One of today’s best April Fool’s pranks got me thinking a little more seriously about population growth and the biosphere. My friend Jeremy pointed out that population growth is slowing or negative in the developed world, where the “free condoms” are going to be “distributed.”
Meanwhile in the developing world, particularly Africa, population growth continues at a rapid pace, with populations growing 2 or 3% every year. But people in the developed world still consume the majority of the world’s resources and create the majority of the world’s waste.
In other words, its not our population growth that is unsustainable, its our consumption growth. By looking at per capita consumption, you realize that not having a baby in America or Europe does indeed have a huge impact on the resources of the world. In fact, for every baby prevented by a condom in America, the planet could support an additional 5-6 Africans.
So today, do the planet and your fellow humans a solid, and do it with a rubber on.
Louis Wertz 