hi norm...

i think that overpopulation is certainly a problem... as was stated in the
article, with finite resources we must control population growth... i am
for a zero population growth policy, starting today.... china has
sucessfully implemented a 'one child only' rule, and it has worked very well
to stabalize their population.... i think that the United Nations should
propose a 'two child only' rule (with some possible exceptions, as i'm not
sure exactly how that would affect some families in some countries... but i
know that there isn't any reason to have more than two children in a first
world country except for personal desire.... and when personal desire comes
up against starvation and disease, i say starvation and disease is the more
important issue... ) and that this proposition get strong backing by the
First world countries...

>The Catholic Church believes that "artificial" methods of contraception are
>immoral. I also disagree.

i disagree too... is medicine immoral? doesn't the Pope take cough
medicine when he is sick? :) and if one is using a condom, then what
human life are we taking?

>Humans are unique in that we possess the ability to control our own
>population. Because of this, we are not necessarily doomed to become the
>victims of famine and disease.

unfortunately, a large percentage of humanity is currently experiencing
famine and disease... it obviously isn't a matter of either/or when it
comes to population control and a more ethical manner of distributing what
we already have, it's a matter of both....

bryan

-----Original Message-----
From: Norm Leonard <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Monday, November 09, 1998 5:34 PM
Subject: 40% deaths environmental--rebuttal (fwd)


