|
|
Re: human rights vs. societies rights
(no name) ((no email))
Fri, 9 Dec 1994 08:48:28 EDT
what you say about exponential growth is very true. however, you must
remember that humans alter their environment more than any other species
that has ever existed. unlike the mould in the garbage can, we can take
the lid off metaphorically. the 14-15 billion estimate for the year 2040
assumes that we will continue to successfully control many major diseases,
and that we will improve our procedures for controlling several other
fatal illnesses. it has written into it a certain loss due to natural
disasters, and similar things.
the trick to maintaining current growth patterns is to inhabit other
species habitats and drive them to extinction. this we are doing at a
rate faster than other major extinction in geological history. according
to the experts, the world can "carry" 14 or 15 billion people, but
at the expense of many more large mammals, birds, reptiles, etc.
at the moment, the only disease with any real hope of limiting the growth
is the AIDs virus. I will grant that if a cure is not found quickly,
the population of Africa will be decimated (i.e. </= 1/10 of now).
It may spread to much of the rest of the world with equal effect, but
the incubation period for AIDs is so long, at the moment, it is really
no having much effect on the population growth rate.
this is not to say that there may not be another deadly disease that comes
along to do the dirty work. the point remains, however, that in the meantime,
world population increases by about 270,000 people every day, or 3
people every second. is it fair to subject anyone to a world where
in just 45 years 3 people will be attempting to live where 1 lives now?
is it fair to subject most of those people to the conditions that will
prevail in many third world countries that cannot handle providing
clean water, sanitation, food and medicine to their disadvantaged?
is it humane to allow these people to be born just to face plagues,
famine, and drought?
yes eventually the world population will come into equilibrium with the
world's carrying capacity. can we as a species justify waiting for nature
to take its course, when in the meantime we will destroy most other
species larger than a rat, and many that are larger than cockroaches?
can we justify allowing millions of people to die in torment while we
wait for nature to take its course?
b
|