Population, Family Planning,
& Ecology News Digest
Archives May 2001 - August 2001
August 2, 2001
Hydrogen Rising in Energy Debate: Global Race for "Tomorrow's Petroleum" Heats Up
.
This report, Hydrogen Futures: Toward a Sustainable Energy System, by Seth Dunn of the Worldwatch Institute, describes the potential for clean, renewable energy from hydrogen. The shift to the use of energy as a source of renewable energy is “being driven in part by rapid improvements in the fuel cell”, which oxidizes molecular hydrogen to produce electricity and water. It is also driven by our need to control urban air pollution, geopolitical instability based on dependence on waning oil supplies and climate change from fossil fuel combustion. Both the auto and energy industries have committed considerable resources to the development of fuel cell technology in their products. DaimlerChrylser, Ford and GM are all in the process of producing cars and/or buses which are run by fuel cells, and Toyota has announced it will sell a fuel cell car in Japan beginning in 2003. “Both Shell and BP have established core hydrogen divisions within their companies;” ExxonMobil, along with GM and Toyota, are developing fuel cells; and “Texaco has become a major investor in hydrogen storage technology”. Fuel cells could “replace not only internal combustion engines, but also central power plants and batteries”. Thus companies marketing these technologies will reap “substantial commercial, political and environmental benefits”. Germany, Japan and Iceland are leaders in their plans to introduce fuel cell technology. One of the important issues at this time is “how to pick the quickest, least expensive path [to a hydrogen based economy] from today’s fossil fuel-based economy”. Although at this time, hydrogen is produced primarily from fossil fuels; ultimately hydrogen will be obtained from the splitting of water using renewable energy from the sun, wind and other sources. Honda has recently opened a solar-hydrogen production and fueling station in Torrance, CA. Dunn discusses “the best route to a renewable energy-based hydrogen economy” and considers government policies which could accelerate this development.
.
August 27, 2001 Sierra Club Calif/Nevada Regional ConservationCommittee
New Growth Management Guidelines Call For Actions to Save California's Environment.
The Sierra Club's California/Nevada Regional Conservation Committee (CNRCC) has adopted a revised Urban Growth Management Policy Guidelines, calling for actions at the state, regional, and local levels to limit the impacts of growth. Current projections indicate that California's population may grow by another 25 million people by the year 2040. The guidelines recommend a state comprehensive plan, based on analysis of growth projections, environmental constraints, and infrastructure requirements, to guide the conservation and development of the State. The plan should determine what amount of growth is actually supportable, based on environmental and fiscal limits, not only on economic projections, - and recommends recognition of the fact that there are long-term limits to growth in California. The guidelines also recommend urban growth boundaries, strengthening open space elements of general plans to include biodiversity inventories, encouraging infill and compact development, increasing the supply of low-income housing, requiring the availability of all needed public services and facilities before a development project can be approved, improving air quality by encouraging transit and coordinating transportation and land use planning, regional planning, high standards of services and design in all urban areas. The CNRCC plans to advocate a package of bills to carry out these policies in the forthcoming sessions of the California Legislature and is studying a proposal for an Initiative to mandate a State Comprehensive Plan.
.
August 2001 Population Today (PRB)
Contraceptive Shortages Loom in Less Developed Countries.
Over 1 billion young people are entering their childbearing years in today's world. Thus access to contraceptives represents a challenge of immense proportions, forming a "crisis in the making" - a shortfall in contraceptives and condoms for people in the world's poorest countries, according to author Allison Tarmann. Contraceptives are life-saving devices in developing countries where thousands per day become infected with HIV and up to one in seven women run a lifetime risk of maternal mortality.
.
August 01, 2001
Population Reference Bureau
Children's Environmental Health
There is an array of threats to children's health, resulting in illnesses such as asthma, childhood cancers, lead poisoning, developmental disorders, and
endocrine disruption, underscoring children's unique vulnerability to
toxicants in the environment.
'
August 01, 2001
Population Reference Bureau
Search Website for Global Population and Health Data
This database contains data on 85 demographic variables for 221 countries in
the world, for 28 world regions and sub-regions, for the world as a whole, for
the United States as a whole, and for the 50 states and the District of
Columbia. Variables include data on family planning, reproductive health,
youth sexual activity, breastfeeding, and women's political participation.
'
August 01, 2001
RMC population listserv
U.S.Pop Growth Hearing on C-Span
The Center for Immigration Studies' Director of Research, Steven A.
Camarota, will testify tomorrow before the House of Representatives'
Subcommittee on Immigration and Claims. The hearing, entitled "The U.S.
Population and Immigration", will commence at 10:00 am in 2237 Rayburn
House Office Building. Witnesses will be: Steven A. Camarota, Center for Immigration Studies, John Long, U.S. Census Bureau, William Elder, Sierrians for Population Stabilization, Jeffery Passel, Urban Institute. Steven A. Camarota's testimony is on line at:
http://www.cis.org/articles/2001/sactestimony701.html#2 . For C-Span's schedule, go to http://www.c-span.org/
'
August 1, 2001
National Audubon Society
Audubon Forum: What should President Bush Do?
Sixteen scientists and other thinkers were asked a single question: What should President Bush do? .. Martha Marks: Lead America away from fossil fuels and a bright future built upon renewable, clean energy. .. Ralph Nader: Lead the world in solar-energy research and use; launch a solar mission. .. Edward O. Wilson: Start a global conservation movement. Start with the world’s forests. .. Donella Meadows: Campaign finance reform so the environment won’t be outbid. .. Jerry Taylor: End corporate welfare and subsidized flood insurance, farmers off the dole. .. Michael Soule: Mr. Bush, you must consider whether this nation should continue to spurn God's first covenant with all life on earth. You have a chance to save nature again by calling for restraint on natural-resource exploitation and by supporting the conservation of God's capital. .. James Hansen: Appoint a commission to recommend actions to fight climate change. .. Lester R. Brown: We can stabilize climate by restructuring the tax system: reducing income taxes and raising carbon taxes. This will stabilize both oil prices and our climate, by reducing the use of fossil fuels and encouraging the development of alternatives. .. Frank Gill: Make birds a primary indicator of the health of our nation’s wildlife. .. Anne and Paul Ehrlich: Attack two of the three elements that assault the earth: growth in population and growth in per-capita consumption among the rich. .. Peter Huber: Bush should affirm that although private land trusts are the most important element of the conservation movement, at some point the vastness of the White Mountains and the Everglades, of river archipelagoes and coral reefs--at some point the sheer scale of the most ambitious conservation objectives requires a reach to match. .. Joagquisho: Responsible leadership requires vision with a world perspective and the will to look into the future. Responsible leadership requires compassion and respect for all life, for everything that grows, walks, swims, and flies.
' rvs
August 20, 2001
BMJ.com - British Medical Journal
Ecological Study of Effect of Breast Feeding on Infant Mortality in Latin America
Exclusive breast feeding of infants aged 0-3 months and partial breast feeding throughout the remainder of infancy could substantially reduce infant mortality in Latin America.
'
August 2, 2001
The Economist
The Truth about the Environment
by Bjorn Lomborg, author of the book, The Skeptical Environmentalist.
Environmentalists claim that 1) natural resources are running out; 2) the
population is ever growing, leaving less and less to eat; 3) species are
becoming extinct in vast numbers; 4) the planet's air and water are becoming
ever more polluted. The main limit on the availability of natural resources
is the monetary cost of locating and extracting reserves, not natural
scarcity. [Note: the availability of money to locate
and extract resources is tied, in the long run, to the availability of
natural resources.] Known reserves of all fossil fuels, and of most
commercially important metals, are now larger than they were. [Note: Discoveries of such reserves, however, have dropped
off.] Reserves of oil that could be extracted at reasonably competitive prices would keep the world economy running for about 150 years at present consumption rates. [Note: I heard 80
years. However, current rates will increase due to increased population,
both in the world, and in the U.S. where consumption of fossil fuels is
already high.] The price of solar energy has fallen by half in every decade for the past 30 years. In the case of cement, aluminium, iron,
copper, gold, nitrogen and zinc, which account for more than 75% of global
expenditure on raw materials, the number of years of available reserves has
actually grown despite an increase in consumption of these materials of
between two- and ten-fold over the past 50 years, and the price has dropped
some 80% in inflation-adjusted terms since 1845. Agricultural production in
the developing world has increased by 52% per person since 1961. [Note: The 'Greening' of agriculture' has lead to high
nitrogen content in streams, rivers, and lakes, salinization of the soils,
silting of our waterways and dams, and over-pumping of the earth's
groundwater. It is NOT sustainable.] The daily food intake in poor countries has increased from 1,932 calories in 1961 to 2,650 calories in
1998, and is expected to rise to 3,020 by 2030. Since 1800 food prices have
decreased by more than 90%, and in 2000, according to the World Bank, prices
were lower than ever before. [Note: Commodities are
cheap because we have found cheap energy to produce them: by taking the
fossil fuel reserves out of the ground far faster than they are replenished,
robbing our grandchildren of their future.] The growth rate of the human population reached its peak, of more than 2% a year, in the early
1960s. The rate of increase has been declining ever since. It is now 1.26%,
and is expected to fall to 0.46% in 2050. The United Nations estimates that
most of the world's population growth will be over by 2100, with the
population stabilising at just below 11 billion. [Note: To assume that we can feed 5 billion more people is taking
a gigantic risk.] The threat of biodiversity loss is exaggerated. Although species are indeed becoming extinct, only about 0.7% of them are expected to disappear in the next 50 years, not 25-50% as predicted; In the eastern United States, forests were reduced over two centuries to fragments
totalling just 1-2% of their original area, yet this resulted in the
extinction of only one forest bird. In Puerto Rico, the primary forest area
has been reduced over the past 400 years by 99%, yet "only" seven of 60
species of bird has become extinct. All but 12% of the Brazilian Atlantic
rainforest was cleared in the 19th century, leaving only scattered
fragments. According to the rule-of-thumb, half of all its species should
have become extinct. Yet, when the World Conservation Union and the
Brazilian Society of Zoology analysed all 291 known Atlantic forest animals,
none could be declared extinct. Species, therefore, seem more resilient than
expected. And tropical forests are not lost at annual rates of 2-4%, as many
environmentalists have claimed: the latest UN figures indicate a loss of
less than 0.5%. Analyses show that air pollution diminishes when a society
becomes rich enough to be able to afford to be concerned about the
environment. In London, air pollution peaked around 1890 and the air is
cleaner today than it has been since 1585. When countries grow sufficiently
rich they will start to reduce their air pollution. Scientific research
usually looks for problems, which tends to exaggerate the number of problems
which exist. Also, to keep the money rolling in, scientific projects often
exaggerate. Worldwide Fund for Nature in 1977 issued a press release
entitled, "Two-thirds of the world's forests lost forever". The truth turns
out to be nearer 20%. Newspapers and broadcasters provide what the public
wants, which is more bad news than good. The Bulletin of the American
Meterological Society said that El Nino caused and estimated $4 billion in
damages, but its benefits amounted to some $19 billion: higher winter
temperatures saved an estimated 850 lives, reduced heating costs and
diminished spring floods caused by meltwaters. If per capita trash output
occurs as in the past, and even if the American population doubles by 2100,
all the rubbish America produces through the entire 21st century will still
take up only the area of a square, each of whose sides measures 28km (18
miles). [Note:How high would the trash be
piled?] Carbon-dioxide emissions are causing temperatures on the planet to warm by and estimated 2?-3?C in this century, costing about $5,000
billion. But it will be far more expensive to cut carbon-dioxide emissions
radically than to pay the costs of adaptation to the increased temperatures.
