My old friend John Muir said, “Tell me what you will of the benefactions of city civilization, of the sweet security of streets--all as part of the natural upgrowth of man towards the high destiny we hear so much of. I know that our bodies were made to thrive only in pure air, and the scenes in which pure air is found. If the death exhalations of that brood the broad towns in which we so fondly compact ourselves were made visible, we should flee as from a plague. All are more or less sick; there is not a perfectly sane man in San Francisco.”
When it comes to nature, how will America’s wildlife fare as we build homes and communities in their habitats? How will they maintain their lives? Don’t fool yourself that habitat is of no consequence to a global ecosystem. Right now, according to The National Academy of Sciences, in America, we lose 2,500 plants and animals to extinction every decade from habitat encroachment by humans. That begs the question: what moral or ethical right do we possess as cognitive humans to cause so much destruction of our fellow creatures on this planet home?
What happens when we compact ourselves like rats in cities across America? What kind of Hobson’s Choice will we encounter when we add that extra five million human beings? What about our water supplies that already force us into ever increasing consequences?
On the energy front, how will we survive the coming Peak Oil dilemmas and lack of natural gas? We experienced rolling blackouts in California and Colorado three years ago. Oil prices in Europe run $9.00 a gallon while we freaked out with $4.10 a gallon this summer. What happens when oil prices in the U.S. climb to $9.00 a gallon?--Which they will!
No leaders and few folks make any plans for what we face. But, as you understand, everything you hear and read applauds unending growth. Growth cannot solve the problem; ‘growth’ is the problem! It remains an anachronistic paradigm and totally unworkable.
As we race pell-mell toward our destiny, what responsibilities do we owe future Americans? What can they expect from our actions today? What will they encounter as we make poor choices? What might constitute positive choices?
As CU’s famous demographer Dr. Albert Bartlett said, “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.”
I cannot! Can you? Therefore, if none exist, let’s boldly and intelligently pursue a new path for America. Let’s move toward ‘steady state economics’ and a stable and sustainable population.
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