In our ongoing theme of over population doing little to help the Earth or it’s inhabitants the following data is interesting to see.
Many great religions, which are so important to many individuals, usually call for no prohibition of population or may actually promote population acceleration. But there needs to be a discussion that over abundance of any population whether man, deer, bears, mosquitoes, etc greatly affects the members of not only the population of the kind in focus but also the population of the kinds not in focus.
LONDON (AP) — Giving contraceptives to people in developing countries could help fight climate change by slowing population growth, experts said Friday.
More than 200 million women worldwide want contraceptives, but don’t have access to them, according to an editorial published in the British medical journal, Lancet. That results in 76 million unintended pregnancies every year.
If those women had access to free condoms or other birth control methods, that could slow rates of population growth, possibly easing the pressure on the environment, the editors say.
“There is now an emerging debate and interest about the links between population dynamics, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and climate change,” the commentary says.
In countries with access to condoms and other contraceptives, average family sizes tend to fall significantly within a generation. Until recently, many U.S.-funded health programs did not pay for or encourage condom use in poor countries, even to fight diseases such as AIDS.
The world’s population is projected to jump to 9 billion by 2050, with more than 90 percent of that growth coming from developing countries.
It’s not the first time lifestyle issues have been tied to the battle against global warming. Climate change experts have previously recommended that people cut their meat intake to slow global warming by reducing the numbers of animals using the world’s resources.
The Lancet editorial cited a British report which says family planning is five times cheaper than usual technologies used to fight climate change. According to the report, each $7 spent on basic family planning would slash global carbon dioxide emissions by more than 1 ton.
Experts believe that while normal population growth is unlikely to significantly increase global warming that overpopulation in developing countries could lead to increased demand for food and shelter, which could jeopardize the environment as it struggles with global warming.
Selections from another article on the same subject point out:
-More than 200 million women around the world would like access to modern contraception, and their lack of it leads to 76 million unintended pregnancies each year
Many humans feel it is their right to have as many kids as they would like but in a world of limited resources this may not be possible any more
data taken from AP and Tribune(Karen Kaplan) new services 9-18-09
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