July 11th, 2011

Published by: sonailpgi

Nearing The Shores Of Zanzibar

John Brunner's 1969 book Stand on Zanzibar uses the idea of measuring world population in terms of an island large enough to hold the entire population of the world standing shoulderto-shoulder. This article reinterprets Brenner's thesis on overpopulation in modern terms and addresses the impact of population growth on our collective ecological footprint, as well as the claims of those who deny that overpopulation is the most profound of environmental issues. . Brunner, the island of Zanzibar (actually Unguja, one of Zanzibars two major islands, but I suspect Zanzibar made for a catchier title). Like any good genre of literature, science fiction evokes thought, reveals insights about society and speculates to our future. The overpopulation scenarios common in science fiction from the late 1960s and 1970s were influenced strongly by two scientists of the time: John Calhoun and Paul Ehrlich. Paul Ehrlich is well known for coauthoring The Population Bomb with his wife Anne. John Calhouns name is not as well known as his research, on the behavior of rats in a population regulated only by space. In his experiments Calhoun observed what he termed a behavioral sink, with increased aggression and decreased parental care among the abnormal behaviors of rats in the overcrowded habitat. The popular press and science fiction writers began making inferences to human behavior in crowded urban environments from Calhouns results.

Despite All Our Rage: Nearing the Shores of Zanzibar

By jwc3119 on July 11th, 2011

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The Population Research Institute

A pro-life organization calling itself the Population Research Institute has a website called overpopulationisamyth.com. There you can find a series of four animated videos (also on YouTube), that attempt to convince the viewer that, one, the Earth is not overpopulated, and two, there are many advantages of increasing population. The videos are narrated by an even-toned, authoritative sounding person and accompanied by music and subtle details to the animation carefully chosen to evoke emotion. Some of their arguments do make a bit of sense, but only if taken in the context of humankinds transition from hunter-gatherers to an agrarian society. The Industrial Revolution and the switch to coal and petroleum for our energy needs is where their arguments fail. One of the arguments made in these videos is that all of the Earths human population could be housed in modest four person dwellings on 66 foot by 66 foot lots. This gigantic suburb would fit easily inside the State of Texas, so how they argue, can the Earth be possibly overpopulated?

In the last 200 years the population of our planet has grown exponentially, at a rate of 1.9% per year. If it continued at this rate, with the population doubling every 40 years, by 2600 we would all be standing literally shoulder to shoulder. Stephen Hawking

Stand On Zanzibar
In his 1969 science fiction novel Stand on Zanzibar John Brunner depicted a future in the year 2010. The Earths population, 7 billion people, are in various conflicts including a war between the U.S. and China. The metaphor of the books title is measuring the human population in terms of an island large enough to hold everyone standing shoulder to shoulder. In 1969 the 3.5 billion people could stand on the Island of Man (U.K.) and at the 2010 level of 7 billion projected by

July 11th, 2011

Published by: sonailpgi

The calculations in this case are correct, but they fail to take into account the ecological footprint the area required for growing food, obtaining water, disposing wastes, obtaining energy and mineral resources of the average person. The average ecological footprint per person in the world is 5.6 acres an average that takes into account developed nations like the U.S. and the undeveloped nations like the Sudan. Converting 5.6 acres to square miles and multiplying by 6.92 billion people on Earth yields 60.6 million square miles. That is larger than the Earths total land area! (57.5 million square miles). We are already deficit spending in terms of resources. Plus, as developing countries embrace technology, modern transportation and agriculture, the average ecological footprint will increase. The expected outcome however, is that their growth rate will level off as their standard of living increases. Population and immigration are very difficult issues to discuss. Democrats and Republicans alike for very different reasons avoid it. Gaylord Nelson There are many economists, politicians and average citizens who equate population growth with economic prosperity. More people means a higher GDP, more consumers to buy goods and dollars to be spent to stimulate the economy. This economic mindset is nothing but a Ponzi scheme, where a privileged few reap profits by resource and labor exploitation (e.g. outsourcing to countries with high populations and growth rates), while passing on the problems to later generations of the world; increased poverty, hunger, and pollution.

