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Here are some things we can each do to help stop population growth in the world,
along with brief comments about how they would help. Many of these ideas are
explored elsewhere in the site.
Raise public awareness. Talk to your friends, to your representatives.
Write letters to the newspapers, publish blogs. There has been a decline in birthrates
in many parts of the world since the 1970's, part of which can be directly attributed
to the success of ecologists such as Paul Ehrlich in getting the population-reduction
message across. It's time for a new generation of activists to start acting.
Raise your awareness of local issues such as
sprawl, development, school class size, water rights, and housing markets so
that you can discuss population growth's impact in your own community.
Fight city hall when developments threaten quality of life
in your town. Grassroots battles are being fought and won in every state of
the union - yours could be next!
Support and elect politicians who are sensitive to issues
of reproductive choice here and abroad.
When you see articles on land use and environment that gloss over
population as a cause, write letters to the editor to correct the oversight.
For example: Business Week recently published an article about the "Water for
the Poor" Act in Congress. The authors expressed some very nice sentiments about
helping assure safe drinking water for all people on the planet, but wrote not
a word about why water supply is becoming such a crisis in parts of the world.
Several forms of assistance were suggested, but there was no mention of including
birth control supplies and birth control education to go along with any other
assistance we may offer. Without such measures, we're just putting a Band-aid
on a cut while the knife is still in the wound.
Consider having a smaller family and encourage others to do the same.
Eliminate government incentives for having children. We give
tax breaks to people for having children, and it is the people without children
who pay the lost revenue. That's the same as raising the taxes on those who
don't have children. If you believe that we already have enough people in this
country, support policies that eliminate these incentives
Introduce incentives for not having children. Rather that
paying people to have children, couldn't we introduce incentives not to have
children? Once we agree that adding 150 million people to our country by 2050
is not going to improve our lives or the lives of our children, wouldn't it
make sense to give tax breaks to people with no children? Those are the people
whose personal choices are building the future we desire.
Support fair legislation to limit migration. The United States
is receiving immigrants at a rate unprecedented in history. This is bad for
both life in the United States and abroad. Recent UN studies have shown that
a steady stream of emigrants to the U.S. actually damages
economic prospects in their country of origin by skimming the best educated
and highly motivated people from developing countries. It has been estimated
that 44 percent of America's net population growth every year comes from immigration.
In California, that number is close to 99
percent.
Lobby for protections and insurance coverage for people electing
voluntary sterilization. Most sterilizations are covered by Medicaid with a
mandatory 30-day waiting period. However, many service providers elect not to
perform such procedures, and many private insurers do not cover services.
The most effective programs that reduce birthrate worldwide are those that
give women the education and opportunities to have lives centered
around something other than childrearing. Support these programs, and vote for
politicians who will vote to support them worldwide. Make education and good
jobs available.
Support family planning and education in this country and
around the world. People should have the freedom not to have children if they
choose. We all pay the costs of adding a billion people to the planet every
12 years. Birth control is a tiny cost compared to those. It is cost effective
to provide free birth control to all people on the planet.
Support the adoption of methods of measuring public prosperity
that don't rely on economic growth. Relying on measures like Gross Domestic
Product leads politicians and economists to promote policies that are destructive
to our ongoing well-being, and do not actually increase the economic
well-being of most people. Learn more about alternate
measures of economic prosperity.
Join and support organizations that promote public awareness
of population issues. Even at this moment, you are benefiting from the efforts
of good people doing work in this field all over the globe.
These are just a start.
One of the goals of this project is to get your ideas as well, and we hope
you will contribute as well. Let us know what you think about them, and share
your own. Email us at info@howmany.org
Fewer People - More Fun!
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Our Mission
To empower people to determine the best population size for their region
and for the planet. [ more] |
In the News
Global Population Speak Out (GPSO) - February 2010
A month-long grassroots initiative urging us each to take action
around population. Population is an approachable issue, especially in the
context of sustainability initiatives and discussions; we can each make a difference.
Over 150 sponsors, and 229 actions reported so far. Visit their
website, learn more, and become a population activist.
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]
More:
Population, Nature, and What Women Want by Robert Engelman.
In this new book, Engelman offers a vision that celebrates women’s widespread desire
for smaller families. Mothers aren’t seeking more children, he argues, but more for their
children. If they’re able to realize their intentions, we just might suffer less climate change, hunger,
and disease, not to mention sky-high housing costs and infuriating traffic jams.
[ 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]
California Water Myths: Finger Pointing
Dec 14,2009 Current legislation will force urban users to decrease water usage
20% by 2020. The authors say we shouldn't blame agriculture. That's true, but they don't
mention
overpopulation. They don't say that if population doesn't grow 20%, we won't have to cut back
our water usage. Might this glaring ommision have anything to do with the political and
economic power of the developer's lobby in Sacramento? Hmmm...
[ article]
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