numbers call for one-child families to slow, stop and decrease our numbers. But we must remember no cause will survive its grip. No issue will succeed without taking a deep look at the much maligned issue of overpopulation. All it takes is an awakening inspired by the desire to really change the world for the better.