LTE: Fewer babies today, a better world tomorrow
Published on November 17th, 2014
Letter to the Editor
Ric Oberlink
November 17, 2014
As seen in:
The LA Times
To the editor: It is refreshing to find that not every economist links economic growth to population growth. As authors Ronald Lee and Andrew Mason indicate, a growing population has its own costs, such as building schools. (“Are our low birthrates and aging population threatening the economy?,” Op-Ed, Nov. 12)
They do not mention that a growing population means increased resource consumption. As easily accessible resources are depleted, we turn to those less accessible, which have higher economic and environmental costs, such as offshore oil.
We need to make more policymakers aware of Lee’s and Mason’s conclusion that “more childbearing today would make everyday Americans worse off now and in the future.”
Ric Oberlink, Berkeley