Part 4: Life on the Brink: Environmentalists Confront Overpopulation

By Frosty Wooldridge

Book review: Life on the Brink: Environmentalists Confront Overpopulation

Part 4: How far can one species go over a cliff and still hope to survive?  Reflections on sustainability, what future generations face

In Life on the Brink: Environmentalists Confront Overpopulation by Professor Philip Cafaro of Colorado State University and Professor Eileen Crist of Virginia Tech, we find the top authors and scientists in the world attempting to alert humanity to its impending future viability on this planet. 

Dr. Albert Bartlett, www.albartlett.org, professor emeritus, University of Colorado, presents a program: “On population growth and global climate change” which you can access through his website.  Dr. Bartlett has presented it nearly 2,000 times in the past 35 years to members of Congress, governors and some of the highest ranking people in presidential posts.

(National Geographic photo of trash floating in the Pacific Ocean, part of the 100 million ton Great Pacific Garbage Patch created by humanity within 50 years.)

Bartlett logically, rationally and scientifically takes his audiences on a methodical educational ride explaining to them that the human race does not understand the “exponential growth factor.”   He discusses the doubling time of any species and how quickly it outruns the carrying capacity of its environment.  He provides scientific proof that the “oil slave” that allows all 21^stcentury industrialized civilizations to sustain themselves—cannot continue for much longer. Once oil vanishes, we will find ourselves without the energy to feed, transport, warm and clothe ourselves.   Unfortunately, nothing on the horizon and no technology has come up with a substitute for oil.

An energy expert Walter Youngquist said, “As we go from this happy hydrocarbon bubble we have reached now to a renewable energy resource economy, which we do this century, will the “civil” part of civilization survive?  As we both know there is no way that alternative energy sources can supply the amount of per capita energy we enjoy now, much less for the 9 billion expected by 2050. And energy is what keeps this game going. We are involved in a Faustian bargain—selling our economic souls for the luxurious life of the moment, but sooner or later the price has to be paid.” 

Bartlett explains our dilemma in black and white throughout his one hour presentation.  I attended his latest presentation last Sunday night, January 13, 2013, in Boulder, Colorado.  His program left the audience well educated and extremely sobered as to humanity’s predicament in the 21^stcentury.

Bartlett states, “Unlimited population growth cannot be sustained; you cannot sustain growth in the rates of consumption of resources. No species can overrun the carrying capacity of a finite land mass. This Law cannot be repealed and is not negotiable.”www.albartlett.org, University of Colorado, USA.

(National Geographic picture of marine life trying to make sense of plastic. Such ocean plastic debris destroys ocean environment and kills the chain of life.)

At the end of the program, he asked, “Can you think of any problem in any area of human endeavor on any scale, from microscopic to global, whose long-term solution is in any demonstrable way aided, assisted, or advanced by further increases of population, locally, nationally, or globally.” 

Can you?  Obviously, the United States Congress’ members that push for endless growth think they can defy scientific reason.  The same holds true for Australia, Canada, Mexico, India, Bangladesh, Haiti, Congo, Liberia and a hundred other countries around the world.  Everywhere you look in the world, leaders push for population growth.

What’s more, they realize it.  The Catholic Church pushes higher birth rates along with the Hindus, Muslims and most other ancient religions.  Even in the face of mass starvation, human degradation, extreme poverty and misery—church leaders like the Pope push for greater birth rates.

(National Geographic picture of the millions of tons of trash tossed into the oceans of the world.  Nothing about the natural world is sacred to human beings worldwide.)

One growth advocate at a conference said, “We’re tired of hearing limits to growth! We are going to grow the limits!”

Bartlett said, “You do not need any more arithmetic than this to evaluate the absolutely contradictory statements that we have all heard from politicians, who tell us in one breath that we can go on increasing our populations, our effluents, our rates of consumption of fossil fuels or water, and in the next breath they say, ‘Don’t worry, we will always be able to discover the new resources and technologies that we will need to meet the requirements of that growth.’”

“Pressures resulting from unrestrained population growth put demands on the natural world that can overwhelm any efforts to achieve a sustainable future. If we are to halt the destruction of our environment, we must accept limits to that growth.”  World Scientists’ Warning to Humanity, signed by 1600 senior scientists from 70 countries, including 102 Nobel Prize laureates.

Cafaro and Crist urge the population discussion. They implore leaders to start the discussion that will create the debate.  Humanity’s future depends on actions to stabilize and lower human population before Mother Nature brings her own brand of population stabilization.

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Part 5:  Martha Campbell asks, “Why the silence on population?”

Life on the Brink: Environmentalists Confront Overpopulation

Authors: Philip Cafaro, Eileen Crist

Publisher: The University of Georgia Press, www.ugapress.org

ISBN: 978-0-8203-4385-3

Price: $24.95  www.amazon.com

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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  

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:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPjzfGChGlE&feature=player_embedded

“Immigration by the numbers—off the chart”by Roy Beck

This 10 minute demonstration shows Americans the results of unending mass immigration on the quality of life and sustainability for future generations: in a few words, “Mind boggling!”  www.NumbersUSA.org

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muw22wTePqQ

This is the best website to start:  www.numbersusa.org; watch Roy Beck’s “Immigration by the Numbers” at 14 minutes. Bi-partisan and very effective. Become a faxer of pre-written letters to your reps to make positive  change.

Visit www.TheSocialContract.comfor the best information on what we face as a civilization as to overpopulation, energy, immigration and much more.

Canada www.immigrationwatchcanada.org; in Australia www.population.org.auand[email protected]; in Great Britain www.populationmatters.org; and dozens of other sites accessed at www.frostywooldridge.com.   In Florida, www.flimen.org.

Must see DVD: “Blind Spot” www.snagfilms.com/films/title/blind_spot/, This movie illustrates America’s future without oil, water and other resources to keep this civilization functioning. It’s a brilliant educational movie! www.blindspotdoc.com

Must see: Rapid Population Decline, seven minute video by Dr. Jack Alpert-

www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTWduFB_RX0

Dave Gardner, President, Citizen-Powered Media ; Producing the Documentary, GROWTH BUSTERS; presents Hooked on Growth: Our Misguided Quest for Prosperity, Join the cause at www.growthbusters.org ;760 Wycliffe Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80906 USA; +1 719-576-5565

Trailer to his latest movie on overpopulation:  http://youtu.be/KLWxWOcUrVc

Check out this link with Wooldridge on bicycle and Lester Brown and panel discussion:

www.upnorthmedia.org/watchupnorthtv.asp?SDBFid=1631

Tomorrow’s Americaproject on www.youtube.com/contemporarylearning.

Producer: GEORGE A. COLBURNwww.tomorrowsamerica.com

DC: 202-258-4887

Email: [email protected]

Link to www.tomorrowsamerica.comfor more discussions on America’s predicament.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

www.starbrightmediacorp.com

www.tomorrowsamerica.com

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Frosty Wooldridge has bicycled across six continents – from the Arctic to the South Pole – as well as eight times across the USA, coast to coast and border to border. In 2005, he bicycled from the Arctic Circle, Norway to Athens, Greece. In 2012, he bicycled coast to coast across America.  He presents “The Coming Population Crisis facing America: what to do about it.”  www.frostywooldridge.com.  His latest book is: How to Live a Life of Adventure: The Art of Exploring the World by Frosty Wooldridge, copies at 1 888 280 7715/ Motivational program: How to Live a Life of Adventure: The Art of Exploring the World by Frosty Wooldridge, click:  www.HowToLiveALifeOfAdventure.com