Decades ago, a movement called ‘Deep Ecology’ appeared on the scene and attempted to redefine our relationship with our life-giving earth. The movement was inspired by Rachel Carson’s stinging expose’ on the proliferation of pesticides, the now classic Silent Spring. But Carson didn’t only mourn the unnecessary deaths of birds and insects she challenged us to shift our modern world thinking away from domination.
Enemies of deep ecology and James Lovelock’s sister theory, the “Gaia hypothesis” admonished followers by calling them ‘Tree Huggers’. These movements were nobly trying to pry us loose from our anthropocentric view of the Earth. Instead of viewing resources from serving a utilitarian viewpoint these movements tried to provide a more holistic view. They proposed that everything from trees to mushrooms have intrinsic value beyond their usefulness as porch furniture and gourmet food.
The goal of Deep Ecology is to give nature a seat at the table. According to the Foundation for Deep Ecology, “Nature must be seen as a partner and model in all human enterprise in order to attain real and permanent change.” Indeed, the world would be in a much better place if valued nature were a guiding principle for the decisions made by world governments and the corporations which run them.
Deep Ecology which see humans as no different from other life forms and Gaia theorists which acknowledge the importance of humanity but not beyond a value that can be sustained, have new neighbor: the Nature’s Rights Movement. This newer movement has taken their game changing philosophy into the judicial system. Nature’s Rights is all about advocating for the legal rights of ecosystems, giving more muscle to those who fight for all things conservation. Neither of these movements have stellar reputations for naming and blaming overpopulation for its crucial role in creating the very problems of overshoot but their sentiments are in the right place.
It is easy to see why the greedy want to kick nature in the teeth for short term profit. It’s harder to see why those who claim to be in favor of social justice join them in putting up hurdles to true sustainability. Social Justice ‘warriors’ get in the way of real justice by scrutinizing policies with the singular lens of cultural diversity without consideration of the larger context of sustaining the ecosystems which support us all. Social justice pretends to be the only key to making the world better for the disenfranchised, but it is not. Ecological justice is the other side of the justice coin. Social justice alone is a weak tool which always ends up hurting people in the end.
Let me explain. Let’s say that millions of people were allowed to migrate to a city which initially had more employment and favorable resources to share. They built roads and housing but, in the process, added millions to a limited fresh water supply. Within a few decades due to a combination of overpopulation and increased drought, people began to suffer due to severe water shortages. Setting up rules to look into the future and try to prevent such shortages operates on a deep justice level. Truth be told, this scenario isn’t fictitious. Just ask any of the 4.6 million who are now scrambling to provide water for their families in Cape Town South Africa, a city which had a population of just 1.6 million in 1970.
It is unquestionably sad and maddening that hard won voting rights, civil rights, woman’s rights and LBGTQ rights are losing ground all over the US in exhausting battles that seem to take three steps backwards for every one step forward. But our righteous march toward righting these wrongs must not ignore the ability of the earth to sustain growing human numbers and resource demands. Ecology barely achieves a whisper in our national conversation while the shouts for justice from the streets take up all the oxygen in the room.
The bottom line is that there is no social justice on a dead planet and those who claim to want a more fair and just world better start making room for ecology in its mission and activities. The fragile layer of life represented by our biosphere will soon be unable to support any human life no matter our class, race, or gender. Those already in trouble will be the first to suffer as they have no buffer zones.The social justice movement has been running roughshod over the principals of Deep Ecology for a long time but it has ratcheted up its protests lately, claiming that nature and the goals of conservation must take a back seat to issues of inclusion, equity, and the dismantlement of racism, classism, and sexism.
Overpopulation as a concept has become a trigger word for them and they have lashed out to say that behind this idea are those who wish to flush the remaining rights of the needy down the drain. I give you Exhibit A: the news from Conservation NGO board room that leaders are being dismissed not for eschewing their duties as protectors of biodiversity by ignoring overpopulation, but for tardiness in increasing the gender and cultural diversity of their boards. I envision what will happen if this direction continues to manifest: we will finally achieve equality on the Titanic just before it sinks.
Do not despair. I may have a solution. Perhaps from now on we refer to Deep Ecology and similar theories, as Deep Justice. Deep Justice is a much-needed broader reframing of our relationship to nature. Justice for the natural world is ultimately justice for humans. The state of the world is in perpetual crisis and scarcity abounds, the kind that technology cannot fix. It might be time to ask the question of social justice warriors, “So how has ignoring overpopulation been working for you?” It just might be time to dial back the indefensible name-calling rhetoric and look at justice through a bigger lens. This must be a lens which relies on the physics of the biosphere as well as acting in support of those who have struggled under the weight of discrimination. Deep Justice acknowledges the need to focus on ecological integrity in all policy matters, so that the goals of social justice have a chance to work.
Deep Justice has one basic, scientifically and morally defensible premise: We cannot have a just world when the principles of ecology are ignored, altered or in most cases trampled upon. Overpopulation drives scarcity, pollution and general destruction of our life-giving ecosystems. The growth of the human enterprise quickly becomes the tinder of injustice.
Nature moves slowly and needs time for renewal and humans grow and move quickly to destroy mountain tops, drain rivers and pollute ground water. There is a boomerang effect to growing faster than nature will allow: more suffering, more misery, and early death.
Once nature’s limits are exceeded suffering occurs. Few are versed in ecology, and it is no wonder, it is rarely taught in our school systems anymore, and many of our so-called leaders in Washington are loathe to even agree that evolution is the real deal. It is politically incorrect for them to admit that the US is a limited place and deeply in overshoot ( see www.earthovershoot.com ). The MVP (most valued planet) map is a great resource to demonstrate that every country in the world is overshooting its resources in various ways and more growth will just exacerbate the growing problems of pollution, poverty, traffic, and more.Overpopulation manifests in both birth rates and
mass immigration. Both must be addressed when trying to hold the reigns on population growth and yet immigration has become a red flag for those who think they are advocating for the marginalized of this world.
We must acknowledge that there are those in power who are full of hatred and xenophobia without an ounce of ecological knowledge or care for the rest of humanity cursing in their veins. They have weaponized the immigration issue to promote their nefarious agendas. They wish to close the doors to immigration from a perspective of supremacy and nationalism. But there are those of with righteous motivations who look at immigration from a place of numbers and overshoot who undeservedly get lumped into this offensive group. Just because I like grapes does not make me an alcoholic. And just because I believe that we need to greatly restrict mass immigration in our bloated country, does not make me a racist. I am simply saying that the progress gained in promoting small families loses ground when millions are allowed to perpetuate population growth with loosely enforced immigration laws.
In an environmental impact statement co-authored by Leon Kolankiewicz, he stated that “The Population growth was responsible for 67% of the loss of open space, for the U.S. as a whole, though the percentage differs from state to state.”
When scientific researchers have gone to great lengths to demonstrate the harm that overpopulation is doing, it is time to start listening to them and those of us interested in a better and balanced world. I used to be offended to be lumped in with those who would use overpopulation as a weapon of injustice and paranoia. Now I am just weary. Thank goodness there are other leaders with the same mindset. They too are on a quest for Deep Justice. Among them is Roy Beck author of the 2021 book, Back of the Hiring Line, A 200-Year History of Immigration Surges, Employer Bias, and Depression of Black Wealth, a read that could stop the nonsense if enough people would take the time to absorb its well-researched message
Undoubtedly the discussions we need to have will be challenging but have them we must. Once we are able to sign on to the ideals of Deep Justice we will be on the right path.
After we eliminate the distractions of unfair accusations of racism, where there is none to be found, we can begin to have the kind of success that will satisfy all seekers of a just world.