A model by Tom Wigley, one of the main authors of the reports of the UN
Climate Change Panel, shows how an expected temperature increase of 2.1?C in
2100 would be diminished by the treaty to an increase of 1.9?C instead. Or,
to put it another way, the temperature increase that the planet would have
experienced in 2094 would be postponed to 2100. The cost of Kyoto, for the
United States alone, will be higher than the cost of solving the world's
single most pressing health problem: providing universal access to clean
drinking water and sanitation. Such measures would avoid 2m deaths every
year, and prevent half a billion people from becoming seriously ill. [Note: This problem only becomes worse as you add more and
more people to the planet. ... To protest this article as an LTE or an op-ed: mailto:letters@economist.com]
'
August 14, 2001
Financial Times (London)
Low Water: If Rivers and Lakes are Drained Further, Many Parts of the World may Experience Increased Political Tension, Food Shortages and Environmental Damage
Lake Chad in Africa has been reduced by climate change and irrigation to
20% of its 1960s size.
90% of the Mesopotamian marshlands near the confluence of the Tigris and
Euphrates, the "fertile crescent", has been lost through drainage and
damming. The natural flows of rivers such as the Colorado, Yellow and Amu
Darya (Turkistan) no longer reach the sea in the dry season. At the
symposium by the International Water Management Institute, held in
Stockholm, water experts predicted that about 30% of the world's expected
population will live in regions facing severe water scarcity by 2025.
Growing the crops needed to feed the world's expanding population accounts
for about 70 per cent of all water withdrawals. But increases in pollution
are making the water of rivers and lakes of many places unfit even for
industrial use. Future water shortages may lead to more famine and war. The
UN's Global Environment Outlook last year said: "The world water cycle seems
unlikely to be able to cope with the demands that will be made of it in the
coming decades." Hans van Ginkel, UN under-secretary- general, has warned
that conflicts over water could become "a key part of the 21st-century
landscape". But William Cosgrove, vice-president of the World Water
Council, says that it is not about having too little water to satisfy our
needs. "It is just that we don't manage it well enough," he says. Tony
Allan, professor of geography at the School of Oriental and African Studies
in London says there is sufficient water to satisfy people's personal needs,
but growing food for an individual
requires a thousand times as much water as it takes to meet that person's
need for drinking water. Water-deficient economies balance their water
budgets by importing "virtual water" in the form of grain and other food
staples, he says. Arid countries, which are often extremely poor, that may
be forced to move away from self-reliance in food production. Sandra Postel
of the Worldwatch Institute believes farmers are overpumping 160 billion
cubic metres of groundwater a year - enough to produce nearly a tenth of the
world's current grain supplies. Irrigation itself has inflicted significant damage on freshwater ecosystems, which provide sustenance for fish and other animals and millions of people. Water use for agriculture, especially irrigation, must be increased 15-20% in the next 25 years to maintain food security, but water use will need to be reduced by at least 10% to protect rivers, lakes and marshes. More than half the water entering irrigation distribution systems never makes it to the crops because of leakage and evaporation. Water-saving techniques include drip irrigation systems, precision
sprinklers, water-saving techniques for growing rice, the development of
drought-resistant maize and low-cost irrigation technologies that produce
higher crop yields because of more intensive cultivation. "A major reason
for growing water scarcity and freshwater ecosystem decline is that water is
undervalued the world over," according to a paper in Science
by researchers at the World Resources Institute.
'
August 7, 2001
Associated Press
USA: Survey Looks at California Wildlife
59% of California's 232 wildlife migration corridors are threatened by
human encroachment, says a 79-page report, Missing Linkages: Restoring
Connectivity to the California Landscape sponsored by the California
Wilderness Coalition, including The Nature Conservancy, U.S. Geological
Survey, Center for the Reproduction of Endangered Species and the California
Department of Parks and Recreation. 14% of these links have already been
lost. Species such as chinook salmon, bighorn sheep and bald eagles already
live on isolated preserves hemmed in by development. The importance of the
corridors is tied to preserving genetic diversity and the long-term health
of wildlife populations, scientists said. In Southern California, 80% of its
corridors used by wild animals are threatened. Rolling back the threat can
be as simple and cheap as placing a culvert under a highway project or as
complicated and expensive as securing and preserving land slated for
development.
'
August 2, 2001
Africa News Service
Zambia: Maternal Mortality Claims 649 Women Every Year
About 649 women die every year in Zambia due to maternal mortality. Every sixteen women are at risk of dying from pregnancy related complications. Most of the deaths occurred immediately after childbirth and could have been prevented reported Mumba. Including causes such as a shortage of
drugs and equipment lack of blood supply for transfusions and skilled care. According to health director-general Dr. Gavin Silwamba, he is looking carefully at the causes of maternal mortality and feels that “giving births should not spell doom to mothers but should be a time of pleasure.” Most of the current deaths occur in developing countries and so there is an urgent need to address the problem. rvs
'
August 28, 2001 Christian Science Monitor
Can Dayak tradition Help Save Forest?.
The culture of the Dayaks - a generic term for Borneo's 200 native tribes - is
vanishing. Part of the reason is the massive deforestation of the island, which is shared by Indonesia, Malaysia, and the tiny sultanate of Brunei.
And not just Dayak culture - a growing body of research has drawn connections between biodiversity, language, and culture around the globe. But Yohanes Terong, the head of Laman Satong village on the border of Gunung Palung National Park in Indonesian Borneo, along with a small group of like-minded village leaders hope that by preserving their culture, they can save the forest. Working with a Dayak group called the Biodamar Foundation - named for the damar resin that Dayaks used to light their lamps - Terong helped successfully oppose new timber concessions by persuading local government officials to recognize adat, traditional rights to the forest.
Terong cultivates everything from fish to coffee on his land, in the shadow of low limestone peaks still fringed with jungle. Though his lifestyle has changed, the nearby forest still has a profound influence on his income. Why? "Floods and fires," he says. In 1998, fires laid waste to hundreds of square miles of Borneo. They burned hottest in logged forest.
Dayaks do exploit the forest, but over thousands of years, they developed superstitions that preserved the environment. Bungkarai tree, a canopy tree believed to harbor the souls of the dead, is prized by loggers today; it
traditionally was left untouched.
.
August 27, 2001 Los Angeles Times*
California Supreme Court to Review Catholic Charity's Suit Against State Contraceptive Coverage Mandate.
The California Supreme Court will review an appeals court ruling that requires a Catholic charity (in this case, Catholic Charities of Sacramento) to include contraceptive coverage in its health plans that cover prescription drugs. Catholic Charities of Sacramento claims that the 1999 state law mandating contraception coverage is "a violation of religious freedom." But the 3rd District Court of Appeals ruled that the law was "enacted to eliminate discriminatory insurance practices that had undermined the health and economic
well-being of women" and would not constrain Catholic Charities from informing employees and the public that it opposes contraceptives.
.
August 2, 2001 Kaiser Weekly Reproductive Health Report
World Population to Peak at Nine Billion in 2070.
The world's population will peak at nine billion people in 2070 before
starting a gradual decline to 8.4 billion by 2100, according to a report
from the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis in Laxenburg,
Austria. Today there are 6.1 billion people in the world. The report was
printed in the magazine Nature. The number of people over the age of 60 is expected to quadruple to 40% of the population by the year 2100, adding pressure to social security services and increasing the strain on health care services. In sub-Saharan Africa the AIDS epidemic will decrease life expectancy, but it will not have a "substantial impact" on overall global population because other areas, like northern Africa, which has been "far less" impacted, will see a doubling in population size.
.
August 20, 2001 Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report
CIA World Factbook 2001 Now Available.
The World Factbook for 2001 has been released by the Central Intelligence Agency, who says it is the agency's "most popular and most widely disseminated
product." It provides a "snapshot" of "wide-ranging, hard-to-locate" information -- such as geographic coordinates, economic statistics, political parties, mortality rates and illicit drugs -- for countries "from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe." New this year is a subcategory on HIV/AIDS, which provides HIV/AIDS prevalence rates, number of people living with HIV/AIDS. The factbook is available in print and online.
.
August 2, 2001 Nature magazine
Population Set To Decline: The World's Population May Peak By 2070.
In order to evaluate the future food supply and the "human impact on the environment" over the next century, policy makers require dependable estimates of population size. Wolfgang Lutz of the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis in Laxenburg, Austria has developed a model which includes "two thousand different simulations of future fertility and mortality rates and look[s] at the distribution of results."
Assuming eventual population stabilization at a replacement level of two children per mother, the UN estimated a world population of 10 billion by 2100. However, "most countries with declining populations" in fact have lower fertility rates of 1.5 to 2 children per woman. At this level of fertility, Lutz finds an 85% probability that world population would rise from its current 6 billion to 9 billion in 2070, then drop to 8.4 billion in 2100. Using this model, which incorporates lower birth rates and increasing life expectancy, the population over 60 years old will increase from the current 10% to 34%, creating an enormous problem of caring for this group as China is already learning. The model also predicts a massive geographic redistribution: Europe will decline from 10 to 6% of the world’s population; Africa will rise from 13% to 22%, with incalculable political and economic consequences.
