Part 9: Root cause of humanity’s predicament

Who among us saw as much of the world and our surrounding oceans as the famed Jacques-Yves Cousteau?  Look at any video of our oceans both on the surface and in the depths, and you will find yourself mesmerized by Cousteau’s epic camera work. He loved the oceans.  He helped invent the scuba tank that allowed humans to dive beneath the waves. 

 

Why would he make such a profound statement as you read above if he didn’t understand our predicament as to human overpopulation?  An even better question: why haven’t the leaders of the world responded?  How about the religions of the world?  How about ordinary citizens of the world already suffering by several billion via the onslaught of overpopulation?  Answer: mass denial, illiteracy, stupidity, religious insanity and greed.

 

This year, in 2013, 10 million children face starvation. Another eight million adults face starvation or related problems leading to death. Total: 18 million people. That occurs every year, year after year, decade after decade.  Yet, via mass denial, humans add a total over 137 million new babies to the planet every year. The first 57 million replace those humans that died and the next 80 million humans add, net gain, to the world population now at 7.1 billion.

 

With all the intelligence and understanding we posses, not one world leader addresses the starvation rates or the magnitude of the population explosion.  

 

 

Let’s discuss water: every 21 seconds, a child dies from water related diseases.  More than 3.4 million people die each year from water, sanitation, and hygiene-related causes. Nearly all deaths, 99 percent, occur in the developing world. Lack of access to clean water and sanitation kills children at a rate equivalent of a jumbo jet crashing every four hours. Of the 60 million people added to the world's towns and cities every year, most move to informal settlements (i.e. slums) with no sanitation facilities.  Over 780 million people lack access to an improved water source; approximately one in nine people.

 

Over 1,000 children in India die every day from diarrhea, dysentery and other water-borne disease.  Yet, India adds 12 million more people to its country annually in spite of the misery, suffering, malnutrition, environmental degradation, polluted rivers and outright horrendous living conditions in that country for hundreds of millions all the way to their total of 1.2 billion—and headed for 1.6 billion within 37 years. (Source: www.populationmedia.org )

 

(If you cannot water livestock, you can’t eat.  This scene repeats itself all over the world as humans overrun and overwhelm their water systems.) Photography by www.Google.com

 

Religious insanity: let’s talk about the Catholic Church, Islam, Hindus and all the other ancient religions that fight against birth control.  With all the misery exploding, the Pope refuses to step into the 21st century and advocate for birth control.  His troglodyte mind cannot advance to logical and rational thinking for taking action in the 21st century. He promotes human misery on a scale not seen in all of history.  He represents “religious insanity.”   Same for Islam, Hindus and the rest of the myopic, illiterate religions of the world!

 

Illiteracy:  let’s talk about what drives such fecundity rates.  While they starve like flies in Africa, women average 8.2 kids during their fertile years.  Muslims, Christians and other tribal people birth more kids than “Toys R Us” can produce plastic tricycles.  Illiteracy begets more children and more children beget more starvation and more starvation creates an endless cycle of human misery not comprehended in the Western world; except for those pointless “Feed the Children” programs that beg for money.   The more we feed their numbers, the greater their numbers.  Noble, but stupid!  Why? Answer: the more you feed starving people, the more they reproduce beyond their carrying capacity, which means they end up starving in greater numbers.

 

(Most Westerners lack any comprehension of the human misery facing over two billion humans on this planet that cannot find enough food and water each day.)  Photography by www.Google.com

 

Greed:  nothing like capitalism and other forms of endless growth systems that support endless growth on every level.  Heads of corporations refuse to deal with reality, the facts or anything that denies them more production, more products, more plastic, more money and more power. Pretty sickening, actually.  Mother Nature doesn’t stand a chance against such human greed.  At least, not for the moment—in the end She always bats last, i.e. Katrina, Sandy, earthquakes, deserts, starvation, disease.

 

 Over-consumption and overpopulation underlie every environmental problem we face today.”   Jacques-Yves Cousteau, Oceanographer

 

Cousteau nailed it, but we continue to ignore that wise man.  We need to take action to change the underlying cause of most of the planet’s exploding environment, chemical, extinction and related problems.

 

(Lack of water in the United States at some point will become the cause of much conflict as  America currently suffers seven states in water shortages and more to come, but we expect to add 137 million more people within 37 years by 2050. This picture will become our picture at some point.)  Photography by www.Google.com

 

Dr. Jack Alpert of www.skil.org said, “There are many experts in the world. Each, from his or her area of expertise (soil, water, energy, biodiversity, waste impacts, food, conflict, minerals, metals) reports degradation, exhaustion and civilization disruption. The collective human needs of 7.1 billion people are bigger than the earth's production. Call this overshoot. Overshoot exists even if human footprint does not expand. When, for example, fossil energy diminishes overshoot increases.

 

“In the natural world overshoot is followed by collapse. Too many wolves for the available caribou and the wolf population dies back. We humans are little different from wolves. On the upside we have technology that might get more from less. On the downside each human is not equal in his or her consumption. The haves (a billion) consume many times the have nots (6 billion.)  As the scarcity continues to increase (because soil is lost, land inundates, weather changes, energy deliveries decrease by half by 2050) the haves will consume the food that fed 6 billion have nots. 

