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Population and Environment
Biodiversity Perspectives Two major trends will shape the 21st century: the unprecedented growth of one species, Homo sapiens, and the demise of countless other species of plants and animals. These two trends are inexorably intertwined, and must become the focus of policy decisions for individuals, societies, religions, and governments alike. The time is now! |
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In 1950's, Chairman Mao
Zedong declared war on nature, so that the people of China, the world's
most populous nation, could be fed. The result was an ecological
disaster, still playing itself out.
Are we still at war with nature, albeit in more subtle ways? |
In Sparing Nature, I make the following claim:
"The greatest and most effective conservation measure to save earth's biodiversity is to halt the growth of the human population, and perhaps to reduce our numbers."
That call grows more urgent every day, with a net gain of roughly 213,000 people, and a net loss of a minimum of 24 species ... one an hour ... lost in the same day.
The following links explore this idea further:
Brother, Can You Spare a Species? The Reporter, Spring, 2004. (link to PDF file)
| Dialogue Radio Interview Broadcast 12/29/03-1/4/04 #675 |
| Mr. Jeff Goes to Washington 10/31/03 |
| People and the Planet 10/2/03 |
| Population Boom Threatens Wildlife 7/25/03 |
| Anthropologist Predicts Major Threat to Species Within 50 Years 6/10/03 6/10/03 6/10/03 |
| Anthropologist Pleads for Fewer Humans, More Saved Species 5/5/03 |
Other VERY useful links:
Population Action International
References:
McKee, J.K. 2003 Sparing Nature: The Conflict Between Human Population Growth and Earth=s Biodiversity. Piscataway: Rutgers University Press.
McKee, J.K. 2003. Reawakening Malthus: Empirical Support for the Smail Scenario. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 122(4): 371-374.
McKee,
J.K., Sciulli, P.W., Fooce, C.D., and Waite, T.A. 2004
Forecasting
Biodiversity Threats Due to Human Population Growth.
Biological Conservation, 115(1): 161-164.
