A truly sobering look at what overpopulation does to the planet in general and the human race in particular, Countdown is both a warning bell and a message of hope about our future.
Unless you live off the grid in an exceptionally remote locale, you’ve no doubt noticed that there are a lot of us on the planet. Traffic is unbearable. The natural habitats that sustain us are fast receding to accommodate urban sprawl. Jobs are hard to find. It’s all part of the same problem; more of us are living longer, and we haven’t adjusted birth rates to reflect that. Right now the sheer number of people is at best an inconvenience. Left unchecked it could be what leads to our demise. If that sounds apocalyptic, well, it should. Regardless of your political party or your spiritual beliefs there is one language that is pretty much universal; math. And the math indicates that we are approaching the point where the available food won’t feed the available mouths. Food isn’t like money; you can’t “lend” it out with interest and receive more in return, so we either need to make more of it or make less of us. One of those options, food production, has already been exploited to capacity. The other is questionable from a moral perspective, but maybe we need to re-evaluate our morals?
China already did that. They instituted a one child policy that drastically reduced their fertility rates and is bringing their population down. When I first heard about that policy I thought it was barbaric. Now? I applaud them for having the courage to think about future generations rather than just the current one. As a mother of two that’s hard to admit. It’s hard to even fathom. But if I take a look at the bigger picture I would rather one child have the possibility of a bright future than two or more children having no future at all.
Countdown explores what’s happening all around the world in terms of overpopulation. Some countries have made their own strides to reduce overpopulation, either through providing birth control that was previously unavailable or educating women, who tend to want fewer children if they have the opportunity for a career. But others countries encourage their citizens to have as many children as possible, even as they watch those children starve. And it’s not just overpopulation that that drains resources, its overconsumption. Producing more than we can use and buying more than we need because we need strong economies. Worldwide the effects of overpopulation and overconsumption have changed lives, cultures and environments, but many of us are too far removed to realize it. In our little bubbles we go on as we always have, not realizing the impact we have on the bigger picture.
I can’t say I’m terrified for the future after reading this book, because so far we haven’t reached the point of no return that Countdown warns against. At least I don’t think we have. But I can’t say I’m optimistic either, because humans have a frustrating knack for ignoring past lessons and thinking that the worst won’t happen, especially in developed nations. My family has never gone hungry. We’ve never had to choose medicine over food or vice versa. We barely even notice climate change except for less snow in the winter and watering restrictions in the summer. We understand the depleting of the Earth’s resources in a very distant sense because we don’t see it on a daily basis. And when you don’t see something it’s easy to think you don’t play a part in either creating it or fixing it. And that’s my biggest fear; the U.S. as a whole probably has this same mentality, and even while we’re probably in the best position to help fix it chances are we won’t because it hasn’t impacted us yet.
It sounds like Countdown is a doomsday prophecy, and in a manner of speaking that’s true. If we don’t limit consumption and reproduction we will reach a breaking point. But it also tells us how we can fix the problem, and in that regard it’s a message of hope. Finding a balance of people that the Earth can support won’t be easy, but it can be done. Several nations have taken steps toward that goal with astounding success. And even if governments don’t lead us to the solution it’s within our power as individuals to make a difference.
This is a long and somewhat complicated read, filled with scientific studies to support the message. But if you are a parent, and you want to give your child every possible opportunity, this is a book worth reading. To fix the overpopulation problem, and to do it effectively and with dignity, you have to understand how we got to this point, how people and the environment are intertwined, and the cultural and historical challenges we face and how to address them. Fixing this will require a lifestyle change, and it will take generations. The sooner we start the less drastic the changes will need to be.
Michele Lenard 