Is it racist to be concerned about human population growth?

[kaph]

Pundits keep spreading the myth that enviros who talk about population are racists worried about brown people taking over the world.  In reality, ecological theory is quite savvy about race, ethnicity, and the history of colonialism.  Two-thirds world nations have a huge number of unwanted pregnancies because of lack of access to contraception,

Comments

[bruorton]

I don't know Heidegger, but there is surely no scape-goating involved in simply providing everyone equal standing in dealing with the problem -- the over-consuming world needs to address its consumption per person just as much as the rest of the world needs to address its growing population. Neither one is capable of sustaining current trends. Which reminds me, that book looks stunning... I don't have as much faith as the author in further agricultural technology/research, but I find his other projections frighteningly persuasive.

[kaph]

Yes. I've talked about the problem of first-world consumption elsewhere, and here wanted to focus more on the suffering of two-thirds worlders, but your comment reminded me that I forgot to include the link to "The Last Taboo," http://motherjones.com/environment/2010/05/population-growth-india-vatican or Grist's response to it http://www.grist.org/article/2010-06-01-why-is-india-the-poster-child-for-the-population-problem... )