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"All politics is local" said Tip O'Neill, Speaker of the House for many many years. And your
local community is where the
rubber meets the road when it comes to population size. Americans consume far more per
capita than most people in the world, so adding more people to our cities (or countryside) will only increase
our greenhouse gas emissions and our consumption.
In California, there is a myth that we have to build now to accomodate all the people who will
be here in the future. But this is putting the cart before the horse. If we
do not build then our population size will not grow. Before any further building
we should be considering what is the sustainable and enjoyable
population size for our region and for our towns.
In some communities, far-sighted voters have seen the downsides of unwanted development and
found ways to implement construction moratoriums and other limits on growth.
Here are some of their stories. Read them for inspiration and suggestions about the tools
and activities which have been useful.
- The Last Crop: Tools to help Communities protect their farms from population growth.. -
by Joel Quick, March 23, 2010 - Case studies of five tools to stop the destruction of farmland at
the County and State level.
[article]
- Morgan Hill: Limiting growth in the shadow of Silicon Valley. -
by Joel Quick. How Morgan Hill has avoided being swallowed up by the octopus of San Jose.
[article]
- Petaluma: Growth and the Egg Basket. - How active residents have
formed an Urban Growth Boundary and
a General Plan to keep Petaluma's downtown business booming and the
outlying areas from sprawing to the horizon.
[article]
-
Livermore: Agriculture, Atomic physics and the Commuter boom.
Starting in the early '70s with air pollution at it's all-time worst, Livermore has
fought and won a series of battles with urban sprawl...
[article]
Return to
How Many home page
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In the News
The Coming Famine by Julian Cribb book review-Aug, 2010
Cribb says we've passed peak oil, water, fertilizer and land;
he argues for more technological research and eating lower on
the food chain. He does not mention stabilizing population
(at least this reviewer does not note it).
[ article]
[ archive]
Risks of Deep Water Drilling 2010/08/30
Population pressure forces us to take risks we cannot control with deeper and
more complex drilling worldwide.
[ article]
[ archive]
Pakistan: Drowning today, Parched tomorrow 2010/08/16
Pakistan's fast-growing population has a very
uncertain outlook for future water supply. Sharing the waters
of the Indus River is a major source of conflict between Pakistan and India.
The U.S. may support a $12 billion agricultural and hydroelectric project.
[ article]
[ archive]
Downward Spiral of Hasty Population Growth July, 2010
More frequent need to rebuild roads, bridges, schools undercuts the economics of raising
population to offset future shortage of younger workers. Jane O'Sullivan article about
Australia applies to other nations that rely on high
population growth and high GDP growth.
[ article]
[ archive]
Four Urban Growth Boundary measures: on November ballots.
Establish boundary in Cloverdale.
Renew Petaluma's and Santa Rosa's.
Defend San Ramon's.
[ Greenbelt Alliance's] campaign.
The Population Problem is falling Births!!! July, 2010
It is amazing how some news sources report on population.
With population growth as the prime mover behind
28 environmental and social ills,
from traffic to world-wide hunger to "ethnic cleansing", they report on possibe
shortages of workers in 20 years although worker productivity is rising.
[ article]
[ archive]
China's Instant Cities 07/2010
Pictures and comments on China's booming construction. "Industry has long been yoked to
visions of utopia, but also ... the toxic emissions,
rising temperatures and habitat fragmentation associated with unchecked growth"
[ article]
Water Dispute Increases India - Pakistan Tension July, 2010
Sharing a major river, both countries have large and growing populations
and both need a population policy so that they can live comfortably with the resources available to them.
[ article]
Population surge outstrips efforts to eradicate slums
227 million people escaped slum conditions between 2000 and 2010. However, due to population increase
and urban migration the number of slum dwellers increased from 776 million to 827 million.
[ article]
Teen pregnancy fashion?
Will trendy advertising
for cute pregnancy clothes encourage teenage girls to think it's cool to be pregnant?
"Forever 21" with 400 stores and 12,000 employees just introduced such a line.
Call their corporate offices 213-741-5100 (& 888-494-3837)
and let them know what you think.
[ article]
Climate Change:
Calling Planet Birth
Family size is the great unmentionable in the campaign for more environmentally friendly lifestyles.
Having 1 less child in the US would reduce carbon emissions 19 times more than
all the E.P.A.'s recommended actions combined. -
[ article]
Gulf Oil Spill 2010: The burgeoning population forces us to take
the unknown risks of drilling in mile-deep ocean. Here are two
of many stories about the debacle:
Oil Hit Home- Arc of Frustration in Louisiana- May, 2010 - [ article]
The Critics Deconstructed Intersting article about the attacks against population activists,
and the need for population awareness
[ article]
The Last Taboo What unites the Vatican, lefties, conservatives,
environmentalists and scientists in a conspiracy of silence?
Read
The Last Taboo
by Julia Whitty in the June 2010 issue of
Mother Jones: "Who's to Blame for the Population Crisis?"
Drop in Birthrates in 2008 is Linked to Recession -Apr 2010
Population growth is not inevitable. When incentives favor postponing having children,
many people do.
[ article]
Smart Growth? the smart alternative is No Growth
Although city planners are trained to call some patterns of growth 'smart',
in many areas the only truely smart alternative is No Growth
[ article]
Parting the Waters - mid-East wars over Water Rights - March 31, 2010.
30 of the 37 Wars over Water in the past 60 years involve Israel and its neighbors.
Fewer people living in these desert regions would leave more water per person. This should
inform the population policies of all countries involved.
[ article]
Florida's "Hometown Democracy" amendment - Blocking Build-Build-Builders.
September 27, 2009 - Orlando Sentinel .
Our development pandemic threatens the economy as much as the environment. Building more
houses when the number of buyers has not increased deflates the value of houses that is going
to linger for years and years.
[ article]
A Pivotal Moment: Population, Justice & The Environmental Challenge
Dec 23,2009 This new book compiled by Laurie Mazur discusses environmental issues as they affect
equality, justice and sustainability. Regarding the UN's low and high estimates for World
population in 2050 "if we take seriously the twin imperatives of sustainablilty and equity, it
becomes clear that it would be easier to provide a good life - at less environmental cost - for
8 rather than almost 11 billion people."
[ Press Release]
[Past News Articles]
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