Overpopulation: Efforts to Reduce the World’s Population

The issues of human overpopulation and related issues of climate change, global hunger, and mass migrations have now caught the attention of the world. The following is a brief overview of the human overpopulation and some of the efforts and activities that are now being taken to contain and reduce the world’s population to a more sustainable level.

Human Overpopulation

Overpopulation can be viewed as existing when a population cannot be maintained given the rapid depletion of non-renewable resources or the degradation of the capacity of the environment to give support to the population. More specifically, the term ‘human overpopulation’ refers to the relationship between the entire human population and the planet Earth - or to smaller geographical areas such as particular nation-states.

Global population is projected to hit 8 billion around the year 2023 and 9 billion by 2050. Unfortunately, the planet can only realistically sustain a global population of 3 billion over the long term. So… You Do The Math! However, many experts now predict the rapid decline in world population starting in 2050. You might want to go to Population Connection web site.

Human Population Planning

So what do we do? Human reproduction planning is the practice of intentionally controlling the rate of growth of the human population. Historically, human population planning has been focused on increasing the rate of human population growth. However, in the period from the 1950s to the 1980s, emerging concerns about global population growth and its effects on poverty, environmental degradation and political stability led to increased organized efforts to reduce human population growth rates. There are now a growing number of deliberate and organized efforts to reduce the human population. These include some of the following actions:

Abortion Sterilization Initiating Wars Family Planning Contraception Sexual Abstinence Environmental Disasters Deadly Contagious Diseases Infanticide  Starvation

Taxation of Parents One-child & Two-child Policies Migration from Rural to Urban Areas Immigration & Emigration Policies Education & Training Marketing & Public Relations Changing the Status of Women Ethnic ‘Cleansing’ and/or Eugenics. New Technology: Robotics, Killer Drones, Artificial Intelligence...

Organizations dealing with Overpopulation

If the topic of overpopulation interests you, the following is a listing of numerous organizations dealing with overpopulation and related issues:

• Center for Biological Diversity
• Global Footprint Network
• Negative Population Growth
• The Overpopulation Project

• Population Matters

• Population and Sustainability Network
• Population Action International
• Scientists & Environmentalists for Population Stabilization

Like it or not, the topic of human overpopulation concerns us all. This brief blog/article is meant to serve as a good starting point to help you become more informed and learn about some of the many activities already underway. It’s time to get more involved.

Congressional Term Limits Are Long Past Due

Term limits in the United States currently apply to many offices at both the federal, state, and local levels, dating all the way back to the American Revolution. Heck, the 22nd Amendment of the US Constitution sets term limits for the US President who can now only serve two four-year terms. After it was ratified by the requisite 36 of the then-48 States, it went into force back on February 27, 1951.

Selected Articles

The following are a series of recent articles or reports on Term Limits for Congress.

• Term Limits: The Only Way to Clean Up Congress – The Heritage Foundation

• GOP Senators propose Congressional Term Limits – The Hill

• Five Reasons to Oppose Congressional Term Limits - Brookings Institution

• Congressional Term Limits: Countering Power Abuse or Counterproductive? - Federal Times

• Senate Panel Debates Term Limits for Congress Members – Courthouse News Service

• Term Limits in the United States - Ballotpedia

Some of the key takeaways from these articles or reports are -

• The concept of Term Limits is supported by a majority of Republicans, Democrats and Independents.
• Resistance to term limits by legislators is in sharp contrast with private citizens' strong support for them.
• The only serious opponents of term limits are incumbent politicians and the special interests that support them.
• Proposed term limits for members of US House of Representatives tend to center around 4-6 terms at most. For US Senators, a 2 term limit seems to be the most popular choice.
• One major concern is that it may shift too much power into the hands of professional Congressional staffers.

Again - It appears the public agrees that it is now well past time to move forward to implement term limits for all members of Congress. A recent McLaughlin & Associates poll found that 82% of Americans now favor term limits. What do you think? Let our readers know.