Nevertheless, Lutz believes there may be a demographic "window of opportunity" before this increase in the elderly population occurs, during which "both the elderly and child population will be…small" and the work of women without children may support an economic boom. The "Asian tiger economies" may reflect this. Lutz concludes, however, that "the future is very uncertain".
.
August 28, 2001 Business World (Philippines)
Philippines: RP Sorely Lacking Effective Population Program.
The Philippines needs an effective population control program
that will improve the quality of the country's human resource, a critical element in economic growth. In a study by Dr. Alejandro N. Herrin of the UP School of Economics and Dr. Ernesto M. Pernia of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the two economists said the government can curb population by focusing on a three-point strategy which involves: bringing down unwanted pregnancies;
reducing desired family sizes via an incentive arrangement that
increases a couple's investment per child; and
encouraging late marriage and childbearing which will help dampen
population growth. The study, titled "Population Growth, Human Resources, and Employment in the Philippines," blames the deterioration in the country's human capital to the government's inability to curb the rapid increase in
population." The paper also said that poor child survival and educational performance were the result of the state's inability to curb population growth. This is due to the inability of incomes to finance the health and educational needs of large families. The study said the government can reduce unwanted pregnancies by improving the state family planning services and by expanding the range of contraceptive methods available to couples.
.
August 6, 2001 Time magazine
Time Reports on Unexpected Societal Consequences of China's One-Child
Policy.
The average Chinese woman now has two children, compared to six 30 years ago. The country has solved its population
problem," said, Sven Burmester of the U.N. Population Fund's office in Beijing. But the policy has also brought on new problems. The one-child policy has "drastically skewed the
nation's gender balance" because of the traditional favoritism Chinese
parents show for boys. There are 117 boys born for every 100 girls
due to selective abortion and infanticide. Many young men are without
partners, resulting in bridal kidnapping. The traditional Chinese Chinese "sense of family obligation" has also been affected by the changing population, with many younger Chinese "refusing to care for their elders," in a nation with no welfare system to support an aging population that is expected to crest in 2040.
According to U.N. projections, China's population will start decreasing in 2042. The nation's major cities are already experiencing population declines as many urban couples have opted not to have children. The Chinese parliament has proposed amending the reproductive policy to allow some urban couples to have a second child. Some officials say increasing the number of allowed children will decrease the incidence of abortion and infanticide, but a Peking University professor said a social-welfare system is what needs to be
addressed. cs
.
August 02, 2001 Center for Immigration Studies
The Impact of Immigration on U.S. Population Growth.
U.S. population
increased by 32.7 million over the past decade, according to
testimony prepared for the House Judiciary Committee,
subcommittee on Immigration and Claims by Steven
Camarota, the Director of the Division of Research of the
Center for Immigration Studies (CIS). CIS is under contract to
the U.S. Census Bureau. This is "the single largest population
increase in U.S. history”. The "determinant factor" in this
growth was U.S. immigration policy. In the year 2000, there
were 30 million legal and illegal immigrants in the U.S. of whom
13-14 million immigrated between 1990 and 2000. This is
consistent with an immigration rate of 1.3 million per year,
higher than the previous record immigration rate between 1900
and 1910. In this past decade, immigration accounted for
"40% of the 33 million increase" in the U.S. population. If the
6.9 million children born to these new arrivals are included, 20
million or just under 2/3 of the 33 million increase is due to
immigration. If these trends continue, according to the Census
Bureau’s mid-range projections, the U.S. population in 2050
will be 404 million, compared to 328 million without future
immigration at the same rate. That is, immigration will account
for 63% of the U.S. population growth over the next 50 years.
And this estimate maybe too low because 1) the Census
Bureau used the 1990, not the 2000, census as a baseline
population; 2) the value, 1.2 million immigrants per year, is too
low (current immigration is 1.3 million and will probably
increase and 3) the Census Bureau has probably overestimated
emigration rates. Camarota said that "immigrants who have not
yet arrived, but who will come to this country between now
and 2050, will add the equivalent of the combined current
populations of California, Texas, and New York State, to the
United States over the next 50 years." Mr. Camarota, while
acknowledging that high immigration would increase equity for
real estate owners, said that high immigration rates would take
a toll in several areas. An increase of 76 million people over
the next 50 years would worsen sprawl and congestion
markedly. Such population growth would dramatically increase
school enrollment, as it has in the past 20 years, all of which
can be attributed to immigrants who arrived since 1970. U.S.
population growth would require an increase in the "size and
scope of government". U.S. population growth will require
greater cutbacks in per capita energy expenditure to meet
national CO2 emissions targets, which could impact standard
of living as well as competitiveness of U.S. industry. And lastly,
in spite of arguments to the contrary, high U.S. immigration
rates would not solve social security funding problems. This is
so because 1) the average immigrant is not much younger than
the average U.S. citizen is; 2) every immigrant will age and
require social security benefits himself and 3) the higher fertility
of immigrants "increases the number of children in the
population who like the elderly must be supported by others".
.
August 8, 2001
Christian Science Monitor
Lessen the Fear of Genetically Engineered Crops
Many Americans oppose the biotech foods because the consumer bears the consequences while companies and farmers reap the benefits. Protesters carrying signs stating "Biocide is Homicide" and shouting concerns about eating genetically engineered foods recently demonstrated outside the biotechnology industry’s annual convention. Inside, the industry spoke of the benefits of future crops like 'golden rice'. Farmers will not plant genetically engineered (g.e.) sweet corn, sugar beets, and apples for fear that consumers will reject the product. Europe and Asia refuse to import US-grown g.e. crops. Some countries require labeling of g.e. ingredients in food. With this development, many food processors have eliminated g.e. ingredients to avoid negative labels. The lack in consumer confidence may also be linked to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) lack of safety regulations. In fact, the FDA has not approved any g.e. crops as safe to eat. The National Academy of Sciences is putting together a recommendation for a precise method of assessment of the g.e. products. There are also environmental concerns. G.E. foods could lead to pesticide-resistant insects and weeds that may contaminate other crops. The Environmental Protection Agency needs to enforce restrictions it has imposed on g.e. crops to prevent the emergence of insecticide-resistant pests. Strong regulations would minimize environmental and safety risks, however they would not boost public confidence and there are not any products that currently benefit consumers. Agricultural biotechnology is not a panacea for all agricultural problems here or abroad, nor is it free from risk. But, with adequate safeguards, it could provide tremendous benefits for an ever-populous, pesticide-drenched, and water-deficient globe. [Note: the conclusion does not reflect WOA!!s opinion] -rvs
'
August 24, 2001
NGO Networks for Health - At a Glance
Family Planning and Reproductive Health Care Services: Maximizing Access and Quality
Issue No.6 of At A Glance describes MAQ - a joint initiative of USAID, collaborating agencies, and various country partners to Maximize clients'
Access to and improve the Quality of family planning and reproductive health
services. NGO Networks for Health (Networks) is a USAID funded, five year global
health partnership created to meet the burgeoning demand for quality family
planning, reproductive health, child survival and HIV/AIDS information and
services around the world. [This article needs further summarization for our readers. If you are interested in helping, please contact WOA!! at karen@gaia-s.net]
'
August 13, 2001
ENN
Brazil Environmentalists Face New Battle on Amazon.
Accelerated destruction of the Amazon jungle looms. Brazilian farmers and
environmentalists are getting ready for another battle in front of a special
congressional meeting that will vote on September 4th. The bill before them
would introduce a zoning study of the Amazon to determine how much forest can be
cut down in the future. The Amazon is home to 50% of the world’s animal and
plant species and the majority is in Brazil, which is larger than all of Western
Europe. The bill would replace a provisional measure by the government that
requires 80% of the Amazon to be set aside for protection. A spokesperson for
the bill said that it maintains the 80% limit. Environmentalist hope that the
current provisional measure will be made permanent. Currently the measure
leaves the Amazon at risk of instating other costly permanent measures. The
current Micheletto bill is the second in the last six months attempted to be
pushed through by the agricultural lobby in Congress. Currently, 25.6% of the
Amazon is private land and the rest is protected by nature parks and Indian
reserves. Environmentalists also fear that the bill will be carried out by the
government and individuals who don’t have the technical know-how to evaluate at
risk parts of the Amazon. They fear extended injuries to the already fragile
forest. rvs
'
August 31, 2001
ENN
Environmentalist Campaign Targets Global Hotspots.
The Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC) wants to motivate individuals to help "BioGems" survive. BioGems are isolated, but important parts of our connected ecosystem. They have a growing list of online activists, ready to take on the bad guys. Some of their successes are: protection of British Columbia’s Great Bear Rainforest from logging, the halting of Mitsubishi’s plans to build the world’s largest salt works in Baja California’s San Ignacio Lagoon. Mitsubishi pulled out of their program after hearing from one million concerned citizens. And in June, after receiving thousand of letters, Brazil closed an illegal road through Iguacu Falls National Park, rainforest off Brazil’s southern border. BioGem will take on the Brazilian government this year because
of plans that will threaten the Amazon rainforest such as new highways,
power lines, dams and other large projects. The email messages sent to
activists allow them to see their progress on campaigns and send letters to those in charge of at risk current projects so they can see their progress and still be involved. Visit http://www.biogems.org for more information.
rvs
'
August 31, 2001
ENN/International Fund for Animal Welfare
IFAW and IBRRC Race to Save Endangered California Brown Pelican from
Summer of Crisis.
The California brown pelican, an endangered species since 1971, has been
reduced to merely 5,000 breeding pairs. The birds’ numbers are
dwindling because they are being hooked by fishermen, most notably in
Santa Cruz and Monterey,CA where pier fishing is popular and a large
amount of pelican breeding occurs. The pelicans confuse the fishing
lures as food and are cut off by fishermen. The lure causes serious, if
not fatal injuries to the birds. The IBRRC bird rescue program has
rescued more than 100 injured brown pelicans this month and 158 in the
last 90 days. A $15,000 grant, in conjunction with International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) helps fund the program. To help out or learn more, visit www.ifaw.org." -rvs
'
August 20, 2001
ENN/San Francisco Chronicle/Contra Costa Times
Development Threatens California Wildlife Habitat .
Nearly 60% of the secret trails used by California's wildlife to travel
between healthy habitat patches are threatened by development, according to
a recent report issued by 160 biologists. The routes of mountain lions,
bobcats, Pacific fishers, wolverines, badgers, salmon, steelhead and mule
deer were studied. Hemmed in by human development, the animals are now
reduced to traveling through narrow areas ranging from a few feet to a few
miles wide to find mates, hunt prey, and satisfy inborn migration patterns.
