Let's tackle this taboo: our survival is at stake

Achara Deboonme should be congratulated on her excellent article broaching the “taboo” subject of overpopulation. The Nation should also be acknowledged for publishing the article, which challenges what is considered a fundamental human right – to procreate. Do human beings have the sole right to overpopulate this very finite planet at the risk of destroying all life on earth?

Overpopulation must be written about and talked about in an objective manner, but there is one driving force which prevents this: measuring a country’s success by its economic growth. Economic growth requires population growth to produce more producers and more consumers. The worldwide philosophy is more, more and more. More people, more natural resources and more activity are seen as the means of overcoming deprivation and taking people out of poverty and starvation.

The fact is that poverty breeds poverty and food aid for political reasons only exacerbates the situation. The human race is very adept at death control but birth control is ignored.

We are very good at addressing symptoms, such as pollution, but we fail when it comes to admitting and accepting the cause. People pollute, so it follows that less people means less pollution and a better quality of life for all.

There is an argument that raising standards of living will lower the birth rate, but in the time it would take for this theory to be realised, overpopulation would already have brought about its destruction. The sensible answer is not food aid or, in fact, any form of aid except education in contraception and self-reliance.

Overpopulation is an increasingly huge and fundamental problem. Its control is most vital to the very future of mankind and, indeed, the planet itself.

Do we want quantity of life or quality of life for all? We do have the choice.

JC Wilcox