Monday, February 09, 2009

Malthusian Nonsense Alert: 5-Year Ban on Having Children [UPDATED]

Soon to be a meme heard round the world:
... Here’s the truth: we are running out of resources and we are running out of time. The International Committee on Climate Change has said we have thee to five years to curb our ways or the current environmental disaster is irreversible. Irreversible means that the little economic hiccup we’re feeling today isn’t even the warn up round. It’s T-ball compared to the major leagues.

You think the economy is bad now—wait a few years. Wait until we’re almost completely out of oil and food and water and available land and really I could go on for two more pages listing everything we’re running out of. Why? Because we are quite literally running out of everything.

So how long do you have to wait to be starving, thirsty, and all the rest?

Truthfully, it shouldn’t be long now.

And the main reason it shouldn’t be long now is because there are already way too many of us. By now, everyone knows the current population stats. The earth is close to holding 7 billion people. If things don’t stop soon, by 2050, conservative estimates put the number at 9.2 billion.

I’ve written it before and I’ll write it again. Scientists studying the carrying capacity of the earth—that is how many of us can live here sustainably—have fluctuated massively. Wild-eyed optimists believe it’s close to 2 billion. Dour pessimists say 300 million. The point is that—and I’m going by the best of those figures—we need to lose 4.4 billion people and we need to lose them fast.

Not too long ago, one of my readers pointed out that I’m pretty good at pointing out what’s wrong in the world and lousy about pointing out solutions. So here’s my simple solution: Stop Having Children.

I call it the 5 Year Ban. For the next five years let’s not have any kids. All of us. The whole freaking planet.

I don’t think this should be a top down approach. I don’t mean a literal government ban. I mean a grassroots movement of responsible adults behaving like responsible adults. I mean a populist moratorium on childbirth.

Why 5 years? Because it’s a manageable number. Because it would mean a billion less people. Because a billion less people is a good place to start.

If everyone living on the planet today were really serious about, well, there being a planet left to live on, a planet left for our children to actually occupy, a planet that can actually sustain life. If we were serious then we would all be using birth control.

All the time. And we would never stop using it...
My Comments:
"... responsible adults behaving like responsible adults."

I don't think those words mean what he thinks they mean.


UPDATE
The incomparable Dale Price writes to the author of the above drivel to offer this modest proposal. (Hat tip: Cranky Conservative)


Previous Pro Ecclesia posts on this subject:
UK Government Official Says Having More Than 2 Children "Irresponsible"; Catholics Respond

Rich Leonardi on the "Obnoxiousness" of the Concept of "Carbon Footprints"

"Conservative Catholic Grandmother"™ Pelosi Says Birth Control a Boon for the Economy [UPDATED]

Malthusian Nonsense Alert: "Save the Planet — Have Fewer Kids"

Deacon Fournier Reviews Population Controllers

Malthusian Nonsense Alert: Babies a Drag on the Economy, Report Says

Darwin Catholic: "Want Sustainable? Try a Family"

Malthusian Nonsense in the Extreme: "When Should You Die?"

Population Control Movement is "Number One Violator of Human Rights," Author Claims

USAToday Columnist: Religion is Killing the Planet

The Pitter-Patter of Carbon Footprints ...

Cardinal Pell Criticizes Australian Medical Ass'n for Publishing Letter Advocating Carbon Tax on Children

Professor Solves Global Warming: Let’s Tax Reproduction

Global Alarming Update: Focus on So-Called "Carbon Footprint" Anti-Family

Malthusian Nonsense from "Global Warming" Alarmists

Cardinal Pell on Global Warming Alarmists: "Scaremongers" and "Zealots"

Labels: , , , , , ,

6 Comments:

At 2/09/2009 2:51 PM, Blogger Terry said...

What do you want to bet this guy supports the use of ESCR to find the cures for diseases?

 
At 2/09/2009 2:57 PM, Blogger Denise said...

Pope John Paul II warned against this attitude in 1981 when he wrote familiaris consortio.

 
At 2/09/2009 5:04 PM, Blogger Tito Edwards said...

Evit begets evil.

 
At 2/09/2009 5:27 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Well, if the liberals take him seriously, they ought to be an endangered species pretty darn quick. Will they be shocked when the only ones left are the Catholics, Evangelical Protestants, Orthodox Jews, and the Muslims? I just wish I was young enough to have a child or two in the next 5 years.

God bless your beautiful family.

Texas Mom

 
At 2/09/2009 8:52 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

The proposal in and of itself is chilling enough, but where did the 5 year number come from?

Has the time come again to remind the left that their lord (of the flies) was, himself, born of an unwed mother?

If all the left were all deported today, other than the Europeans and our wannabe Europeans here at home, who'd miss them for 5 minutes (let alone years)?

 
At 2/10/2009 2:01 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

The point is that—and I’m going by the best of those figures—we need to lose 4.4 billion people and we need to lose them fast.

Like I say to all of those population folks. If you want to reduce the population, feel free to start with yourself.

 

Post a Comment

<< Home

hit counter for blogger