What Do Today’s Youth See Happening Over the Coming Decades?

What do today’s Youth expect to see happen over the coming decades? What do they want to see happen? This blog is based on a review of numerous articles and studies published over the past two years and presents the following major findings about the youth of today.

Youth: Defined as the time of life when one is young, and often means the time between childhood and adulthood. It generally refers to individuals from the ages of 14 to 20.

I grew up in the 1960’s, a contentious time when the youth took to the streets for what appeared to be years on end to protest the Vietnam War, the military draft, civil rights, voting rights, government leaders, music, and so many other issues. It was an exciting time of challenges and change. Remembering those times, I wondered what the youth of today were doing and saying about the future. It wasn’t obvious to me.

While the youth of today are not noticeably protesting that often in the streets, that doesn’t mean they aren’t actively out there protesting about the many major issues and challenges facing them, e.g. overpopulation, climate change, endless wars, terrorism, inequality, affordable housing, and so much more. In the ‘Information Age’ of the 21^st Century, they are out there protesting and marching forward on the Internet, their ‘smartphones’, and social media sites.

So let’s take a look at what concerns them and what they want to see happen over the coming decades. A good starting point was to search and review observations and findings posted in a series of recent articles, blogs, and studies readily available on the Internet.

Selected Articles & Reports

According to the United Nations (UN) Department of Economic & Social Affairs, in a world where climate change wreaks havoc on our economies, societies and environment, where unemployment and inequalities are rampant, and where trust in international cooperation is falling, what do today’s youth believe the future holds for them? Read The Generation that can Change the World – If we let them and the World Youth Report

In a recent IPSOS poll conducted in 15 countries, they found that young people around the world are generally more optimistic about the future than older generations. Despite facing much higher unemployment rates, more instability and lower wages than their predecessors, today’s youth are entering adulthood confident that they can build a better future for themselves and for those that follow. That’s good news.

According to the 2018 IPSOS global poll -

• When it comes to policy priorities - ending poverty (33%), improving education (31%), and access to jobs (27%) are the top Sustainable Development Goals for leaders to focus on worldwide according to today’s youth.
• In higher income countries, climate change, gender equality, and ending conflicts are also major priorities.
• Youth in low and middle-income countries also choose promoting health, economic fairness, and ending hunger as major priorities.
• Around half of females around the world think life is better for men and boys than for women and girls.

In the United States (US), the 2018 poll found that -

• US youth are more optimistic than adults about the future of their country (Adults 56%, youth 64%) and the future of the world (Adults 51%, youth 63%).
• US youth are 14% more likely than their adult peers to say that their future living conditions will be better.
• US youth are the happiest higher income country when asked about the impact that their government has on their lives.
• 45% of US youth say that they are knowledgeable about politics and government.
• In the US, youth are more likely than adults to say that they can make a difference in how their country is governed, by a margin of 14 percentage points (adults 35%, youth 49%).
• 78% of youth in the US say that all people in their country have basic human rights (78%).
• Only 7% of US youth say that religion has the most positive impact on their lives.
• 59% of youth in the US agree that climate change poses a significant threat to their community.

From a Youth Activism movement driving climate action, to an organization expanding digital literacy among young people, to a global youth network for gender equality and reproductive rights. Young people everywhere appear to be stepping in where they believe previous generations have failed.

A group of teenagers in the US has filed a lawsuit claiming that the planet and its natural resources may have been “so profoundly damaged” that the “plaintiffs’ fundamental constitutional rights to life and liberty” are threatened. The science is clear: at its current pace, climate change may irreversibly break the sustainable limits of our planet, leaving generations that are yet to be born to deal with the disastrous consequences. The issue with future generations is that they have no seat at the table to claim and defend their rights. Read The Future is Becoming a Burden on the Young

This is no 'Me Me Me' Generation

It turns out that today’s youth are not a cohort of ‘screenagers’, ‘enfeebled youngsters’ and ‘couch potatoes’, as some older adults believe. As the first generation to grow up alongside always-on social media and smartphones, today’s young people are actually busy bringing about significant changes in social, cultural, business practices, and political behavior across the world. Read about Gen Z - Out to Change the World

