What to do about global warming? A good place to start is population--reduce the number of humans born each year. People should be screaming their lungs out about the damage that over-population is doing to the planet, but mostly we hear nothing. So I'm talking about it now.

 

When my father was born, in 1911, global population was about 1.7 billion. Now it's 7 billion, and growing. Think about those numbers. Problems like global warming are much less serious if there are not so many people in the world.

 

The Catholic church should promote the use of artificial methods of birth control, and the church should encourage couples to stop at two children. I'm an ardent defender of Nature, but natural birth control--the rhythm method, endorsed by the Vatican--isn't very effective.

 

Barry and Paul discuss population on a Sierra Club list, below.

 

While population control is a good place to start, we of course have to work on other issues as well, like stopping the Keystone pipeline. But the fact remains irreducible that a finite planet cannot support infinite growth.

 

Tom

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Barry,

I started to get frustrated at your dissing of efficient EVs and RE, and was saying to myself that this is actually population you're talking about. Then you made that very point.

Thank you. I felt better immediately.

I endowed three vasectomy funds through Planned Parenthood offices in Eugene, OR, Pasadena and Los Angeles. I encourage those with money to contribute to do so. If you have the means, endow your own vasectomy fund with your local PP office. Tell them to call the LA or Lane County OR offices for how to structure it. It's money well spent since about $200-$400 will prevent potentially several unwanted pregnancies. So much of our problems would be easier to manage if there were fewer of us.

Paul

On May 30, 2013, at 7:47 PM, Schiller, Barry wrote:

> Thanks to all who contributed to this interesting thread.
>
> I commend Alan for presenting a vision of how emphasizing energy efficient walkable transit rich communities can contribute to carbon emission reduction.  As I see it, he is not suggesting mass transit only or not to work on renewables or better vehicles, but prioritizing the TOD concept as the best way to go to get meaningful results.
>
> What I think we should also like about Alan's vision is that it also better serves other environmental interests besides carbon reduction.  For example, super efficient/clean personal vehicles encourage sprawl and the need to pave over green space for roads and parking, contribute to roadkill, wildlife habitat loss, accidents, make it harder to walk or bicycle on the roads about as much as ICE vehicles.  And "renewable" energy has many problematic elements including placement in natural areas, transmission line issues, birdkill, neighborhood nuisances, aesthetic issues, and more.  TOD intends to reduce energy and VMT demand which renewables/EVs do not do as much if at all.  That is why I have also have advocated working on population growth reduction strategies too.
>
> As for our differences with France, I think they have going for their CO2 reduction strategy their use of nuclear power and lack of oil which incentivizes electric transport such as the trams, TGV, the power of the small farmers and their supporters who resist sprawl into farmland, a centralized government that can make and implement policy of their party has a majority in Parliament  (except perhaps on the rare interludes of "cohabitation" when the President is of another party) including legislating very high fuel taxes, and the strong SNCF unions which were able to get subsidies and preserve a lot of services even in the lowest point of rail travel.   Vive la SNCF!
>
> Barry Schiller, RI

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