Thank you, Al Guess, for saying that which few dare to speak, even by the greenest of environmentalists. In a letter to the editor in last week’s The State, he wrote:
Bob Guild of the Sierra Club espouses the “conservationist†approach to global warming and says we must start now. I agree — with two caveats:
1. “Now†is at least 100 years too late.
2. Population creates demand for fuel use. No amount of conservation will be effective unless we curb worldwide population. That includes by each individual in the United States.
Since the traditional attempts have failed, the only workable solution I see is a worldwide monetary incentive program. I wish the Sierra Club and others would take a leap forward from their slow-moving, somewhat politically correct approach.
AL GUESS, Columbia
His letter prompted this one, which ran today:
Al Guess writes Saturday that we need to “curb worldwide population†to fight global warming. Regardless of how much this tactic may help reduce greenhouse gases, I am disturbed by the inhumane nature of this suggestion. Does not promoting “curbing of the population†indicate a belief that human beings are some kind of disease? Human beings are the reason that we should be trying to improve the environment. The more, the merrier!
GREG GOEBEL, Columbia
I’m afraid Mr. Goebel makes Mr. Guess’ point, but that’s neither here nor there.
The point is, with all this talk about global warming, perhaps it’s time to question our casual attitude toward making babies. Lord knows there are more than enough already here, many without homes. Don’t we have a moral obligation to tend to them first? And don’t we owe Mother Earth a break? She is already drowning in our waste.
Every baby adds to the strain on the environment. Their diapers alone are a problem. Consider these numbers, posted on the cloth diaper service web site Punkin Butt.
For every baby diapered with single-use diapers for a 2 1/2 year period, over 2 tons of waste is generated. Disposable diapers make up the 3rd largest single consumer item in our waste system – following newspapers and beverage containers. They account for nearly 4% of the total amount of solid waste, and 30% of the non-biodegradable waste. It takes 500 years for one disposable diaper to decompose. Yes, while a cloth diaper, if it is ever thrown away, will become one with the earth within six months, a disposable diaper will just sit there and do what it was made to do: absorb. Ever seen a disposable diaper get wet? A child’s disposable diapers sit in a landfill and continue to swell and absorb water.
So why isn’t population control a topic worth debate? It seems past time we give it serious thought. The forward-thinking Alice Walker has.
Her latest book, We Are the Ones We Have Been Waiting For, includes a graduation address she gave to students at Agnes Scott College in 2000. She said, “I believe there should be a moratorium on the birth of children. That not one more child should be born on this planet until certain conditions are met.”
She goes on to list the ills of the world weighing heavily on her mind (poverty, plutonium, pollution, animals in cages). In the end she concedes, “You will have children, the majority of you. Some of you may already have them. You will not listen to me at all… Have your work in the world, and have your children. Only one, please, out of respect for the weight we are to our Mother. But be aware that the other children of the world are your responsibility as well. You must learn to see them, to feel them, as yours. Until you do, there is no way you can make your own child feel safe.”
Amen, sister Alice. Amen.
Becci Robbins
