The consensus on population

1 June 2006

There is a consensus across the western world that rapid and repeated redoubling of huge populations should not be mentioned as a cause of extreme poverty, conflict, and migration, even though it is a major cause, perhaps the major cause. Below are listed the causes of this consensus. If anyone knows of other causes, I should be very pleased to hear about them.

POLITICAL CORRECTNESS AND ITS ANTECEDENTS
We must not blame the victims. Oppression by rich white males is the cause of poverty

THE AMERICAN RELIGIOUS RIGHT
The money for family planning might be used for abortion

CATHOLIC THEOLOGIANS
Artificial contraception is a mortal sin

MUSLIM FUNDAMENTALISTS
Population brings power

MARXISTS AND LIBERATION THEOLOGIANS
The cause of poverty is capitalism and capitalists not population increase

THE GREEN REVOLUTION
“ Malthus has been proved wrong.” (Oh, no he hasn’t!)

AN INTERPRETATION OF THE DEMOGRAPHIC TRANSITION MODEL
With improved living standards population will automatically stabilise

OXFAM, CAFOD, CHRISTIAN AID, AND OTHER NGOs
Nowadays, they never mention the need for family planning in their publicity

FALL IN BIRTH RATES IN CHINA AND FAR EAST AND DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
China’s ‘one child’ policy distorted world figures making them appear less worrying

AFRICANS LOOK ON CHILDREN AS HELPERS AND AS AN OLD AGE PENSION
South Africa solved this decades ago by providing old age pensions

WIDE OPEN SPACES, LOW POPULATION DENSITY. PLENTY OF ROOM
Bar oil rich Saudi Arabia, all low density countries with high fertility are extremely poor

AFRICAN ANTI-COLONIAL AGITATORS
Family planning is an imperialist western tool to depopulate Africa

EVERYONE PREFERS SAVING LIVES TO PROVIDING FAMILY PLANNING
Almost no one would give money for family planning rather than to save a child’s life

For these reasons the rapid population increase in Africa and the Middle East will continue for the forseeable future, inevitably causing extreme poverty, conflict and the migration of vast populations.