Transcript Myths of Overpopulation

Myths of Overpopulation
Cairo Conference
Pakistan's Prime Minister speaks to delegate
Dignity Through Development
Ancient Hostility Towards Life
PHAROAH SAID: “Look how numerous
and powerful the Israelite people are
growing, more so than we ourselves. Come,
let us deal shrewdly with them to stop their
increase.” (Ex. 1-9)
The Powerful Fear the Poor
The Great Polluters
80% of the World’s Goods are
Consumed by
20% of the World’s Population
The Conference on Population and
Human Development at Cairo
Human Rights: True Champion?
Friend or Foe?
Babies: Burden or Blessing
Be Fruitful and Multiply and
Fill the Earth!
Is the World Overpopulated?
False Prophets
Thomas Malthus
1798
People
1
2
4
8
16
32
64
128
256
512
1024
Food
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
World Population
Source: United Nations, World Population Prospects,
The 1998 Revision; and estimates by the Population Reference Bureau
Causes of Population Growth
Total Fertility Rate
5
4.5
4
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
World
Less Developed
Countries
More Developed
Countries
1990 2000 2010 2025
TFR TFR TFR TFR
Europe: Population by
age groups, 1950-2050
100%
90%
80%
70%
Age 75+
Age 65+
Age 15-64
Age 0-14
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
1950
1970
1995
2025
2050
Healthy Population Distribution
Declining Fertility
Sweden 1999-2050
Sweden 2005
The World’s Population in Texas
Can We Feed All These People?
“Jesus asked Phillip:
‘Where can we buy
some food for the
people to eat?’ He
said this to test him,
because he himself
knew what he was
going to do.”
(Jn 6:5-6)
And the Multiplying Continues…
Are We Running Out of
Resources?
A 1949 U.N. Scientific Conference predicted that
the world would run out of:
● Lead by 1968
●
●
Chromium by 1975
Zinc by 1971
●
Tin by 1985
Almost half a century later, none of these predictions has come true!
Economists Welcome Population Growth
Statistics on Population and Prosperity:
Is There an Effect?
Country
Population
per square
mile
Pop. per sq.
mile
arable land
Income per
capita
Early 1990s
Life
exp.
Bangladesh
2,004
2,990
$180
56.2
China
315
3,146
$370
69.8
Denmark
313
513
$15,200
74.5
Germany
585
1,950
$19,943
74.6
India
695
1,264
$300
52.3
Israel
648
3,814
$10,500
75.6
Japan
865
6,657
$27,321
79.1
Mexico
115
960
$2,936
64.2
New Jersey*
1,046
5,505
$25,372
77.9
Switzerland
433
4,329
$18,700
77.3
Taiwan
1,669
6,956
$8,083
70.2
United Kingdom
611
2,108
$15,000
75.5
United States
71
354
$22,212
74.9
Source: Gale Lyle Pooley, Environmentalism and the Gospel, Analytica, Sun Valley, Idaho, 1995, p. 92
A Telling Comparison
What About the Environment?
Abusive Population
Control Policies
Male Births per 100
Female Births in China
2000
1990
1986
1980
1972
100
105
110
115
120
Source: The Economist, Dec. 19, 1998 and 2000 Chinese Census
African Women Protest
“I am distressed that there seems to be a conspiracy to
keep women in the dark, especially the African women,
regarding the many dangerous side effects of
contraceptives, some of which are irreversible and lifethreatening. I especially abhor the experimentation and
dumping methods of untested and harmful drugs in Africa
and other developing countries.”
DR. MARGARET OGOLA, KENYA, in address delivered at the Fourth
International Congress on Women in Beijing, Sept. 8, 1995
Norplant and
Bangladesh
Eyesight disorders, strokes, persistent bleeding, problems
with removal - many women have no such side-effects, but
thousands are now taking legal action in the West.
Norplant was studied for 20 years in the West, but mostly
in developing countries. After standard clinical trials of
Norplant had been completed, pre-introductory clinical
trials were held to assess the drug's safety, efficacy and
acceptability in local conditions. Horizon went to
Bangladesh to investigate one such trial. In the mid-80s,
stories had begun to emerge from women's health
campaigns. In the slums of Dhaka, Farida Akhter heard of
women with Norplant in their arms who were desperate to
get it removed. She realised she had stumbled on a drug
trial.
Education of Females
Percentage of out of wedlock births
Out of Wedlock Births
80
70
60
50
White
Black
All Births
40
30
20
10
0
1960
1975
1990
1995
1997
Source: William J. Bennett, The Index of Leading Cultural Indicators
NFP: Safe and Effective