Includes bibliographical references (p. 319-326) and index.
Contents:
Epilogue : Is humanity a cancer on the earth? / Philip Cafaro. Destructive momentum : could an enlightened environmental movement overcome it? / William R. Catton Jr. -- Reflections on sustainability and population growth / Albert Bartlett -- Why the silence on population? / Martha Campbell -- The great backtrack / Dave Foreman -- Overpopulation versus biodiversity : how a plethora of people produces a paucity of wildlife / Leon Kolankiewicz -- The human population footprint on global biodiversity / Jeffrey McKee -- Beyond futility / Tim Palmer -- Environmental refugees : the rising tide / Lester Brown -- Population, fossil fuels, and agriculture / George Wuerthner -- The laws of ecology and human population growth / Captain Paul Watson -- Abundant earth and the population question / Eileen Crist -- Nulliparity and a cruel hoax revisited / Stephanie Mills -- Colossus versus liberty : a bloated humanity's assault on freedom / Tom Butler -- The environmental argument for reducing immigration into the United States / Philip Cafaro and Winthrop Staples III -- Toward a new armada : a globalist argument for stabilizing the U.S. population / Joseph Bish -- Perceiving overpopulation : can't we see what we're doing? / Ronnie Hawkins -- Salmon in the trees / Amy Gulick -- Trusting women to end population growth / Robert Engelman -- How do we solve the population problem? / William Ryerson -- A post-Cairo paradigm : both numbers and women matter / Don Weeden and Charmayne Palomba -- Confronting finitude / Richard Lamm -- For a species right to exist / Winthrop Staples III and Philip Cafaro -- Island civilization : a vision for human inhabitance in the fourth millennium / Roderick Nash -- Epilogue : Is humanity a cancer on the earth? / Philip Cafaro.
Summary:
Life on the Brink aspires to reignite a robust discussion of population issues among environmentalists, environmental studies scholars, policymakers, and the general public. Some of the leading voices in the American environmental movement restate the case that population growth is a major force behind many of our most serious ecological problems, including global climate change, habitat loss and species extinctions, air and water pollution, and food and water scarcity. As we surpass seven billion world inhabitants, contributors argue that ending population growth worldwide and in the United States is a moral imperative that deserves renewed commitment. Hailing from a range of disciplines and offering varied perspectives, these essays hold in common a commitment to sharing resources with other species and a willingness to consider what will be necessary to do so. In defense of nature and of a vibrant human future, contributors confront hard issues regarding contraception, abortion, immigration, and limits to growth that many environmentalists have become too timid or politically correct to address in recent years. Ending population growth will not happen easily. Creating genuinely sustainable societies requires major change to economic systems and ethical values coupled with clear thinking and hard work. Life on the Brink is an invitation to join the discussion about the great work of building a better future.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.