Part 1: Overpopulation in 21st Century America — Our Perilous Future

In the early years of the 21^st century, the United States continues on a course toward adding another 100 million people by 2035. (Source: “US Population Projections” by Fogel/Martin, PEW Report, U.S. Census Bureau)  Beyond that, population projections show America doubling its current populace to 600 million in the latter half of this century.  At the same time, the world demographic figures show an added two to three billion humans to planet Earth by 2050. With accelerating ‘symptoms’ exploding across America and the world via water and food shortages, species extinction rates, energy crises, climate destabilization, ocean dead zones and more ramifications on multiple levels—we find ourselves passengers within a civilization that parallels the metaphor of the Titanic.  If you remember, on April 14, 1912, the RMS Titanic, the finest steamship of its era, on its maiden voyage, sped too fast and arrogantly through iceberg infested waters of the North Atlantic.  It hit one and sank—to become one of the greatest tragedies that didn’t have to happen in the 20^th century. Our own grave overpopulation crisis need not manifest within the United States, either, if we change course.   Like Captain Edward John Smith of the Titanic, he could have slowed down or steamed further south to avoid his fate. The United States could also change course and avoid adding 100 million people within the next 25 years.  However, no American leaders step up to the microphone with any concern.  The passengers of our American civilization continue ‘trusting’ their leaders similarly to the passengers on the Titanic.  “Captain Smith knows what he is doing,” they said.  “Our U.S. Congress and president must know what they are doing,” citizens lament. But like Titanic’s Captain Smith, the U.S. Congress and president of the United States—don’t know what they are doing. This 100 part series will explain exactly what few Americans understand as well as the accelerating ramifications of adding 100 million people to the USA in 25 years. It will educate you from the finest minds in the 21^st century such as Dr. Diana Hull, Dr. Albert Bartlett, Dr. William Catton, Dr. Joseph Tainter, Richard Heinberg, Don Collins, Sally Epstein, Governor Richard D. Lamm and dozens of other leaders in the demographic field.  Hopefully, at the end of each part in the series, you will be able to take action that ‘encourages’ the Congress and president toward a sustainable future. You will be able to join website organizations that will empower you toward collective action of like-minded and well-educated citizens that care about the future of this civilization.  You might say that you’re taking action for your kids. In all great social change, it takes a ‘consciousness shift’ of becoming aware, which then leads to a ‘critical mass shift’ of activated citizens, that ultimately moves toward ‘tipping point’ whereby a civilization moves toward a more positive future.  Examples abound with Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence, Susan B. Anthony winning the vote and rights for women, Gandhi in India and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for bringing human rights to all people within The United States. UNENDING POPULATION GROWTH ON A FINITE PLANET CANNOT CONTINUE In “Matters of Conscience”, January 2010, www.centerforpublicconscience.org, by Bromwell Ault, “Ours is a world of extreme and imminent danger.  It crackles with messages of political, economic and religious conflict and, when tensions build and words fail, as they often do, violence is visited by one group upon another. If that were not enough, our planet shudders from spasms with changes in technology, population, wealth distribution and our natural environment.” You may notice newspapers, environmental magazines like Sierra Club and National Public Radio addressing growing ‘symptoms’ brought about by overpopulation. But, you will never hear them connect the dots as to hyper-population growth.  In fact, they avoid any mention of their ‘sacred cow’ of our world filled with too many people.  Obviously, religious, political and racial ramifications enter into the passions of this issue. In the 16^th century, men like Galileo found themselves under house arrest via the Catholic Church, because they ‘bucked’ the conventional wisdom with their research. They called him a “heretic.”   Ultimately, the Pope lost because Galileo proved that the earth revolved around the sun.  Today, if anyone speaks up against mass immigration into the United Kingdom, France, Holland, Canada or the United States—the term “racist” echoes from every quarter. Ironically, those immigrants flee overpopulated countries where average annual death rates from starvation and related diseases exceed 18 million people. (Source: World Health Organization) Worse, third world countries add 77 million people net gain annually to our finite planet.  Thus, they form an endless line of desperate refugees.  In the end, Mother Nature doesn’t care about anyone’s race, creed or color—she’s an equal opportunity grim reaper for anyone that exceeds carrying capacity. WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE AND WHAT CAN BE DONE? The late oceanographer Jacques-Yves Cousteau said, “We must alert and organize the world’s people to pressure world leaders to take specific steps to solve the two root causes of our environmental crises—exploding population growth and wasteful consumption of irreplaceable resources.  Over consumption and overpopulation underlie every environmental problem we face today.”