It hit that when the world census reached six billion. This may be good news: according to the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, the global fertility rate halved in 2017 to 2.4. That is expected to lessen even more in the next decade. With the exception of Africa, where birth rates continue to rise. I don’t expect that homo sapiens is anywhere near to becoming extinct. But in less than 50 years, it is expected that millions of species of animals will be extinct. That is a sad statement because seeing wildlife quickens the heart, brings smiles and excitement to children’s eyes and can never be replaced with photographs, books or television specials. Living in a small community does not lend itself to thinking about species extinction or over-population. If you have lived in a city or even in a large Midwestern farming community, you may have seen population explosion as wildlife vanishes. You know that “progress” in a farming community may mean numerous industries and refineries polluting the air and water. You have seen litter in the plowed fields vying with growing crops. You watch “grasshoppers” pumping oil across the fields and in the state parks and smell the emissions of methane burn off. You discover cancer rates are extremely high. When you ask, “Don’t you think that all the pollution is the cause of the high incidence of cancer?” The answer from a classmate,”It’s a risk you have to take if you want to live here.” Starship Earth is changing fast but the masses of humanity putting a strain on the planet cannot be blamed completely on the USA. Our population growth has actually declined. Educated women understand health options and they and their husbands often choose to have smaller families. Population growth has decreased in most well developed countries. Where are the multitudes residing? On all continents, people are moving to the cities. Dismal squatter settlements are becoming a common scene in the urban landscape as the destitute try to find work. Lester Brown wrote in Plan B 2.0, “Aside from the growth of population itself, urbanization is the dominant demographic trend of our time. In 1900, 150 million people lived in cities. By 2000, it was 2.9 BILLION people, a 19-fold increase. By 2050 2/3rds of Earth’s inhabitants will live in cities—making us an urban species”… which brings trepidation to my heart. How will people in cities have the space or learn to plant gardens to survive in a time of crisis? It is calculated and predicted that there will be over 9 billion people, elbow to elbow, on this planet by 2050. That is only 30 years away! For sure, I will not be here to witness this population density. Mother Nature’s checks and balances may reign supreme. Already, we see extremes in weather patterns causing havoc due to global climate change. Our present “administration’s energy policies represent attacks on science, human health, and the environment.” (Government Accountability Project, 2017) Please become informed and decide what you want for the future of our planet and our children, before voting in November. When we, who are in our golden years, are only dust, what will be our legacy? Have we taken actions that will go beyond ourselves into the following generations? How will Spaceship Earth endure an overflowing civilization?
“The soul waits while each action taken during life plays itself out with unexpected consequences and complications following one another down through the years. Man is responsible not only for his own conscious actions but all the good or evil that springs from them forever. A man’s deeds do live after him even though they may be unintended and unforeseen.” (Unknown) [email protected] ©Ann Rains, August, 2020
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