That’s America’s Choice On Earth Day 2007
By Brenda Walker
April 22 is Earth Day.
But for genuine environmentalists, April truly is the cruelest month. So many of those who claim to care about the health of the planet are stuck in an ideology that ignores the obvious: As Jacques Cousteau observed: “Population growth is the primary source of environmental damage.”
And the elected officials most insistent that action be taken on climate change are often the same ones who want to welcome unlimited foreigners to the country with the largest environmental footprint: the U.S.
The signs are everywhere that the United States is full—and then some. * In Northern California, Santa Cruz and San Francisco are already under an alert to cut down on water use, after just one winter of sub-average rainfall.
* Arizona has an arid climate (hence the name), but it has recently received even less-than-normal rain. The vital reservoir Lake Powell fell by nearly 80 feet as of 2003 and is now at its lowest level since it was filled in 1980. A recent Tucson headline read Water crisis possible here within 3 years, because spring runoff into Lake Powell has been below normal for 9 of the past 11 years. The fire season will start earlier this year and ranchers will have less water for stock. Tucson may face water restrictions by 2010. Yet Arizona is the fastest growing state in terms of population growth.
And even if we could solve the technical problems presented by immigration—what about the amenity issue? Do we really want the sprawl?
One “solution” to water shortfall: recycling, a strategy in the pipeline of some southern California communities. But a serious drawback is the health concern that residual drugs and other undesired substances may remain after treatment. Even purified sewage may contain common contaminants like detergents, fragrances, caffeine, estrogen and painkillers.
Droughts come and go. They are a normal part of nature. But when humans overpopulate a dry region like Arizona and expect to have lush greenery, at some point the supply of water is not going to keep up with the demand. If the “permanent drought” predicted for the Southwest is for real, then importing additional tens of millions of people over the next few decades is terrible public policy—with predictable results.
Another disturbing marker: the U.S. is now a food importer after being a food exporter for many years. The U.S. has been the food supplier to the world in times of starvation—but farmland is now being lost to soil degradation and development.
http://vdare.com/walker/070421_earth_day.htm