Friday, November 23, 2007

The Cult of Eco-Extremism

The article discussed here, and the concepts it expresses, would be funny if they were not expressed in such a sincere manner.  Instead, I can only marvel at such a waste of emotional commitment.  To be that passionate about something and be so fundamentally wrong about it is both stunning and sad. 
 
Over-population is not an environmental problem. 
 
Never has been and certainly is not now.  Julian Simon showed this nearly 30 years ago and despite all the posturing of the limits to growth crowd, Simon was proven right by events, time and the continued prosperity of the planet.  The field of demography does not posit over-population as a problem, yet green zealots continue to adhere to this abiding mis-conception, to which they then add piety and a warped sense of morality.
 
People do not die because we lack food to feed them.  People are dying because we choose not to feed them, not because food is in any global shortage.
 
As for space, come to Canada.  It has lots of space where there are no people: how many Hong Kong's can you fit in Canada and still have room left?  Stupid question when you think like that isn't it?  Over-population?  At what density and at what level of wealth?
 
Activism is great.  But activism without thought is a curse.