Human Population Bomb Blows Up

By Steve Salmony

09 May, 2013

Countercurrents.org

We are neither acknowledging all of the extant science of the human species nor ‘connecting the dots’ between the skyrocketing global growth of the human population and the cascading evidence of climate destabilization, declining TFRs in many overdeveloped countries notwithstanding. Many too many experts continue to eschew ecological science of human population dynamics. Something is happening in our time that appears to be directly driven by seven billion (to become 9 billion by 2050) human beings overconsuming, overproducing and overpopulating. These activities of humankind threaten the very future of life on Earth. Some of us overconsume; some overproduce and some overpopulate in our planetary home. And many of us do all of the above. All of this distinctly human-driven activity is soon to become patently unsustainable on a planet with the size, composition and ecology of Earth. Well established scientific knowledge, human intuition and common sense are in agreement that the colossal current scale and fully anticipated growth of unrestrained overconsumption, unbridled overproduction and unregulated overpopulation activities of the human species cannot continue much longer, much less indefinitely.



Let us begin getting serious about the global predicament humanity faces by responding ably to the planetary emergency the human species appears to have recklessly precipitated and relentlessly exacerbated on the surface of Earth. This means we are to search for adequate solutions to the huge, emerging and converging global challenges that can be seen threatening the future of children everywhere while there is still some time to act in ways intended to move the human community toward sustainable lifestyles and right-sized corporate enterprises.

First we need to recognize what is happening, what 7 billion human beings are doing here now that is soon to become patently unsustainable. As a human community, we cannot much longer keep doing what we are doing now because the gargantuan current scale and growth of the human species and its big business-as-usual activities can be expected to destabilize Earth's climate, extirpate global biodiversity, dissipate finite resources, despoil frangible ecology with pollution as well as threaten future human well being and environmental health in the foreseeable future. But that is not the end of the story. There is at least one other matter that calls out to us for consideration, a matter that any reasonable and sensible person would want to examine, I suppose. And that matter is, “Why is the human population on Earth exploding? Why?” The question is straightforward enough. In keeping with what is to be expected in the evolution of science extant, new uncontested research related to the question of ‘why a human population bomb' has been presented for review but ubiquitously avoided or denied by many too many of the very experts on human population matters with regard to ‘what is happening’ vis a vis human population growth. If science of ‘why global human population numbers are exploding’ is willfully ignored, how is the humankind to so much as even hope to respond ably to human-induced threats to humanity and the Earth as a fit place for human habitation? How can we speak about the necessity for advances in science, for fidelity to scientific facts and truth, for the individual and collective will to go wheresoever the evidence leads us while top ranking scientists with appropriate expertise collude to deliberately deny scientific evidence of human population dynamics/overpopulation? For self-proclaimed experts to consciously refuse to examine scientific research and report objective findings regarding ‘why the human population is exploding’ has got to be overcome fast because failing to do so thwarts the gathering of momentum needed to address and overcome the challenges looming so ominously before all of us. Scientists' misguided fealty (to that which is 'true' based upon what is politically convenient, economically expedient, socially correct, religiously tolerable and culturally prescribed) represents a breach of one’s duty to science and humanity, and stands for all to see as a personal betrayal of both acquired knowledge and the future of life as we know it.



What kind of moral atmosphere is possible when colluding experts choose not to acknowledge uncontested science regarding what could be real with regard to the human species? What is to be said in defense of experts who, when presented with scientific research, cavalierly say, “Well, I cannot refute what is before my eyes but still, I refuse to acknowlege the evidence because it is unbelievable.” In such circumstances is it even possible to speak honorably of a moral atmosphere? Can there be morality in any meaningful sense without intellectual honesty, moral courage and the will to speak truth to power, according the lights and scientific knowledge we possess? The arc of moral order in the world must adhere to what is true about ourselves and what is real about the planetary home we inhabit, I suppose.



Steve Salmony is a self-proclaimed global citizen, a psychologist and father of three grown children and two grandchildren. Married 40 years ago. In 2001 Steve founded the AWAREness Campaign on The Human Population to raise consciousness of the colossal threat that the unbridled, near exponential growth of absolute global human population numbers poses for all great and small living things on Earth in our time. His quixotic campaign focuses upon the best available science of human population dynamics in order to save the planet as a place fit for habitation by children everywhere. He can be reached at SESALMONY@aol.com