Southern California is most severely affected. Linkages there even more
important to maintain gene flow between isolated populations. Corridors such
as the Tahoe Gap and the Altamont Hills are "biodiversity bargains" that
should be preserved by conservation easements, culverts under roads, and
other measures.
'
August 20, 2001
U.S. News & World Report
Bangladesh: 10 Muhammad Yunus.
Even though Dhaka, the capitol of Bangladesh has been modernized, the
markets teem with men-and only men. Women in this Muslim country
traditionally refrain from commercial activities. But in Chandana, a village
on the outskirts of Dhaka, a group of women is making progress. One owns a
sizable photo-developing shop. Another swapped her cow-milking business for
a cellphone, which she rents to friends. She used the profits to make her
home larger and more flood-proof. In other areas, women are starting
businesses and dragging their families up from hunger and poverty. Grameen
Bank and its founder, Muhammad Yunus, has enabled this empowerment, by
offering tiny micro-credit loans to the poor. Returning to his newly
independent homeland from America in 1972, Yunus the economics professor
helped to rebuild the nation. He rescued a poor woman who made bamboo stools
from a loan shark by giving her a small loan, which she paid back. He
offered
small loans to women in roughly 100 rural villages, and they too paid him
back. In 1983 he set up an official bank and named it Grameen ("rural").
"Radical groups on the left and right have opposed him, people who are
supposed to be revolutionaries," says Syed Hashemi of the Consultative Group
to Assist the Poorest. Grameen has disbursed roughly $3 billion to over 2
million rural Bangladeshi borrowers. Over 90% have repaid their loans. Now
there are more than 7,000 micro-finance organizations like Grameen
worldwide.
'
August 17, 2001
Los Angeles Times*
Report Points Up Woes of Internally Displaced Persons
Over 20 million people have been forced to leave their homes due to ethnic
war, famine or oppression, but have been unable to leave their own country
to seek relief. Norman Kempster of the L.A. Times says that their suffering
is a "silent atrocity that the world seems incapable of stopping". Known as
'internally displaced persons,' they are "among the most at-risk, vulnerable
populations in the world," said a recent report by the Congressional General
Accounting Office. The United States and United Nations often try to meet
the needs of refugees, people who flee their countries to escape
persecution, but to help internally displaced persons the international
community must either obtain permission from a nation's government, often
difficult to do, or infringe on its sovereignty, which the US and UN are
reluctant to do. Nongovernmental relief organizations try to help but lack
the money and authority. "What we need to do is get the issue of [the
internally displaced] on the agenda," said Anthony Kozlowski, president of
the American Refugee Committee. Displaced persons who face government
persecution have the choice of going into hiding and facing disease and
starvation, or returning home and risking oppression. There are nearly
twice as many internally displaced persons than refugees. Displaced persons
are in more than 50 countries, half of them in Africa. The GAO report said
they were subject to direct physical attack or the threat of attack in 90%
of the countries; in 58%, they were forced to move against their will; in
46%, women and girls were victims of sexual assault; in 46%, employment was
taken away; in 35%, the displaced were pressed into military service or
forced labor; and in 25%, they had no legal access to health care, education
or other services.
'
August 21, 2001
Brainfood
Nineteen Countries are Now Apparently Past Oil Production "Peak"
| |
|
Nation |
Peak
year |
|
| 1 |
|
US |
1970 |
|
| 2 |
|
Canada |
2006 |
|
| 3 |
|
Mexico |
2005 |
|
|
|
North America - 1983 |
| 4 |
|
Argentina |
1997 |
|
| 5 |
|
Brazil |
2003 |
|
| 6 |
|
Colombia |
2004 |
|
| 7 |
|
Ecuador |
1997 |
|
| 8 |
|
Peru |
1979 |
|
| 9 |
|
Trinidad & Tobago |
1977 |
|
| 10 |
|
Venezuela |
1970 |
|
|
|
South & Central America - 2006 |
| 11 |
|
Denmark |
2004 |
|
| 12 |
|
Italy |
1997 |
|
| 13 |
|
Norway |
2004 |
|
| 14 |
|
Romania |
1976 |
|
| 15 |
|
UK |
1999 |
|
|
|
Europe - 2006 |
|
|
|
|
Former Soviet Union 1987 |
| 17 |
|
Iran |
1976 |
|
| 18 |
|
Iraq |
2009 |
|
| 19 |
|
Kuwait |
2010 |
|
| 20 |
|
Oman |
2005 |
|
| 21 |
|
Qatar |
2004 |
|
| 22 |
|
Saudi Arabia |
2017 |
|
| 23 |
|
Syria |
1995 |
|
| 24 |
|
UA Emirates |
2009 |
|
| 25 |
|
Yemen |
2005 |
|
|
|
Middle East - 2009 |
| 26 |
|
Algeria |
2006 |
|
| 27 |
|
Angola |
2002 |
|
| 28 |
|
Cameroon |
1985 |
|
| 29 |
|
Congo |
2004 |
|
| 30 |
|
Egypt |
1993 |
|
| 31 |
|
Equatorial Guinea |
2003 |
|
| 32 |
|
Gabon |
2004 |
|
| 33 |
|
Libya |
1969 |
|
| 34 |
|
Nigeria |
2007 |
|
| 35 |
|
Tunisia |
1981 |
|
|
|
Africa - 2006 |
| 36 |
|
Australia |
2005 |
|
| 37 |
|
Brunei |
1979 |
|
| 38 |
|
China |
2007 |
|
| 39 |
|
India |
2004 |
|
| 40 |
|
Indonesia |
1977 |
|
| 41 |
|
Malaysia |
2003 |
|
| 42 |
|
Papua New Guinea |
1993 |
|
| 43 |
|
Thailand |
2004 |
|
| 44 |
|
Vietnam |
2004 |
|
|
|
Asia-Pacific -2004 |
|
|
WORLD PEAK -- 2006 |
|
Note above that 19 out of the 44 Nations are definitely (or likely)
past-peak. Moreover: Two of the 7 Regions are definitely past-peak (i.e.
North America and the FSU). The production data through 2000 now indicates
that a third Region (i.e. Europe) probably peaked in 2000 or 2001.
... Jay -- www.dieoff.org ...
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
|
'
August 14, 2001
The Boston Globe
Condoms: Ounce of Prevention
The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has been the leader for supplying condoms to Africa and disease hotspots to prevent AIDS. In the past, USAID has purchased condoms for 6.3 cents each from companies in the US, but now equally good condoms are 2.5 cents each in Asia. There are a shortage of condoms available and compared to the expensive
treatment of antiretrovirus drugs it is a choice that must be made soon. In
Brazil, 87% of sexually active persons between 16 and 25 use condoms and has
caused the amount of individuals with AIDS to plummet. The disease, however,
has killed 22 million in less than 20 years and more than 36 million are
currently carrying the infection. US condom maker jobs are on the line. In order for there to be more condoms available, by purchasing from Asia, USAID will have to get a waiver allowing the overseas purchase. -rvs
'
August 10, 2001
International Planned Parenthood Federation
Boyfriends Key in Whether American Teeage Girls Want a Baby
According to research, teenage girls who believe their boyfriends want a baby are more likely to want to become pregnant. In a study of 202 girls, ages 13 to 18 in Colorado, USA, researchers found that a boyfriends desire to have a child was the strongest influence on a teenagers own attitudes towards pregnancy. In addition, researchers found that the boyfriend’s age did not matter, contradicting previous research that concluded that girls who want to have a child usually have older boyfriends. Based on the findings, researchers suggest that boyfriends should be targeted to delay pregnancy in at-risk adolescent girls. -rvs
'
August 5, 2001
San Diego Union-Tribune
We Should Aim for a 'Graying' Society
By B. Meredith Burke
A recent Associated Press article indicates how alluring Americans
still find the appeal of a youthful population. It acclaimed "the
influx of young immigrant families with an exodus of older, wealthier
residents" as helping "California resist the graying seen across
America during the last decade."
But why should we want to resist "graying?" Graying of a population
is what demarcates postindustrial society from those of the third
world. We know how to achieve a very youthful population.
Let women bear an average of six children and the result is a
population whose median age -- that dividing the population in half
-- is between ages 15 to 18. Even the demographically naive must
concede that resources to invest in the next generation are meager
when divided among so many young dependents.
Such a society also has high growth potential. What we seek on a
finite globe is an end to population growth. At that point birth
rates will equal death rates.
That California ranks fifth youngest among the 50 states is no cause
for rejoicing. Due to births to the large number of immigrants during
the 1990s, the number of people under age 20 rose 18 percent compared
to the national increase of 13 percent. Our median age is two years
younger than the national median of slightly over 35.
One result is seen in our crowded schools. More frighteningly, we
confront the prospect of another baby boom in a few years as
augmented numbers attain childbearing age. Many in the upcoming
cohort come from backgrounds which prize early and high childbearing,
a marker of the rural societies from which the parents recently
emigrated.
Meanwhile, California's native-born population still reflects the
postwar baby boom. First baby boomers crowded our schools in the
1950s and 1960s. Then they swelled the working-age population and the
number of households. Soon the cutting edge of the boomers will reach
retirement age.
California will then confront a battle for social resources between
the aging baby boomers and the enlarged number of children
disproportionately descended from post-1980 immigrants. This will
occur against a background of a high growth rate in the general
population. Unless immigration policy changes, our present 35 million
will reach 50 million circa 2025: five times our ecologically
sustainable level of 10 million, last seen in 1950.
Despite what the AP disparages, a "grayed" society with a constant
population will not consist of only the elderly. Assuming we reach
stability via low and equal death and birth rates (few would opt for
the alternative of high death and birth rates) the median age doesn't
rise up to 60 or 70 years. Rather, in a stationary low-mortality
society, one-fourth will be under age 20, one-fourth over age 60, and
the median age will be about 39. Unlike what doomsayers foretell, the
median age of a sustainable society will not rise indefinitely ("a
country of old men"): the young and the old will be equal in number.
To shrink back to a sustainable level will require several decades
where birth rates are less than death rates, and where immigration
does not take up the slack. The median age will temporarily rise to
higher levels. Although such population aging and shrinkage can be
swiftly reversed by women bearing just one child more (two children
instead of one), where below-replacement fertility is now prevailing
cries of depopulation are resonating.