>
>I'd like to hear what this list has to say about the following postings.
>They originally appaeared on Ecolog (the listserve for the Ecological
>Society of America), but the discussion also seems pertinent to the
>enviroethics discussion. Thanks.
>
>-norm
>
>---------- Forwarded message ----------
>Date: Sun, 8 Nov 1998 11:58:55 -0500
>From: "Leila Z. Hadj-Chikh" <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: Re. 40% deaths environmental--rebuttal
>
>Dear Ecolog-ers,
>
>I would like to offer a rebuttal to Dr. Brach's letter of Nov. 2, which
>objected to the conclusions of Pimentel et al.'s article on population
>growth and environmental degradation (Bioscience, 48:817-827).
>
>I wholeheartedly agree with Dr. Brach that many of the environmental
>problems facing us today are the result of over-consumerism and poor policy
>decisions. However, changes in consumer habits and reallocation of world
>resources can only provide a temporary solution to these problems. The
>amount of energy used by an individual can only be reduced to a finite
>extent without reducing quality of life to an unacceptable level. Thus, as
>long as population growth continues, humans will continue to consume an
>increasingly greater proportion of the earth's net primary productivity.
>The NPP itself can only be increased to a finite extent, because it is
>ultimately constrained by the amount of solar energy that reaches the
>earth. The NPP therefore places a very clear limit on human population
>growth, and I am sure it is not a limit that any of us would wish to see.
>Yet how is it possible to avoid this limit without implementing some form
>of population control? Female reproductive systems do not simply shut off
>with the birth of a second child, nor do most couples cease having sex
>after this time.
>
>Population growth is the inevitable result of human behavior when it
>remains unchecked. This is as true for us as it is for any other animal.
>Yet it is also true that it is impossible to consume more energy than is
>available to us. Thus, our population WILL be checked eventually, it is
>only a matter of how.
>
>Dr. Brach states that population control is a "disguised evil." I
>disagree. Is culling a deer population evil, or neutering one's dog or
>cat? We do these things in order to prevent the suffering of animals due
>to starvation, and to limit the damage that they do to their environment.
>As a biologist, I see no ethical distinction between controlling the
>population growth of other species and controlling our own.
>
>The Catholic Church condones "Natural Family Planning" as a means of
>preventing unwanted pregnancies, but how effective can any "natural" method
>be when it requires people to abstain from sex? Any such plan is doomed to
>fail under the laws of natural selection. There will always be cheaters
>who choose to have sex when they shouldn't, and it will be the cheaters who
>drive the evolution of conscientious behavior (or the lack thereof). You
>cannot expect this form of contraception to succeed on a wide-spread basis
>because it runs entirely counter to one of the most basic of human
>instincts. And you cannot expect it to succeed in the long term because
>the instinct controls its own evolution.
>
>The Catholic Church believes that "artificial" methods of contraception are
>immoral. I also disagree. Condoms and birth-control pills are certainly
>objects of human creation, but they are no more artificial than a bow a
>person uses to hunt for food, or a stick that a chimp uses to extract
>termites from a mound. Are these things immoral? They are all tools
>created to solve problems. The only difference is in the degree of
>technical sophistication, and the purpose for which each is designed.
>
>I am reminded of a joke I once heard from a Catholic priest. A town was
>being evacuated because of flooding, but one man refused to leave his home.
>When a friend came to his door offering him a ride out of town, the man
>said, "Don't worry about me. God will save me." So his friend left, and
>the water level rose higher. The man moved up to the second floor of his
>house, and a woman in a rescue boat came to his window, pleading with him
>to come with her. But the man said, "Don't worry about me. God will save
>me." The water climbed still higher, and the man moved onto his roof. A
>helicopter came and lowered a rope ladder, but the man refused it, saying,
>"Don't worry about me. God will save me." And the man drowned. And when
>he got to Heaven, he asked God why He did not come to save him, since he
>had always been a devout Christian. And God said, "You fool! I sent you a
>car and a boat and a helicopter!!"
>
>Humans are unique in that we possess the ability to control our own
>population. Because of this, we are not necessarily doomed to become the
>victims of famine and disease. We can avoid our own suffering simply by
>using the intelligence that has been given us. We have been blessed with
>very wonderful brains, and I think it would be a pity not to use them.
>
>Sincerely,
>
>Leila Z. Hadj-Chikh, Ph.D. Candidate
>Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
>Princeton University
>
>
>>Date: Mon, 2 Nov 1998 07:31:39 -0500
>>From: Anthony R. Brach <[log in to unmask]>
>>To: [log in to unmask]
>>Subject: Re. 40% deaths environmental
>>
>>Dear Ecolog-ers,
>>
>>I have a problem with the conclusions of the Bioscience article on
>>population and emerging diseases.
>>
>>The problems were created by materialism, consumerism, inadequate safety
>>and health care, and the injustices in our world between the poor and rich
>>nations. The article lists air pollutants, schistosomiasis, pesticides &
>>carcinogens, inadequate sanitation, dengue fever, pollutants & respiratory
>>disease, tobacco smoking, leaded gasoline, and pesticides as factors.
>>However, it concludes that only comprehensive population control combined
>>with environmental management could control the problem.
>>
>>Now what is the real root of the problem? The problem will not be solved
>>by abortion or interfering with the Creator's Design for married couples
to
>>have children.
>>
>>What proportion of our governments' budgets goes to guaranteeing the
>>quality of life of humankind and of the environment, health and safety
>>standards, environmental remediation, restoration ecology, and peace &
>>justice? vs. how much is spent on the military, weapons research, and war?
>>
>>Population control is a disguised evil, whether it be abortion,
euthanasia,
>>or artificial contraception. For me and millions of Roman Catholics, we
>>stand with Pope John Paul II and our Church in defending the life and
>>dignity of every human person on this earth. We are called to
stewardship,
>>NOT ONLY of the earth and its resources and the affluent, but of every
>>human life.
>>
>>Sincerely,
>>
>>Anthony R. Brach, Ph.D.
>>Missouri Botanical Garden & Harvard University Herbaria
>
>
>***************************************************************************
>Leila Hadj-Chikh email:[log in to unmask]
>Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology phone:(609)258-3836
>Princeton University fax:(609)258-1334
>Princeton, NJ 08544-1003 U.S.A.
>***************************************************************************
>
>___________________________________________________________________________
___
>The Sunseeker "The key to successful tinkering
>Norman E. Leonard is to keep all the parts."
>Institute of Ecology - Aldo Leopold
>University of Georgia
>Athens, GA 30602-2202
>706-542-5881
>[log in to unmask]
>
>He who dies with the most toys, is, nonetheless, still dead.
>
>





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