Family Planning – Our Best Bet to Slow Global Warming
The reality of global warming is increasingly obvious for many people who are now looking for ways to help to put the brakes on climate change. But as an individual it can feel overwhelming and many people tend to give up; thinking the big solutions to global warming can only rest with the government or big business. However, as individuals one means we can take is perhaps the most significant way of all to slow climate change. By carefully planning their family size and considering only having one or two children. Also by putting pressure on politicians to address this concern by promoting family planning as one of the best green things to do to limit climate change.
Every year more than 70 million people join more than 6.5-billion people already using in some form or another million of tons of greenhouse gas emissions. Yet most calls to action on global warming fail to address population growth. Most politicians in the US avoid this sort of hot button issue, considering it political suicide. The Bush administration has opposed global family planning efforts by the UN. And increasing women are finding difficulty with getting birth control in some areas. But if we really want to be serious about global warming it matters tremendously whether the world’s population in 2050 is 10.8 billion people or 7.8 billion people — the high and low estimates made in 2006 by the United Nations. Fossil fuel pollution could be significantly reduced in a world with 3 billion fewer people.
Mexico over the past several years has gone from an average of nearly 7 children per family to about 2.4 children today. Some areas in India, women now on average have fewer than two children each. In these and other places, increased literacy and better health care access are making a real difference. We can achieve population stabilization if people see it to be in their interests and a political will for it evolves. The means to limit population growth include family planning, education for women, and the right to make personal reproductive choices. (much of this information here is from John Seager, president of Population Connection in this article.)
The world’s population is 6 billion and growing largely due to cheap energy sources for the past 150 years but that situation is quickly changing. Crops are grown with petroleum based fertilizers, harvested with equipment using oil, shipped with gasoline powered fleets. Many predict Peak Oil and the end of cheap fossil fuels in rapidly coming. Our planet may have its own way of radically reducing populations, as global warming worsens significantly we can expect to see not only increased heat, drought, violent storms – but also the increase in communicable diseases , pest infestations, crop failures, etc. No doubt, it will be better to plan our own families than letting the planet do it for us!
Here are some good links to read more about this vital issue
Global Population and Environment
Population and Global Warming Factsheet by the Sierra Club
It’s Time to Fight Population Growth, Which Exacerbates Global Warming and Sprawl Alternet article
Excellent source of facts, articles and other information about Population growth and the environment from the Population Connection
By Katha Pollitt, The Nation. Posted April 9, 2007.
U.S. Population Reaches 300 million, Heading for 400 Million
by Lester Brown, 10.11.06 (Treehugger article)