In Italy, with Western Europe's lowest fertility rate, the population
is projected to shrink to 42 million in 2050 from 57 million in 1995
assuming a constant birth rate and unchanged immigration. The median
age will rise to 53 years. Yet at 42 million Italy will be far more
ecologically sustainable. The Oakland-based think tank Redefining
Progress has calculated the ecological footprint, the land equivalent
required to produce the renewable resources consumed by and recycle
the wastes produced by each country. Italy currently has an
ecological deficit of 7 acres per person; the United States a deficit
of 10. Both countries will be better off with lesser populations.
The path to stability will be marked by a graying population. The
sooner it arrives, the less environmental degradation we will inflict
upon our stressed habitat -- and the healthier an environmental
legacy we will bequeath to posterity.
So let us work for, not resist an aging society. It is the only one
that can save us from our demographic profligacy of the past several decades.
Burke is a senior fellow at Negative Population Growth Inc., a
Washington, D.C.-based organization.
'
August 20, 2001
Canadian Business
The Next Gas Crisis
The vast majority of Canadians are dependent on natural gas to heat their
homes. However, Ladyfern, the largest natural gas find in Western Canada in
the past 25 years, contains just enough fuel to heat all the gas-fired homes
in Canada for a year or two at most. Worse yet, a typical new gas well
produces barely enough gas to heat 90,000 homes for a year. Canada now
produces 6.2 tcf of gas a year, just enough to meet current domestic and
export demand. That represents about one-fifth of North America's gas
consumption, which is still growing by 2% a year because of gas-fired
electrical generation. "We need 6.2 Ladyferns a year to just keep up with
gas consumption." says Rob Woronuk, a Calgary gas analyst. But "we are
finding a Ladyfern only every 25 years." The days of cheap natural gas at
$1.50 a gigajoule are over. Gas prices have stabilized for now at about $4 a
gigajoule (twice the decade average) because gas users have suddenly
rediscovered the economics of energy conservation. A major hurricane in the
Gulf of Mexico or a terrorist attack on a major pipeline, or even a plant
turnaround could send natural gas prices back to the heights they reached
last winter: US$10 a gigajoule. "We are in a dangerous situation," says
Woronuk. But "We are still finding less gas and consuming more," notes
Calgary-based Mike Sawyer, executive director of the Citizen's Oil and Gas
Council. The Alberta Energy and Utility Board (EUB) predicted that
conventional natural gas production in Alberta, Canada's key producer, would
peak by 2003 at 5.3 tcf and therefore decline by 2% a year for the next five
years. Over the next decade, Alberta will have exported or burned up about
75% of its potential gas reserves. The same is true in the US. New pools are
smaller, and "new wells drilled today are exhibiting lower production rates
and steeper decline rates," according to the EUB. Oil sands, the source of
Canada's future oil supply, will be using almost 25% of Alberta's gas
production by 2010 in order to fire boilers to heat the water that melts the
tarry sands into usable crude. That means less and pricier natural gas. In
September the Canadian Gas Potential Committee, a volunteer group of
geologists and industry types, will release a 600-page report that will
identify what gas is left and where it is. Meanwhile, in spite of record
drilling throughout the US, companies aren't finding much new gas in the dry
plains of southern Texas or even the Gulf of Mexico. While the US Department
of Energy predicts natural gas consumption will increase by 45% by 2015, in
the past year, production has grown by barely 2%. Bush now wants to drill in
national parks and on federal lands-even though natural monuments will be
spoiled and the arctic gas from Alaska or the Mackenzie Delta will not reach
southern markets until 2008 or 2010. And the US$20-billion price tag is
probably the costliest construction project in the continent's history. What
is now accessible in the Mackenzie Delta's holds no more gas than what
Canada produces every year (6.2 tcf). Alternatives such as liquid natural
gas, coal-bed methane, and the mysterious gas hydrates (gas locked in ice
crystals in the ocean) may promise limitless supplies, but technology to
extract them is expensive or non-existent. Prices have dropped due to 1) a US economic slowdown, 2) a mild summer weather and 3) people started to look for ways to reduce their energy bills. The doubling of gas prices has made wind a viable energy competitor for the first time, as well as the continent's fastest-growing energy source. The drop in demand will normalize natural gas prices at double their average (around the current $3 range) for some time to come.
'
July 2, 2001 World Watch Institute
USA: Curbing Sprawl to Fight Climate Change.
Urban sprawl is making "road transportation the fastest growing source of carbon emissions". Improved urban design could significantly slow the rate of global warming as well as make cities healthier and more livable, according to Molly O’Meara Sheehan of the World Watch Institute, author of City Limits: Putting the Brakes on Sprawl. It is well known that sprawl adversely impacts human health. Worldwide, a million people die in traffic accidents yearly; urban air pollution worsens lung disease and increases death rates; and by making "walking and cycling less practical" urban sprawl discourages exercise and adversely affects health. Sprawl has developed over decades. Between 1950 and 1990, while Chicago’s population increased by 38% its land area increased by 124%. Now several factors are making it worse. The US population consumes disproportionate amounts of gas using "roughly 43 percent of the world’s gasoline to propel less than 5 percent of the world’s population!". In addition, a growing proportion of the world’s population is becoming urban, particularly in the developing world "where car use is still low". "Adoption of the U.S. car-centered model in these places would have disastrous consequences." By 2030, China’s urban population is expected to be 752 million. If their car use were to mimic that of the "average resident of the
San Francisco area in 1990", "carbon emissions from transportation in urban China alone could exceed 1 billion tons".
There are reactions against sprawl both here and abroad. In 2000, "U.S. voters approved some 400 … ballot initiatives" concerning sprawl, and "38 states have passed laws creating incentives for more compact development." In Brazil, beginning in 1972, the city of Curitiba "built a system of dedicated busways and zoned for higher-density development along those thoroughfares" resulting
in improved air quality and more parks. Bogota, Colombia has built "a similar bus system, … expanded its bike paths, and tried a bold ‘car-free’ day." The success of this plan illustrates "the importance of higher population density to support buses and cycling". Most important are the "growth of light rail and other forms of public transit". Western Europe now has over 100 rail
systems, "the highest [number] since 1970." In the past five years public transportation ridership in the U.S. has increased steadily. And a light rail line in Portland, Oregon has significantly reduced the need for new parking garages and extra highway lanes.
.
July 13, 2001
--
Contraceptive Coverage for Federal Employees Under Fire
Call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and asked to be connected
with your Representative (see below).
Talking Points:
- I understand that both the President's budget and the Treasury-Postal
Service Appropriation bill call for the elimination of contraceptive
coverage for Federal Employees. I urge you to support the Lowey amendment
that will be offered to restore this coverage when the Appropriations
Committee considers this legislation.
- The reproductive choices women make today will have a tremendous impact
on the planet for generations to come; therefore, ensuring that women can
afford contraceptives and family planning services is critical.
- Contraceptives are part of a basic health care package for women of
reproductive age. This lack of contraceptive coverage is even more
troubling when we consider that it not only discriminates against women but
also places them at risk for unintended pregnancy and abortion.
107th Congress House Appropriations Committee
Alan B. Mollohan, West Virginia
Allen Boyd, Florida
Anne Northup, Kentucky
C.W. Bill Young, Florida
Carolyn C. Kilpatrick, Michigan
Carrie P. Meek, Florida
Chaka Fattah, Pennsylvania
Charles H. Taylor, North Carolina
Chet Edwards, Texas
Dan Miller, Florida
David E. Price, North Carolina
David L. Hobson, Ohio
David R. Obey, Wisconsin
David Vitter, Louisiana
Ed Pastor, Arizona
Ernest J. Istook, Jr., Oklahoma
Frank R. Wolf, Virginia
George R. Nethercutt, Jr., Washington
Harold Rogers, Kentucky
Henry Bonilla, Texas
Jack Kingston, Georgia
James E. Clyburn, South Carolina
James P. Moran, Virginia
James Walsh, New York
Jerry Lewis, California
Jesse L. Jackson, Jr., Illinois
Jim Kolbe, Arizona
Jo Ann Emerson, Missouri
Joe Knollenberg, Michigan
Joe Skeen, New Mexico
John Doolittle, California
John E. Peterson, Pennsylvania
John E. Sununu, New Hampshire
John P. Murtha, Pennsylvania
John Sweeney, New York
John W. Olver, Massachusetts
José E. Serrano, New York
Kay Granger, Texas
Lucille Roybal-Allard, California
Marcy Kaptur, Ohio
Martin Olav Sabo, Minnesota
Maurice D. Hinchey, New York
Nancy Pelosi, California
Nita M. Lowey, New York
Norman D. Dicks, Washington
Patrick J. Kennedy, Rhode Island
Peter J. Visclosky, Indiana
Ralph Regula, Ohio
Randy "Duke" Cunningham, California
Ray LaHood, Illinois
Robert Aderholt, Alabama
Robert E. "Bud" Cramer, Jr., Alabama
Rodney P. Frelinghuysen, New Jersey
Roger F. Wicker, Mississippi
Rosa L. DeLauro, Connecticut
Sam Farr, California
Sonny Callahan, Alabama
Steny H. Hoyer, Maryland
Steven R. Rothman, New Jersey
Todd Tiahrt, Kansas
Tom DeLay, Texas
Tom Latham, Iowa
Virgil Goode, Virginia
Zach Wamp, Tennessee
'
July 13, 2001
Sierra Club
Contraceptive Coverage for Federal Employees Under Fire
At the urging of President Bush, lawmakers in the House are moving to
revoke contraceptive insurance coverage for more than one million women who
work for the U.S. government. The insurance coverage will expire at the end
of the year unless Congress renews the policy. The House Appropriations Committee will most likely consider the annual Treasury-Postal Service appropriation bill that includes funding for the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY) is expected to offer an amendment to renew the contraceptive coverage provision. If your Representative serves on the Appropriations Committee (click for list), please take a moment on Monday, July 16th, or Early Tuesday, July 17th, to contact them (See number below) and urge their support for the Lowey amendment. Call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and asked to be connected with your Representative. For more information on Equity in Prescription Insurance and Contraceptive Coverage, please visit the Sierra Club Global Population and Environment Website.
