We are NOT “saving the Earth.” We are saving ourselves!

Those who do not claim to be environmentalists want us to breed, burn, and consume as much as we want, and damn the consequences. Many if not most species operate like this, breeding until they exceed the carrying capacity of the land they’re on. Lemmings and locusts are the most famous examples, though many other species, such as deer and elephants, do this as well. The result? A population crash (translation: nearly everyone starves to death or is wiped out by disease), then the small population breeds like crazy and in some number of generations they get to do it all over again. This is effective, but do we really want to experience this?

Environmentalists believe that rather than relying on “nature” to manage our species, we can do it ourselves. This means we act intelligently to not exceed the carrying capacity of the planet. This consists of 3 pieces:

1. We avoid actions which diminish the carrying capacity of our planet. For example, commercial agriculture degrades the amount of topsoil and its quality, meaning that future generations will not be able to grow food as well. Instead, we support sustainable, mainly well-managed organic, agriculture which leaves the land as healthy as it ever was. Similarly, we avoid toxic chemicals as much as possible, as toxics permanently ruin pieces of land.
2. We consume less stuff, so that a given amount of land/resources can support more people. (Simple logic here: if everyone consumes twice as much, a given amount of resources can support half as many people. Note, however, that consumption is measured in terms of materials, NOT in terms of dollars. For example, a $20,000 wristwatch counts as far less “consumption” than a $10,000 car.)
3. We limit the growth of population, with the goal of stabilizing total numbers. Exponential population growth will eventually overload any land, no matter how little people consume. (For example, if human population growth continues at roughly 2%/year, in approximately 700 years there would be 1 person per square yard of earth on the planet!) While some environmentalists believe we need strict controls on breeding, the fact is that if people are educated about the benefits of small families, women are given power to control their reproduction, and people simply have as many kids as they really want, and NO MORE, population will stabilize or actually shrink.

Thus, in the final analysis, those who claim to not be environmentalists are acting just like wild creatures act. (Most of them, anyhow. Some birds have the sense to not have too many offspring.) If they have their way we all get to suffer the consequences. On the other hand, those of us who are environmentalists are acting very unnaturally, as we think we can manage ourselves better than “mother nature” can.

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