 

“The have nots will starve or fight to survive. The social conflict will engulf everyone by 2060. By the end of the century, after we have squandered our one time bounty of resources, less than 500 million people will be living at subsistence.

 

“That is not anyone's plan. It is the result of our current course. Our solution is almost like that of the wolves. The strong survive. Or the strong quickly kill off the weak so the existing caribou can support them. Humans have an additional alternative, we can stop having babies until our population declines enough to be supported by earth.” 

 

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If you would like to make a difference, please join these organizations for the most effective collective action you can take: www.CapsWeb.org ; www.NumbersUSA.org ; www.TheSocialContract.com ; www.Fairus.org

 

Join me, Frosty Wooldridge, with Dave Chaffin, host of the Morning Zone at 650 AM, www.KGAB.com, Cheyenne, Wyoming every Monday 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m., as we discuss my latest commentaries about issues facing America. You may stream the show on your computer. You may call in at: 1-888-503-6500.

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In a five minute astoundingly simple yet brilliant video, “Immigration, Poverty, and Gum Balls”, Roy Beck, director of www.numbersusa.ORG, graphically illustrates the impact of overpopulation.  Take five minutes to see for yourself:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPjzfGChGlE&feature=player_embedded

 

“Immigration by the numbers—off the chart” by Roy Beck

This 10 minute demonstration shows Americans the results of unending mass immigration on the quality of life and sustainability for future generations: in a few words, “Mind boggling!”  www.NumbersUSA.org

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muw22wTePqQ

 

Visit www.TheSocialContract.com for the best information on what we face as a civilization as to overpopulation, energy, immigration and much more.

 

Canada www.immigrationwatchcanada.org ; in Australia www.population.org.au andPublicPopForum@yahoogroups.com; in Great Britain www.populationmatters.org ; and dozens of other sites accessed at www.frostywooldridge.com.   In Florida, www.flimen.org .

 

Must see: Rapid Population Decline, seven minute video by Dr. Jack Alpert-

www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTWduFB_RX0

 

Dave Gardner, President, Citizen-Powered Media ; Producing the Documentary, GROWTH BUSTERS; presents Hooked on Growth: Our Misguided Quest for Prosperity, Join the cause at www.growthbusters.org ; Trailer to his latest movie on overpopulation:  http://youtu.be/KLWxWOcUrVc

 

 

Check out this link with Wooldridge on bicycle and Lester Brown and panel discussion:

www.upnorthmedia.org/watchupnorthtv.asp?SDBFid=1631

 

Tomorrow's Americaproject on www.youtube.com/contemporarylearning.

Producer: GEORGE A. COLBURNwww.tomorrowsamerica.com

DC: 202-258-4887

 

Email: gac@starbrightmc.com

Link to www.tomorrowsamerica.com for more discussions on America's predicament.

www.starbrightmediacorp.com

www.tomorrowsamerica.com

 

Alexandra Paul talks about human overpopulation and saving our world by all women having 1 child only:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNxctzyNxC0

 

One planet, one child:

http://www.worldpopulationbalance.org/content/one-planet-onechild

 

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We must come to terms with birth control and stabilizing human population. This three minute video brings the terror of India’s predicament up close and personal by Paul Winn of Australia:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZKd_Jvf2_c

 

This film will rock you:   MOTHER: CARING FOR 7 BILLION  

Dr. Jack Alpert , www.skil.org

 

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Important books to read and educate yourself:

 

Life on the Brink: Environmentalists Confront Overpopulation, edited by Philip Cafaro and Eileen Crist, 2012 

The World Without Us, Alan Weisman 2007   A scholarly research on how the Earth will fare after Homo sapiens are gone.

Man Swarm, and the Killing of Wildlife, Dave Foreman 2011  Mankind as locusts.

Take Conservation Back, Dave Foreman, 2013

The Long Emergency by James Howard Kunstler, what America faces when oil runs out.

Overshoot by William Catton

Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond

Peek Everything: Facing a century of Declines by Richard Heinberg

Plan B, 4.0, Saving Civilization by Lester Brown

The Population Fix by Edward C. Hartman

America on the Brink: The Next Added 100 Million Americans by Frosty Wooldridge

 

 

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Frosty Wooldridge has bicycled across six continents - from the Arctic to the South Pole - as well as eight times across the USA, coast to coast and border to border. In 2005, he bicycled from the Arctic Circle, Norway to Athens, Greece. In 2012, he bicycled coast to coast across America.  He presents “The Coming Population Crisis facing America: what to do about it.”  www.frostywooldridge.com .  His latest book is: How to Live a Life of Adventure: The Art of Exploring the World by Frosty Wooldridge, copies at 1 888 280 7715/ Motivational program: How to Live a Life of Adventure: The Art of Exploring the World by Frosty Wooldridge, click:  www.HowToLiveALifeOfAdventure.com

Live well, laugh often, celebrate daily and enjoy the ride,

Frosty Wooldridge

Golden, Colorado

www.HowToLiveALifeOfAdventure.com

6 Continent world bicycle traveler