'
July 16, 2001
Brainfood
Five Fundamental Errors
The Short Version, by Jay Hanson ( The Long Version is archived at http://dieoff.com/page236.htm ) ... Modern economics is nothing more than "Social Darwinism" (the politics -- NOT the science) as first revealed by God to the Dominican Friar St. Thomas Aquinas 750 years ago, and then perfected by the Physiocrats 230 years ago. Unfortunately, God didn't bother to reveal the Laws of Thermodynamics to St. Thomas at the same time as he was doing "free markets". But then it's not too surprising considering the fact that God also neglected to mention that the Earth orbited the Sun.
...Any ONE fundamental error in Neoclassical theory should be sufficient reason to reject conclusions based upon that theory. Here are five fundamental errors in the theory:
...#1. A fundamentally incorrect "method": the economist uses "correlation" and "post hoc, ergo propter hoc" (after-the-fact) reasoning, rather than the "scientific method".
...#2. A fundamentally inverted world view: the economist sees the environment as a subsystem of the economy, rather than the other way around. In other words, economists are trained to believe that natural resources come from "markets" rather than the "environment". The corollary is that "man-made capital" can substitute for "natural capital". But the First Law of thermodynamics tells us there is no "creation" -- there is no such thing as "man-made capital". Thus, ALL capital is "natural capital", and the economy is 100% dependent on the "environment" for everything.
...#3. A fundamentally incorrect view of "money": the economist sees "money" as nothing more than a medium of exchange, rather than as social power -- or "political power". But even the casual observer can see that money is
social power because it "empowers" people to buy and do the things they want -- including buying and doing
other people: politics.
...If employers have the freedom to pay workers less "political power", then they will retain more political power for themselves. Money is, in a word, "coercion", and "economic efficiency" is correctly seen as a political concept designed to conserve social power for those who have it -- to make the politically powerful, even more powerful, and the politically weak, even weaker.
...#4. A fundamentally incorrect view of his raison d'etre: the economist sees "Homo economicus" as a "Bayesian utility maximizer", rather than "Homo sapiens" as a "primate". In other words, contemporary economics and econometrics is WRONG from the bottom up -- and economists know it. The entire discipline of economics is based on a lie -- and economists know it. Moreover, if human behavior is not the result of mathematical calculation -- and it isn't -- then in principle, economists will NEVER get it right.
...#5. A fundamentally incorrect view of economic élan vital: the economist sees economic activity as a function of infinite "money creation", rather than a function of finite "energy stocks" and finite "energy flows". In fact, the economy is 100% dependent on available energy -- it always has been, and it always will be. See a synopsis of the current energy situation at http://dieoff.com/synopsis.htm .
...The sudden -- and surprising -- end of the fossil fuel age will stun everyone -- and kill billions. Once the truth is told about gas and oil (it's just a matter of time), your life will change forever.
...Envision a world where freezing, starving people burn everything combustible -- everything from forests (releasing CO2; destroying topsoil and species); to garbage dumps (releasing dioxins, PCBs, and heavy metals); to people
(by waging nuclear, biological, chemical, and conventional war); and you have seen the future.
...Envision a world utterly destroyed by a lethal education.
'
July 13, 2001
--
Contraceptive Coverage for Federal Employees Under Fire
Call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and asked to be connected
with your Representative (see below).
Talking Points:
- I understand that both the President's budget and the Treasury-Postal
Service Appropriation bill call for the elimination of contraceptive
coverage for Federal Employees. I urge you to support the Lowey amendment
that will be offered to restore this coverage when the Appropriations
Committee considers this legislation.
- The reproductive choices women make today will have a tremendous impact
on the planet for generations to come; therefore, ensuring that women can
afford contraceptives and family planning services is critical.
- Contraceptives are part of a basic health care package for women of
reproductive age. This lack of contraceptive coverage is even more
troubling when we consider that it not only discriminates against women but
also places them at risk for unintended pregnancy and abortion.
107th Congress House Appropriations Committee
Alan B. Mollohan, West Virginia
Allen Boyd, Florida
Anne Northup, Kentucky
C.W. Bill Young, Florida
Carolyn C. Kilpatrick, Michigan
Carrie P. Meek, Florida
Chaka Fattah, Pennsylvania
Charles H. Taylor, North Carolina
Chet Edwards, Texas
Dan Miller, Florida
David E. Price, North Carolina
David L. Hobson, Ohio
David R. Obey, Wisconsin
David Vitter, Louisiana
Ed Pastor, Arizona
Ernest J. Istook, Jr., Oklahoma
Frank R. Wolf, Virginia
George R. Nethercutt, Jr., Washington
Harold Rogers, Kentucky
Henry Bonilla, Texas
Jack Kingston, Georgia
James E. Clyburn, South Carolina
James P. Moran, Virginia
James Walsh, New York
Jerry Lewis, California
Jesse L. Jackson, Jr., Illinois
Jim Kolbe, Arizona
Jo Ann Emerson, Missouri
Joe Knollenberg, Michigan
Joe Skeen, New Mexico
John Doolittle, California
John E. Peterson, Pennsylvania
John E. Sununu, New Hampshire
John P. Murtha, Pennsylvania
John Sweeney, New York
John W. Olver, Massachusetts
José E. Serrano, New York
Kay Granger, Texas
Lucille Roybal-Allard, California
Marcy Kaptur, Ohio
Martin Olav Sabo, Minnesota
Maurice D. Hinchey, New York
Nancy Pelosi, California
Nita M. Lowey, New York
Norman D. Dicks, Washington
Patrick J. Kennedy, Rhode Island
Peter J. Visclosky, Indiana
Ralph Regula, Ohio
Randy "Duke" Cunningham, California
Ray LaHood, Illinois
Robert Aderholt, Alabama
Robert E. "Bud" Cramer, Jr., Alabama
Rodney P. Frelinghuysen, New Jersey
Roger F. Wicker, Mississippi
Rosa L. DeLauro, Connecticut
Sam Farr, California
Sonny Callahan, Alabama
Steny H. Hoyer, Maryland
Steven R. Rothman, New Jersey
Todd Tiahrt, Kansas
Tom DeLay, Texas
Tom Latham, Iowa
Virgil Goode, Virginia
Zach Wamp, Tennessee
'
July 19, 2001
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Projects Blend Population, Environmental Issues
CARE, a relief and development organization, and Population Action
International, a research and advocacy organization, sponsor eco-tourist
trips to areas such as such as the Peten in northern Guatemala, a humid
expanse of dense, tropical hardwood forests inhabited mostly by indigenous
Mayans, and a major tourist destination because of its ruins. Here
slash-and-burn farming and uncontrolled population growth is threatening the
environment and the survival of families living there. The trips focus on
both environmental concerns with family planning. How it works, project
organizers and trip participants said, is simple: more children mean greater
demands on the environment; those demands (slash-and-burn and single-crop
farming) often damage the environment; the damaged environment makes it
difficult to sustain the increase in population in a healthy manner; and the
children and their families suffer.
'
July 13, 2001
Portland Oregonian
USA: Oregon County Pregnancy Prevention Program to Focus on Teen Boys
The Washington County, Oregon, Commission on Children and Families, using a
$15,000 state Adult and Family Services grant, is offering two training
sessions for educators, community outreach workers and court professionals
on how to teach teen boys that "they are as responsible for pregnancies as
the girls who carry the babies." One program, which is Latino-specific, has
every space filled; it will feature Jerry Tello, director of the Los
Angeles-based National Latino Fatherhood and Family Institute, who seeks to
"introduce young men to an indigenous Latino concept of 'the noble man' as a
foundation for developing male responsibility." Jorge Melendez, youth
director at Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ in Portland, said that many
Latino boys in the area who come from homes with single mothers "don't learn
how to be a father or a man" and think that "to be a man is to have a lot of
women, and that means a lot of sexual relations." Another training session
will feature trainer Rick Brown, who will introduce participants to the
abstinence-based "Wise Guys" program from the Family Life Council of Greater
Greensboro, N.C. The program focuses on pregnancy prevention and sexual
violence and "encourages boys to treat girls the way they would like to see
their mother, sister or grandmother treated." Teen pregnancy rates are down
from 17.2 pregnancies per 1,000 girls under the age of 17 in 1998 to 12.8
pregnancies per 1,000. The program hopes to build on this success.;
'
July 26, 2001
National Center for Health Statistics
U.S. Fertility Rate Rises
According to figures recently released by the National Center for Health Statistics, the total fertility rate (average number of births per woman) in the U.S. rose 3% in 2000, to 2.1335--the U.S.’s highest fertility rate since 1971.
'
July 26, 2001
ENN
Arctic Ecosystems Trampled and Tracked
Mining, military activities, heavy reindeer grazing, recreational
activities such as camping, hiking, and off-road vehicle use, and even
small disturbances to fragile Arctic ecosystems may permanently damage them, says Arctic Centre, University of Lapland's Bruce Forbes, who is studying
subarctic and alpine tundra and forest tundra in Alaska, Canada, Russia,
and Finland. "Some of the most productive landscapes are being slowly nibbled
away." Even a single pass of a heavy-tracked vehicle can drain an Arctic
meadow. Findings of Forbes and coauthors James Ebersole of Colorado College
in Colorado Springs and Beate Strandberg of the National Environmental
Research Institute in Silkeborg, Denmark appear in the August issue of the
journal Conservation Biology. The most controversial threat to
Arctic ecosystems is oil and natural gas development. The United States is
considering oil and gas exploration in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge. Canada is likely to extract natural gas just east of the refuge,
and Russian and northern European energy companies are already operating in the Arctic. Mostly because of wind erosion, disturbed patches more than three
feet across still had bare centers even after 20 years. Long-term damage is
caused by heavy-tracked vehicles, even if they are driven through an area
only once during the summer. Hikers can flatten hummocks and hollows that
give geographical diversity, and therefore plant diversity, to the
landscape, decreasing plant biodiversity and favoring willows and rapidly
growing grasses over most other plants.
'
July 19, 2001
Christian Science Monitor
Carbon
Dioxide: An Exhaustive Look
A graphical portrayal of what the Kyoto Protocol would mean for the average
citizen of an industrialized country.
'
July 10, 2001
Global Population Initiative Media Analysis
UNDP's
2001 Human Development Report
The 2001 Human Development Report was released by the the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in time for World Population Day. The report ranks 162 countries based on income, education, life expectancy and health care. 1.2 billion people worldwide live in poverty, 800 million people are suffering from hunger and about 25% of all people lack access to safe drinking water. "Sixty-five developing countries, representing more than half the developing world's total population in 1995, (will) lose about 280 million tons of potential cereal production as a result of climate change." Agence France Presse reported criticism of the UN report for recommending genetically engineered food as one method of eradicating poverty.
