The first of our series in Alternatives Journal has been posted! The research for this article included the previously posted interviews with John Coglianese and Ryan Dyment.
Here is an explanation of where the blog series is coming from:
THIS IS A BLOG SERIES ABOUT GROWTH, sustainability and our planet. It is a thought experiment on whether or not the idea of a pro-growth environmentalist is an oxymoron.
Before I begin there is one important assumption that needs to be highlighted. Everything that follows will operate on the assumption that human population growth is not exponential and we will see world population growth slow and ultimately stop before the simple number of humans becomes unsustainable for our planet. This assumption is backed up with falling fertility rates worldwide and long run projections. Many mainstream development agencies have caught on to the idea of empowering women, and how this strengthens society as a whole, including the World Bank, Plan andOxfam. A corollary benefit of this effort to improve education and opportunities available to women is that it is shown to dramatically reduce family size. At this point, I see all conversations about the growing population as delay and diversion tactics used to avoid discussing the types of growth which actually need to be addressed.
The full article can be found here.