Young people are not marching in the streets as much as they are communicating, raising and discussing the major issues of the day in massive online communities that the older generations are not necessarily plugged into. They are discussing and coming up with creative new ideas and innovative solutions for the 21^st century with regards to such areas as:

Voting Rights Citizenship & Government Population Control Literacy & Education Universal Healthcare Online Retail Industry Transportation Systems Nationalism vs. Globalism International Relations Space Exploration & Settlements

Climate Change Clean Alternative Energy Civility & Ethical Behavior Social & Financial Equality Augmented & Virtual Reality Technology Robotics & Artificial Intelligence 4th Generation Manufacturing 21st Century Jobs & Knowledge Workers Agriculture & World Hunger Warfare, Terrorism & Trade Wars

* You might want to also check out the following resources for yourself - IPSOS 2018 Report, EYE2020 Reports, UN World Youth Report, and the Summerton Blog.

Lake Marion Artisans Visit Van Gogh Exhibit at SC Museum of Art

The Lake Marion Artisans just visited the South Carolina Museum of Art in downtown Columbia, S.C.  It was a great field trip, the latest in  a series of ongoing visits to major art galleries and museums across the state. The focus of this particular field trip was to see the Van Gogh Exhibition.

Van Gogh and His Inspirations is an original exhibition organized by the Columbia Museum of Art (CMA) that brought 12 paintings and drawings by Van Gogh, including an outstanding painting of flower fields from the National Gallery of Art. These were displayed alongside a variety of handpicked paintings and drawings by other artists who influenced Van Gogh’s aesthetic and creative thinking.

As interesting as the Van Gogh exhibit was, it was also exciting and educational to see the many other galleries and exhibits in the museum on impressionism, modern art, SC scenes En Plein Air, visions from India, and much more. The SC Museum of Art is definitely an institution the state can be immensely proud of supporting.

If you'd like to join us on our next field trip, consider visiting or supporting the only art gallery in Clarendon County - the Lake Marion Artisans in Summerton, S.C.

Flowers, Gardening, and the Art of Living

Think of your favorite flower – a rose, an orchid, a daisy. Looking into a flower, we can see that it is full of life. It contains soil, minerals, rain, and sunshine. It is also full of space and time. In fact, if you look very closely, you might also be able to see that the whole cosmos is present and reflected in your one little flower. Without soil, minerals, rain, sunshine, time, and space – the flower could not grow and would not exist.

Like the flower, we each contain earth, water, air, sunlight, warmth… life! We also contain elements of the whole cosmos in our being. We too are composed and created in space, over time, and contain traces of our parents, grandparents, ancestors, education, culture, and environment. It’s an amazing reality to contemplate. What type of flower or garden we grow depends on a number of many major factors. Think about this.

Our mind and body is like a garden and the flowers it contains. Think of the seeds that are planted in a garden. There are seeds of joy, peace, mindfulness, understanding, and love. Unfortunately, there are also seeds of cravings, lust, anger, fear, and hate. What you become depends on what seeds you plant and water in your garden. If you water a seed of peace in your mind, peace will grow. If you water the seed of happiness in your mind, happiness will bloom. When the seed of anger is watered, you will become angry.

The seeds that are planted and watered tend to grow and become strong in you – so you need to be a mindful gardener. You need to selectively water the seeds of the flowers you want to grow in the garden you will become. You don’t need to plant and water those seeds that you don’t want to see grow in the garden that is you. It turns out that gardening is key to the Art of Living. Again, think carefully about this as you tend your garden.

This article basically paraphrases a few excerpts that appealed to me from an excellent book I recently read called The Art of Living, by Thich Nhat Hanh.  

BTW - If you are interested in gardening, join the Pink Dogwood Garden Club in Summerton, SC, and start living more fully.