'
July 18, 2001
The Washington Post
House Appropriations Committee Votes to Require Federal Employee Health Plans to Cover Prescription Contraceptives
The House Appropriations Committee voted 40-21 against President Bush's proposal to eliminate required contraceptive coverage for federal employees. Bush wanted to eliminate an existing requirement that forces insurers to cover all FDA-approved prescription contraceptives for employees and dependents enrolled in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Plan. According to the Post, it is now very likely that the 1.2 million women in the government workforce will still receive the benefit next year. 28 Democrates and 12 Republicans supported the amendment to the FY 2002 Treasury-Postal appropriations bill to reinstate the requirement. Rep. Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.), who sponsored the amendment, said, "In the year 2000, it's hard to believe that anyone could challenge contraception." The Associated Press remarked that the vote marked a "setback" for Bush and "seemed to draw a line on how far Congress' antiabortion forces can go."
'
July 12, 2001
Unwire/Associated Press
Vietnam: Gov't Targets Population Growth, Poverty Reduction
Vietnam has already won praise for its population reduction efforts, but aims to reduce growth again - from 1.4% to 1.1% by 2010, says the National Committee for Population and Family Planning. Despite $14 million in annual programs,
the country's population continues to grow by 1 million each year. The new $3.6 million campaign will increase family planning and health services in 5,332 villages, with much of the funding coming from the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank.
'
July 14, 2001
UN Integrated Regional Information Network
Chad: World Bank Funds Second AIDS, Population Projects
A US $24.56-million credit for Chad was approved by the World Bank to reduce the spread of HIV and rapid population growth. The project aims to ease the impact of these phenomena on the economy and social services in one of the poorest
countries in the world.
'
`
July 26, 2001
Planned Parenthood
Another Major Victory for Contraceptive Equity!
Yesterday the House of Representatives passed the annual Treasury-Postal Appropriations bill with contraceptive coverage and equity for federal employees in tact. This bill included the restoration of contraceptive coverage for federal employees, which had previously been eliminated in President Bush's budget proposal.
'
July 25, 2001
Sierra Club Population News
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Scheduled to Vote on International Population Issues
On Thursday July 26th, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will start review of the State Department Authorization bill. During the consideration of this bill, there will be no attempts to overturn the Global Gag Rule which was reinstated by President Bush in January and which disqualifies overseas family planning organizations from receiving U.S. assistance if they, with their own monies, lobby to change abortion laws or provide legal abortion services in their countries. However, after consideration of the State Department bill, the Committee will look at S. 367, the Global Democracy Promotion Act, introduced by Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), which would remove the Global Gag Rule. The vote is expected to be very close. If you wish to help remove this Global Gag Rule, these are the members of the Committee whom you may contact: Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Chairman (D-DE); Paul S. Sarbanes (D-MD); Christopher J. Dodd (D-CT); John F. Kerry (D-MA); Russell D. Feingold (D-WI); Paul D. Wellstone (D-MN); Barbara Boxer (D-CA); Robert G. Torricelli (D-NJ); Bill Nelson (D-FL); Jesse Helms, Ranking Minority Member (R-NC); Richard G. Lugar (R-IN); Chuck Hagel (R-NE); Gordon Smith (R-OR); Craig Thomas (R-WY); Bill Frist (R-TN); Lincoln D. Chafee (R-RI); George Allen (R-VA); Sam Brownback (R-KS). Call the Capitol Switchboard as soon as possible at 202-224-3121 and asked to be connected.
'
July 5, 2001
Salt Lake Tribune
Salt Lake City USA: Fecundity Drives Growth
from an LTE by Joseph A. Done Murray. It is interesting to read the Public Forum letters. ... Many who oppose highway construction use the argument that more highways will create more traffic with the attendant pollution. One writer even went so far as to state that additional highways were the "root cause" of increased traffic. This person must believe vehicles drive
themselves. The fact is, additional traffic is caused by additional people, and more highways are required to accommodate the additional traffic. Mass
transit systems are more efficient, and will help local traffic, but our
own mass transit system, while a good start, has very little impact on
traffic congestion.
'
July 29, 2001
The Environmental Policy & Global Change Working Groupu
Call for
papers: "Global Environmental Change and the Nation State"
A call for papers for the 7-8 December 2001 Berlin Conference on the Human
Dimensions of Global Environmental Change has been issued by The
Environmental Policy and Global Change Working Group of the German
Association for Political
Science (DVPW). Contributions are welcomed from
scholars working on environmental policy, international relations,
comparative public policy, and international and comparative law. Dr Klaus
Toepfer, Executive Director, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP),
will be the keynote speaker. The global environmental crisis has contributed
substantially to a general awareness of a complex web of interdependence
relationships among nation states. Global climate change, the world-wide
spread of persistent organic pollutants, the staggering loss of the Earth's
biological diversity and the depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer are
just the most well-known examples. The deadline for proposals is 15
September 2001. More details are at at www.environmental-policy.de
'
July 22, 2001
Boston Daily Globe
** USA: To Help Environment We Must Curb Growth
By Roy Beck. For three decades the federal government has increasingly sabotaged the American people's dreams for environmental quality. The tool: federal immigration policies that have encouraged the quadrupling of immigration numbers since the 1960s. The biggest population boom in US history occurred during the 1990s. Such growth has undermined the success of many of our environmental laws. Approximately 40% of the nation's surface waters don't meet the standard. We have more nitrogen oxide (a smog precursor) and more carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas) emissions than 30 years ago. There are more endangered species and fewer wetlands. Aquifers are being mined to dangerously low levels. A 40% increase in population since 1970 negated the first 40% (if that much occurred) of every per capita environmental impact that was achieved through new laws, personal restrictions, higher prices and taxes. In 1996, the President's Council on Sustainable Development said: "We believe that reducing current immigration levels is a necessary part of working toward sustainability in the United States."
'
July 20, 2001
The Washington Post
USA: Broader Family Planning Services Rejected; Government to Deny
States' Requests for Waivers to Expand Medicaid Coverage
All pending requests to the federal government from states to offer poor
women more contraception and other family planning services through targeted
waivers will be rejected, said officials. The new policy requires that
states expand their Medicaid programs through comprehensive -- instead of
single-issue -- changes. At least eight state requests to expand family planning services before Medicaid officials, including one signed by Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson when he was governor of Wisconsin. If family planning programs were part of a larger set of primary care initiatives, "the sense is that it would be funded," said Peter Ashkenaz, spokesman for the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. A waiver request from Georgia was denied recently and one from New York was expected to be officially turned down soon. "We were told basically that this
administration was not interested in approving any family planning waivers,"
said Martin Smith, a spokesman for the Georgia Department of Community
Health. Before the state could even ask the federal government to help fund
the more ambitious program, it must first approve state funds for that
larger program. Unfortunately, Georgia recently capped budget increases.
"43,000 women will lose coverage in a couple of weeks," said Smith. The New
York plan would expand Medicaid family planning benefits to about 400,000
women. Since the mid-1990s when the waiver program was first started, at
least nine states have expanded their Medicaid family planning coverage,
either by allowing in women with higher incomes or by offering benefits for
longer periods. Under the new policy, Kentucky, Michigan, Wisconsin,
Virginia, Colorado, North Carolina and Mississippi are also likely to be
turned down. During the previous administration, Arkansas, Florida,
Maryland, California, Oregon, South Carolina, Alabama, Delaware, Rhode
Island and Arizona were approved. Washington was approved in February.
'
July 30, 2001
Christian Science Monitor
A Power Trip Worth Taking
Residential energy consumption is expected to grow 30% by 2020, says the Department of Energy, with 75% of that increase linked to a rising call for electricity. The author attributes the increase to an extended housing boom in the South (think central air conditioning) and to a national propensity for building more spacious homes and then stocking them with electronics.
'
July 28, 2001
New Energy Future
Use the form on this website to ask your senators to vote against the dirty and dangerous Bush energy plan and to support efforts to save the Arctic Refuge, cut polluting subsidies and increase auto fuel efficiency standards.
'
July 2001
Population Reference Bureau
Asia's Swelling Cities
Environmental degradation in rural areas of Asia might force 800 million people in the region to migrate to cities over the next 20 years, warns a UN report, The State of the Environment Report in Asia and the Pacific 2000. This would be the equivalent to setting up a new city of 150,000 people every day for the next 15 years. The report estimates the cost of providing water, sanitation, energy, and transport to these mushrooming urban populations at US$10 trillion over the next 25 to 30 years. The UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific report will soon be on the Web at: www.unescap.org.
'
July 20, 2001
Santa Maria Sun
Catholics Should Ease Policies
LTE by Bill Denneen Catholic Bishops have banned sterilization at ALL Catholic Hospitals. There is only one hospital in Santa Maria-----it is a catholic hospital.
Vasectomies are something the male can do to prevent unwanted pregnancies.
Half of all American women have an unintended pregnancy in their lifetime.
There are 3,000,000 such pregnancies every year due to contraceptive failure(Ellen Goodman).
Mexico has a birth rate six (6) times the death rate. The US has the
highest rate of unintended pregnancies in the industralized world
resulting in 1,220,000 unplanned births and 1,430,000 induced abortions(ZPG
Reporter).
As the human population approaches 7,000,000,000 (it was less than 2
billion when I was born)the Catholic Church needs to re-evaluate their
stand on contraception and sterilization----particularly when they control
the ONLY hospital in Santa Maria. Particularly when they demonstrate in
front of Planned Parenthood in Santa Maria which offers sex education,
contraceptive information, vasectomies and back-up abortions when all else
have failed. Ignoring the problem will NOT make it go away.
'
July 7, 2001
The Jakarta Post
Indonesia: Government Faces Shortage of Contraceptives for the Poor
Indonesia needs an average of 85.47 million contraceptive devices annually and in a recent meeting it was revealed that the current stock of 50.45 million will run out at the end of the year. The country is seeking international aid to help distribute contraceptives to 8.25 million poor and needy couples next year. 35% of the population are in need of family planning services. Khofifah Indar Parawansa says the government is in need of US $19.8 million to support the procurement of free contraceptive pills, IUDs, implants and condoms for the poor next year. If the need for contraceptives are not met then there will be a rise in unwanted births, maternal mortality and induced abortion.
