A few days ago I read one of the strangest op-ed pieces in the New York Times that I’ve ever encountered. The author, Earle C. Ellis, an associate professor at the University of Maryland, published an essay entitled “Overpopulation Is Not the Problem.” He pointed out that the carrying capacity of the earth for humans has grown as agricultural production has increased.
He said that seven billion people is not that big a deal “as long as necessary investments in infrastructure and conducive trade, anti-poverty and food security polices are in place.”
First of all, they aren’t in place. Agribusiness is not about to grow food for starving people who can’t pay for it. The U.S. Congress has even cut the food stamp program for hungry Americans. We might be able to grow the food, but it won’t be distributed, and billions of people are going to bed hungry every night--provided they have beds.
Life involves more than surviving. The earth already has too many people. Non-human species are dying off at an incredible rate. The global climate is changing. People are crowded together in slums in almost every large city on the globe.
Millions of people live their entire lives without ever breathing fresh air. Millions live without clean water. Millions live without ever seeing a star because of light pollution.
I sometimes link articles so you can read the original. In this case, I’m not about to waste your time on such drivel.
I think the NRA is trying to do something about over population. They just need more weapons than the guns they already have. Like machine guns, bazookas and tanks. Maybe throw in a few missles and some drones.
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