Population boom and the green dilemma

In our insane quest for development, and sane but disconcerted efforts to fight climate change, we seem to have forgotten the problem posed by booming populations. The rate at which the world population is growing would render development useless and nullify our efforts to save the environment.

The problem is not as a reader, who has responded to my last column (Tiger, tiger, not burning so bright, 2009-07-10), sees it. He writes: "Huge populations without work will be breeding grounds for social unrest, besides being difficult to support by welfare". A smaller "population should take care of all these other secondary problems concerned with the environment. It will reduce pollution and reduce demand on our natural resources". He goes on to say: "Today, we have the ability to create epidemics, earthquakes, and other 'natural' disasters. Yes, we can interfere with nature".

What he, like others, means is that we have the wherewithal to deal with climate change provided the population shrinks.