Concerning the Fallacy of Environmental Eugenics
The other day, I conversed with a guy with some of the most unhinged political beliefs I had ever heard.
One of the many odd things he mention about how he thought the future would go was a series of Calamities (with a capitol “C”), followed by a period in which the human population-- to be numbered in mere millions-- lived “in perfect harmony with nature.”
Unlike many of the other things he said, this idea-- the concept of environmental problems being the result of Too Many People, and the ultimate SOLUTION to Global Warming, pollution, etc, involving significantly fewer people being alive on this planet-- this one is popular. This idea is held by many, and is often presented as sensible in the mainstream media.
It is also bat-shit insane.
Now, I’m not an expert, but I know that it takes a LOT OF WORK to feed, clothe, and shelter people.
Growing crops is a lot of hard work. Raising animals is a lot of hard work. Hunting and fishing is hard work. All these activities are physically demanding, require specialized knowledge to do well, and can be dangerous in a wide variety of expected, inevitable circumstances.
And all of that comes BEFORE the labor and expertise required to build a shelter that safe from the elements, well-ventilated and well-insulated, with sufficient light, safe drinking water, and hygienic waste-disposal.
Keeping people fed, housed, clean, clothed involves a LOT OF WORK!
If the human population is dwindled to the MILLIONS... with the majority of this tiny remnant of the global population presumably focused on SURVIVAL...
Who will invent, build, and distribute water-filters to remove micro-plastics from the water?
Who is left to figure out how to dredge plastic fishing-nets and islands of non-degradable plastic trash out of the ocean? Who is left to figure out how to turn this retrieved plastic-waste into boats, jewelry, and other functional goods, like they are now?
Who will clear the dry-brush and organize controlled burns, so as to prevent wildfires?
Who will build the dams and levies and drainage-systems to reduce floods, as storms and hurricanes hit? Who will organize evacuations and relief-efforts for natural disasters, if our population is thus diminished to such an extent?
Who will reclaim the deserts? Who will plant the proper trees, shrubs, and plants and bring the cattle, bring the wildlife, and transform the barren places and desolute, sandy deserts into green places again?
Deserts are being reclaimed now, along the edges of the Sahara Desert, and in parts of South America, and other parts of the world as well. These baron and desolate places are, through monumental amounts of time, effort, and ecologically sound practices, being transformed into green and fertile, living spaces.
If the billions of people who make up our human race are killed, culled, cut down to mere millions-- who will facilitate the regrowth of the coral reefs? People are working on that now. What happens if there are no more marine biologists left, and now time or energy to train new ones?
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To summarize: there’s a lot that’s broken and damaged on this planet. There’s also a LOT of people who are working very hard to repair what’s been broken. Farmers and scientists. Fishermen and scouts who decide to clean up a river or lake. The person down the block, who planted so many nice flowers that are also good for bees and butterflies. You, putting things in the recycling bin, or voting for the guy with greener policies.
None of the world’s problems are going to be solved via genocide and “benevolent” neglect.
