Why have many academicians apparently been rendered dumbstruck during my lifetime by what is all-too-obvious? Absolute global human population numbers can be clearly seen skyrocketing since the end of World War II. When I was born, 2.3 billion human beings lived on Earth. In a single lifetime of threescore and ten years (1945 – 2015) human population numbers are projected and fully expected to increase by 5+/- billion people. How can so many economists and demographers not see what is happening?
by Steven Earl Salmony (SESALMONY AT aol.com)
It is almost 2012. Why have many academicians apparently been rendered dumbstruck during my lifetime by what is all-too-obvious? Absolute global human population numbers can be clearly seen skyrocketing since the end of World War II. Experts are certainly not stupid, and yet I wonder if they are playing stupid? Have they been mislead by personal arrogance, extreme foolhardiness and wanton greed or overcome by a lust for influence, privilege and power? Or all of the above? Perhaps the cascading reports in the mass media of many too many so-called experts are governed by political convenience, economic expediency, social suitability, religious dogma and cultural conventions in the service of their shared ideology as well as their idolatry of the global economy. When I was born, 2.3 billion human beings lived on Earth. In a single lifetime of threescore and ten years (1945 – 2015) human population numbers are projected and fully expected to increase by 5+/- billion people. How can so many economists and demographers not see what is happening? Do their professional activities have something to do with science? I say no, definitely not.
I can find much preternatural[1] thought and unscientific research among the 'experts' in demography and economics, but cannot locate adequate scientific evidence that supports the idea of "human exceptionalism" with regard to the population dynamics of the human species. Although the idea of human exceptionalism is known to be specious from a scientific point of view, because it is of vital importance to ideologues and those who primarily benefit from the way the global political economy is organized and managed, human exceptionalism has not been the subject of sufficient scrutiny by scientists and consequently allowed to stand uncontested during my lifetime. Even today scientists refuse to identify the idea of human exceptionalism regarding human population dynamics as the false proposition it is. First class scientists remain electively mute when confronted with scientific research that directly contradicts the idea of human exceptionalism. Where is the scientific research to support the idea that human beings are somehow exempted from ecological "rules of the house" in our planetary home, as many so-called experts in economics and demography have regularly and adamantly proclaimed since the time of my birth.
The family of humanity appears to have been confused and harmed for many too many years by ideologically driven sycophants and absurdly enriched minions of the rich and powerful who have dishonestly been laying claim to scientific knowledge that they have not ever possessed. Demographers and economists are not scientists, the imprimatur of the IUSSP and the Nobel Prize Committee notwithstanding. These disciplines never have been fields of scientific study and never will be, at least not until demographic theories and economic models conform to the biological and physical laws of the world we inhabit, laws based upon the best available science. Science is. And whatsoever is is, is it not?
Extant scientific research of human population dynamics/overpopulation has been consciously and deliberately ignored by demographers, economists and even respected scientists with adequate expertise. All of them have failed to stand up for science and humanity by speaking truth to the greedmongering movers and shakers of the global political economy who rule the world in our time and appear dead set on ravaging the Earth and degrading its environs until the planet is an unfit place for children everywhere to inhabit. If my perspective could somehow be on the right track, then we are bearing witness not only to the greatest failure of nerve, intellectual honesty, moral courage of all time, but also to an incomprehensible loss of capacity to do the right thing, according to the lights each of us possesses.
Steven Earl Salmony is a self-proclaimed global citizen, a psychologist and father of three grown children. Married nearly 40 years. In 2001 Steve founded the AWAREness Campaign on The Human Population to raise consciousness of the colossal threat that the unbridled, near exponential growth of absolute global human population numbers poses for all great and small living things on Earth in our time. His quixotic campaign focuses upon the best available science of human population dynamics and human overpopulation of the Earth, in order to save the planet as a place fit for habitation by children everywhere. He can be reached at SESALMONY AT aol.com
Footnotes
1. Preternatural Pre`ter*nat"u*ral (?; 135), a. [Pref. preter + natural.]
Beyond of different from what is natural, or according to the regular course of things, but not clearly supernatural or miraculous; strange; inexplicable; extraordinary; uncommon; irregular; abnormal; as, a preternatural appearance; a preternatural stillness; a preternatural presentation (in childbirth) or labor.
[1913 Webster]
Comments
Nimby (not verified)
Thu, 2011-12-08 16:57
Permalink
Collective denial
According to the UN, our planet must ramp up food production by 2050 to from 50% to 70% more than we do now, to feed 9 billion people. Is this going to magically happen? No, it's obvious. On the contrary, farms and soils are degrading, and declining. There's not magic wand to increase food production. The "experts" on the main continue to fool around with comforting words, or deny this loaded bomb.
There are significant natural obstacles to increased food production.
Projections indicate that by 2050 Asia’s urban population will increase by 1.8 billion, Africa by 900 million and Latin America and the Caribbean by 200 million.
There are reports, workshops, conferences, and political platitudes, but nobody states the obvious hopelessness of this situation.
The production of 1kg of beef uses 12 times the amount of water needed to produce 1kg of wheat, and more than five times the amount of land.
Where will all these animals be stored? The quantity of water and food and pollution demanded by the more prosperous, on top of the food pyramid, with exacerbate the food security problems. Market forces will determine who has the priority in being fed.
For the first time in humanity, more than half the world's population now live in cities.
Already the developing world represents 95 per cent of global population growth. And if this rate continues, by the middle of this century 86 per cent of the world's population will, in fact, live in developing regions.
To simply maintain pace with population growth, we need to raise agricultural productivity across the globe by 1.5% annually, and importantly by an average of 1.8% in developing countries. These rates do not account for the additional challenges presented by climate change, loss of arable land, declining water resources and urbanisation.
Not one expert or official suggests a global population stability/reduction plan. It all about supply chains, efficiency, rationing and improving infrastructure.
Optimum Population Trust UK said:
"We believe that investing in improved reproductive health and encouraging a lower global birth rate are the best ways of achieving long term food security and must be an important contributor to those efforts."
OPT chief executive Simon Ross commented:
"We have to act now to both provide the 200 million women who currently lack access to modern contraception with the means to manage their own fertility."
Uganda has struggled with promoting family planning in regard to acceptance, and today it has one of the highest total fertility
rates in East Africa. Entrenched habits/practices and customs, such as having lots of kids, can be quite hard to break.
Where's all the common sense, priorities and urgency on the obvious and pertinent population issue?
Steven Earl Salmony (not verified)
Wed, 2011-12-28 04:56
Permalink
See no truth, hear no truth, speak no truth.......
Add comment