in turn mentioned the number of children and/ or grandchildren they have. Representative Michelle Bachmann boasted of having had five babies and 23 foster children. Our nation will need more Republicans like Michelle Bachmann to raise all the unwanted babies born to teenage parents, who will be unable to obtain birth control from defunded Planned Parenthood centers. (As an aside it is ironic that Bachmann, an outspoken flat Earth denier of the theory of evolution is inadvertently boasting about her own Darwinian fitness). Democrats may take a stand on many environmental issues, but instead of confronting it they tiptoe around the issue of overpopulation. The reason is simple. Certain demographic groups that vote Democratic also have large families.

Overpopulation And Developing Nations

Overpopulation is thought to be a problem only for the developing nations, but it turns out that the U.S. has a teen birth rate four times that of other industrialized nations. The birth rate is not just attributed to certain ethnic, religious or immigrant groups, but it is highest in all Americans at or below the poverty level. Plus, as the population grows larger in the U.S. and worldwide, the income gap will widen. Income disparity is one of the most reliable indicators of population growth. European nations that have near zero or even negative population growth rates, income disparity is lowest. Democracy cannot survive overpopulation. Human dignity cannot survive it. Convenience and decency cannot survive it. As you put more and more people into the world, the value of life not only declines, it disappears. It doesnt matter if someone dies. The more people there are, the less one individual matters. Isaac Asimov The widespread denial of the overpopulation problem is so entrenched in our culture. The cultural obsession with babies is particularly evident in the mainstream media, especially cable television. A short list of programs include: Jon and Kate Plus 8, 16 and Pregnant and the notorious Duggars of 19 Kids and Counting. Ehrlichs Population Bomb scenarios are not so unimaginable in a world in which all people are so ignorant or selfish to have nineteen (or more) children.

The Attack On Planned Parenthood

Republican members of the U.S. Congress, especially Tea Party, campaigned to get elected and now debate the current budget crisis with these two words, not sustainable. The Republican controlled House of Representatives is leading the effort to pull funds from Planned Parenthood in the name of fiscal responsibility. What they are really trying is a back-door attack on Roe vs. Wade but are denying access to affordable contraception to the people who need it most, the young and people at or below the poverty line. The real consequence to the budget will be the opposite of what is intended, as unwanted pregnancies and the funds needed to support these children are necessary, plus dangerous abortions performed outside of medical facilities. Former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum has been quoted as saying that abortions caused the deficit, as if only all those aborted fetuses were brought to term and raised to become tax paying Americans, our budget problems would not exist. This is nothing but more Ponzi scheme logic. During the recent Republican debate held in New Hampshire, in addition to such cutting edge issues like American Idol or Dancing with the Stars, the candidates were engaged in a game of oneupmanship for the who is most pro-life-iest. Each candidate

Overpopulation And Resource Depletion

The worlds population is projected to reach 7 billion people in October 2011, an estimate John Brunner predicted for 2010. The events he depicted have not occurred, but recent world events suggest possible conflicts are brewing especially conflicts over water resources. Are we headed for a Population Bomb? It is more and more likely since global climate change is causing droughts and decreasing global food supplies. Political unrest is erupting like brushfires around the world, often extinguished by military action. It may just be a focus on these conflicts brought on by
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July 11th, 2011

Published by: sonailpgi

the events going on in Libya and Syria, but I would characterize the worlds political climate as volatile. History is full of violent conflicts between and within nations, so I admit that it may also be recent news events affecting my perceptions. However, Calhouns behavioral sink seems to explain the state of affairs in the world. Even our cognitive abilities and various coping mechanisms are being overwhelmed by the enormity of the population issue. As the the human population expands outward to the shores of Zanzibar to use Brunners metaphor, a more apt metaphor might be Billy Corgans (of the Smashing Pumpkins song Bullet with Butterfly Wings Despite all my rage, Im still just a rat in a cage. by James Check