[Taxacom] Pro-natalism vs. biodiversity

[Dr. David Campbell]

This is getting off-topic...

> the main reason for today's
> biodiversity decline is mainly due to humans advocating pronatalist
> policies, 

More genocide needed?  Or maybe a good epidemic?  There are some 
significant ethical issues related to population control.  

The main reason for today's biodiversity declines is habitat 
destruction, which is related to population growth but more directly a 
function of economic activity (s.l.-many projects are not in fact 
economically viable but are marketed politically as helping the 
economy).  On the one hand, there are the "make as much cash as 
possible right now without regard to sustainability" activities (e.g., 
global warming denial); on the other, those who are impoverished, often 
reflecting economic injustice, who have no obvious chioce but to use up 
the local forest, etc.  Population control is valuable, but the most 
effective long-term approach is improving the education and social 
status, especially of women.  

China's policies controlled population growth, but they are still 
losing species at an alarming rate because of unfettered environmental 
exploitation for economic gain.  Decreasing the impact of each 
individual on the environment does more than decreasing the number of 
individuals.  

-- 
Dr. David Campbell
425 Scientific Collections Building
Department of Biological Sciences
Biodiversity and Systematics
University of Alabama, Box 870345
Tuscaloosa AL 35487-0345  USA