ECOLOGICAL CONSERVATION: WHY HUMANS NEED TO PRACTICE POPULATION CONTROL

As a student of social work, I was recently assigned the task of describing how my life passion is connected to social work. My first thoughts were: social workers advocate for change, but I am not a social worker and I do not know how to effect change. But after some reflection, I realized that I was mistaken. First, I realized that I am a social worker, but not in the usual sense. Rather than advocate for people as many social workers do, I prefer to advocate for the welfare of non-human animals. Advocating for change has, until recently, been something that I felt I did not know how to do. I recently discovered that advocacy is best done through education and example. After some reflection, I realized that I have been advocating for change for a long time. But the work of advocacy is never ending. So, in an effort to be the best social worker I can be, I am going to take this opportunity to effect change by offering information about a topic that I am passionate about, ecological conservation. In this and future writings I will also offer suggestions for behavioral change that can be made to reduce ecological destruction. I this writing, I will discuss the subject of human population control. I recognize that this is a sensitive topic. It is not my intention to offend or ridicule the reader. I ask only that each reader take what is true for him or her and leave the rest for future consideration.

My job, my life purpose, is to educate humans about the connection among all life forms. Some people can be anthropocentric and believe that they are superior to other beings. Some people also believe that overutilization of the earth’s resources through overpopulation will have no detrimental effect on human survival and the survival of other living things. The human impulse to procreate without considering the long-term consequences is an example of the error of this thinking.

According to Weissman (2007), through overpopulation, humans will deplete the earth’s resources and ultimately destroy the human race. Unfortunately, according to Weissman, other animals will be destroyed as well. However, some animal and plant species will survive and the earth will heal itself once humans are no longer present. But overpopulation can be reversed. In his book, “The World Without Us”, Weissman refers to the work of Dr. Sergei Scherbov, group leader of the Vienna Institute of Demography of the Austrian Academy of Sciences and analyst for the World Population Program. Dr. Scherbov states that by reducing family size to one child per family, the destruction of the environment as caused by overpopulation can be halted and subsequently reversed. According to Mr. Weissman, the world population grew to 6.5 billion in 2007. If we continue along this path, assuming that each woman has 2.6 births in her lifetime, world population will reach 9 billion by the middle of the twenty-first century. However, if we reduce our population to one child per person per lifetime, we can drastically decrease human population by one billion people in the same amount of time.

I recognize that there are many people who want more than one child. I respect this personal preference. However, I suggest that each person desiring to have more than one child consider adopting one of the many children who are in need of a loving parent, rather than add to the overpopulation problem.

REFERENCES

Weisman, A. (2007). The World Without Us. New York: St. Martin's Press.