BBC reports that, "Africa's farmland is rapidly becoming barren and incapable of sustaining the continent's already hungry population, according to a report. The report shows that more than 80% of the farmland in Sub-Saharan Africa is plagued by severe degradation." BBC also notes that, "increasing productivity on African farms is critical to feeding a population that is expected to grow to 1.8 billion people by 2050."
The world simply cannot afford for population to continue to grow at current rates. Getting African farmers to use more chemical fertilizers is not the answer. We can begin to help people who voluntarily want to curb their families now, or we can wait, continue to pursue the insane policies of George Bush, the catholic church, and various assorted nutjob fundies, and then resort to forced abortions later on when the problem gets really bad.
I know which options makes more sense to me.
2 comments:
This viewpoint has become unfashionable these days, though I agree with it, largely, because a globe full of nothing but people is not the way I want to live. I need the nature and the animals for well-being. But nevertheless it's not fashionable anymore, because the right wants people to have lots of children and some on the left point out that we Americans spend far too much and if we spent less then there could be more people in this world. Which is true, sort of, but people will never voluntarily accept less material things in general. Hence, the only realistic option is to control population growth to levels which allow nature to coexist with people who live in some comfort.
Where's the cartoon from?
word, Echidne. I have nothing more to add but my agreement.
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