[Coral-List] Even chickens can help save coral reefs
Peter Sale
sale at uwindsor.ca
Mon Mar 30 18:23:09 EDT 2015
Doug and List,
I largely support the sentiments in your comment, but must respond to your
claim that "We are NOT going to solve the coral reef crisis by reducing
the population, it is WAY WAY too slow."
Actually, taking serious action to slow and then reverse human population
growth is a process that could have significant positive effects on time
scales comparable to those required to transition away from use of fossil
fuels. China's population policy, which has been so roundly criticized,
played a significant role (but was not the sole cause) in a reduction of
growth rate from 2.8% per annum in 1970 to 0.5% per annum today. In the
same time period, India has gone from 2.2% per annum to 1.2% per annum,
and the USA has gone from 1.2% per annum to 0.7% per annum today (yes,
higher than China's). Many nations, including the USA, use immigration
policy to keep population growth positive, because our economic theory
demands growth.
Concerted action with the goal of turning global population growth
negative could be achieved, probably without the "coercive" regulations
China used, if governments could be convinced that perpetual GDP growth is
impossible. Reefs, and a whole lot of other things would certainly
benefit.
Peter Sale
sale at uwindsor.ca @PeterSale3
www.uwindsor.ca/sale www.petersalebooks.com
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