'
July 31, 2001
ENN
Web site to Americans: Stop Being Energy 'Airheads'
Did you know that running a large refrigerator and freezer for one year can produce as much pollution as driving a car from Chicago to Las Vegas? Or that each mile a person travels in an airplane accounts for 1.08 pounds of greenhouse gases? The internet site http://www.AirHead.org, along with the Center for Neighborhood Technology, is giving Americans a reality check concerning the amount of greenhouse gases that are released. It allows individuals to calculate their energy consumption and contribution to pollution. All that is required to calculate energy consumption is information about electricity bills, driving habits and other energy uses. In less than a minute it will tell you how much pollution you create in one month. And AirHead.org will keep track of your monthly progress in a pollution profile. Many environmentalist believe that energy consumption is second only to the population boom and that there are connections between energy use and the environment’s depletion. Also, if you are curious which energy efficient products to buy, visit the web site which has a listing of 70,000 products that they recommend. rvs
'
July 1, 2001
World and I
Population Control Today--and Tomorrow?
[NOTE: This article contains a very biased analysis of the success of
population assistance by Jacqueline R. Kasun, author of The War Against
Population: The Economics and Ideology of World Population Control
(Ignatius, 1999). To respond send letters to: editor@worldandimag.com]
The success of the population control movement over the past four decades
has been nothing less than astonishing. Places like Bangladesh and Kenya are
awash in condoms, and population is actually falling in some countries and
heading in that direction in many others. The UN Population Division
reported that 44% of the world's population lives in countries where
birthrates are below replacement rates. At the current rate, in 50 years
there will be 100 million fewer people in Europe and 21 million fewer in
Japan 50 years from now. The U.S. birthrate has gone from 24.3 per thousand
population in 1950 to 14.6 in 1998. World fertility will continue to decline
from its present average of less than three children per woman while the
death rate rises. Thus, the proportion of people over 60 will rise to exceed the proportion of people under 15. Nevertheless, groups supporting population control press for more and more funding. ...The evidence of the programs' innate tendencies toward coercion mounts. ... Under the pretext of preventing AIDS, a Kenyan gynecologist said, foreign-paid family-planning workers promote promiscuity by indiscriminately distributing condoms and are taking over the health-care system to perform sterilizations. ...World forest acreage remained at the same levels as in the 1950s, according to FAO data. ...19,000 scientists have signed a petition stating that there is "no convincing scientific evidence" that human release of greenhouse gases will cause "disruption of Earth's climate" [The article is long, with some history of the population movement. If you would like it sent to you, please send me an email: karen@gaia-s.net]
July 6, 2001
Christian Science Monitor
USA: Chicago Tries to Be Green-power Leader
Within five years, Chicago will buy 20% of the electricity it uses from clean sources such as wind and solar power, making the city the largest purchaser of green power in the country, besides the actual power companies. Mayor Daley wants Chicago to be the most environmentally friendly major city in America. Chicago will build a market within their own state to generate the green power needed instead of relying on other states to provide their 80 megawatts of green power needed. The Mayor is also keen on planting trees throughout the city and other greening of Chicago. However, many feel his new energy plan is "based more on eco-idealism than sound policy." The push for the green energy came after 1998’s summer of blackouts, which made many realize the need to diversify their reliance on energy. Although, green energy is more costly (will decline as technology improves) the city is palnning on making their buildings more energy efficient which means they will pay less overall. rsv
'
July 6, 2001
Africa News Service
South Africa: One in Five Children Are Malnourished
About 500,000 children have lost one or both parents to AIDS, and 7% of Sub-Saharan children live in child-headed households. The 80,000 families who have no parents are supported by friends, neighbors and extended families. Although their constitution is progressive, guaranteeing children care, the funds needed are mostly being allocated to weapons or stolen by corrupt officials. Many children who are in dire need of social security are not getting it because they don't have a birth certificate. Almost half of the rural children don't have one and they are costly to attain. The South African Medical Journal reveals that one in five South African children is stunted due to undernourishment and malnutrition and that one in every four households in the country experiences hunger and food insecurity. In addition, Motala says: "Children can't wait. Malnutrition and stunting in early life has irreversible impacts by lowering immunity, making children more prone to disease and it affects school performance. Our high infant mortality rate makes South Africa one of the 12 most lethal societies in the world for children." Many are working towards eliminating the necessary birth certificate and making aide available to anyone under the age of 18. rsv
'
July 12, 2001
East African Standard
Kenya: 300 Million Condoms Import Alarms Moi
President Moi was disturbed that the country was spending millions of shilling on over 300 million condoms imported annually. He believes that their use could be avoided and promoted Kenyans to avoid illicit sex as a means of reducing the spread of HIV/Aids in the country. The President caused a prolonged laughing spell when he asked those using condoms to abstain for two years in order to curb the disease. Also, out of the 35 million who have died worldwide from the disease, 22 million were from Africa. The GDP has declined 14% due to 700 people dying per day from aids, causing poverty and misery on the continent. Also, medical advances and inspections are increasing in order to reduce the amount of counterfeit AIDS drugs. rsv
'
July 24, 2001
ENN
Researchers Forecast Rapid, Irreversible Climate Warming
Over the coming century, there is 90% chance that the average global temperature will rise between three and nine degrees Fahrenheit according to scientists in the U.S. and England. The projected increase is five times greater than the one-degree increase observed over the past century. According to the American Association for the Advancement of Science, by as early as 2030, the planet is likely to heat up between one to two degrees. Scientists based their studies on the fact that there are likely to be no policy changes before 2100 to curb climate changes. “The global climate change is linked to the accumulation in the atmosphere of six gases that trap the Sun’s ray’s close to the Earth’s surface. These gases are emitted by the burning of coal, oil and gas.” Negotiations are under way for the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol, a supplement to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The U.S. signed the Kyoto Protocol under the Clinton administration, but President George W. Bush announced in March that the United States would not ratify the treaty. This caused a crisis in the international approach of the treaty, since the U.S. emits 25% of the world’s heat-trapping greenhouse gases. rvs
'
July 11, 2001
Environment News Service
Growing Population Stamps Heavy Ecological Footprint
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, on World Population Day, linked the growing population to ecological stress on the planet's resources, particularly deforestation, pollution and carbon dioxide emissions. "Our ecological
footprints on the earth are heavier than ever before," he said.
World Population Day is defined by the United Nations as an annual observance spotlighting the urgent need for solutions to global population problems in the context of sustainable development. It evolved as an outgrowth of the Day of Five Billion, set aside July 11, 1987 to build awareness of population issues.
Annan advocated special measures for women who are often denied the right to learn, to own or inherit land, and to control their own fertility.
Amy Coen, president of Population Action International, agrees. "A woman who has the means to manage her own fertility is in a far better position to help manage and conserve the natural resources her family depends on."
The United Nations Population Division says world population is currently growing at an annual rate of 1.2 per cent, or 77 million people per year.
Six countries account for half of this annual growth: India for 21%, China for 12%, Pakistan for 5%, Nigeria for 4%, Bangladesh for 4%, and Indonesia for 3%.
China's first exposition on new technology and products in the family planning and reproductive health fields opened in Beijing today. Zhang Weiqing, director of the State Family Planning Commission, said that China will make joint efforts with other countries to seek ways to control population growth and promote sustainable development.
Pakistan Chief Executive General Pervez Musharraf also called for a "small family norm."
According to UN projections, the population of more developed regions, currently 1.2 billion, is anticipated to change little during the next 50 years because fertility levels are expected to remain below replacement level.
By mid-century the populations of 39 countries are projected to be smaller than today. Japan and Germany will be 14% smaller. Italy and Hungary will be 25% smaller, and the Russian Federation, Georgia and Ukraine will be up to 40%
smaller.
World population is expected to be around 9.3 billion by 2050, but it could be anywhere between 7.9 billion and 10.9 billion, depending on fertility, longevity and rates of death.
'
July 19, 2001 Polish News Bulletin
Poland's Population Drops for Third Year in a Row.
Poland experienced an overall population decline due to low birth rate and emigration, with emigrants outnumbering immigrants by almost 20,000. The average Polish woman has 1.37 children, having her first child at an average age of 27. Wider availability of birth control in both urban and rural areas has made this possible; the country's housing shortage has resulted in an "unwillingness to start families." The population at the end of the decade is estimated to be 38.7 million, falling to 33.8 million by 2050. Over the next half century, Russia, Ukraine, the Czech Republic and Germany all expect to experience declines in their populations as well.
.
July 2001 Population Reference Bureau
AIDS, TB, and Malnutrition Are Triple Threat in Haiti.
Poverty, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and severe malnutrition all interact in a vicious cycle in Haiti. Of all the countries in the Caribbean, Haiti has the highest prevalence of HIV, of malnutrition, of TB as well as the lowest per capita income. This paper discusses three interventions which succeed by attacking all of these.
The report opens with a case history of a woman whose plight illustrates these interactions and is typical of many in Haiti. The woman was orphaned in adolescence but survived by working for food. She moved in with a man, bore him a child and then was deserted. After this pattern repeated itself twice, she was left alone with three children. She then became too sick to work and her eldest daughter begged in the streets to feed the family. Five years later, after help from the following approaches, the patient was doing well; her daughter went to school, became literate and is now self-supporting.
The Haitian Ministry of Health supports organizations which treat these individual problems and their interactions. "The interventions share three characteristics: recognition of the central role of poverty, integration of medical services for HIV, provision of adequate nutrition and compassionate TB health workers."
Poverty In 1991,The NGO, Zanmi la Sante, found that patients receiving standard TB treatment plus financial aid had "improved cure rates, lower mortality, and better ability to return to work" than those who received standard treatment alone. Application of this strategy to "nutrition programs, provision of HIV care, and prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission" has met with similar success.
Integrated care for HIV, malnutrition and TB The Haitian Study Group on Kaposi’s Sarcoma and Immunodeficiency Disorders (GHESKIO) in Port au Prince screens all patients who come for any of the three problems for each of the others and then treats each patient for any they suffer from.
Compassionate caregivers The Hospital Albert Schweitzer provides directly observed TB therapy (DOT program) using home-care workers, all former TB patients, to visit patients in their homes. "A recent study of treatment outcomes" demonstrated an 85% success with DOT vs. 28% without. "The benefit was most dramatic in HIV-positive patien