Summary
I must take issue with Jay Evensen's column titled "Overpopulation nonsense still captures minds" (June 12). Of course, well-reared and educated children help the next generation, but that misses the point. Growing a number of such children is not needed for such a positive effect to happen. The improvement in our living standard has occurred because of the continuation of the Industrial Revolution, with machines producing more goods per hour of labor, because of scientifically based public health measures, the availability of cheap energy from fossil fuels, and an egalitarian government that has helped to spread around the new wealth. Increasing our numbers has had almost nothing to do with these developments; indeed, these developments have allowed our numbers to increase rapidly.
We need to move away from the outmoded idea that all growth is good and seek to build a more stable, predictable and sustainable future. This is the best path for our children's and grandchildren's sakes.See the full content of this document
Extract
Growth Must Be Stabilized
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