Population Pressures and the Amazon
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This year, two major developments are being observed half a world apart. The United States population is slated to pass 300,000,000 in October. In Brazil, the Amazon rainforest is in its second year of severe drought, aggravated by the fact that close to half of the original forest has been cut or thinned to the point that drying of the soil and river basin is accelerating.
The two events are not unrelated. The Woods Hole Research Center reported in July that Amazon rainforest trees cannot withstand more than two consecutive years of drought without breaking down. The report concludes that a third year of drought, if it occurs in 2007, is likely to push the entire forest into irreversible decline, turning the lungs of the world into dry savannah or desert. The Woods Hole scientists say that death of a large portion of the rainforest would spread drought into the northern hemisphere and could massively accelerate global climate change with incalculable consequences. The immense forest enough carbon to increase the rate of global climate change by 50 percent. Each year, an area roughly the size of New Jersey is cut down, pushing the forest closer to collapse. The cutting of the rainforest and the spreading drought is likely to worsen the hurricanes that batter the United States and the Caribbean. Normally, the massive evaporation from the rainforest draws in the northeast trade winds, which pick up moisture from the Atlantic. This in turn controls the temperature of the ocean. Deforestation disrupts the cycle by weakening the Amazonian evaporation that drives the process. One result is that the hot water in the Atlantic stays on the surface and fuels the hurricanes. A second result is that the trade winds deliver less rain to the Amazon. The United States is the planets leading producer of greenhouse gasses and one of the greatest consumers of forest products from the Amazon. While the pundits are likely to have much to say about the 300 million demographic milestone, the consequences of this growth cannot be good news for the environmental sustainability of the planet and it appears that the U.S. will feel the results directly. U.S. population growth is driven largely by population pressures in developing countries. The poverty that results from large family size leads many developing country citizens to seek opportunities in North America or Europe, adding to the high-consumption population of the planet. There is an urgent need to decrease the rate of consumption and waste in developed countries and to motivate behavior change toward smaller family size in developing countries. Preservation of the rainforest and changing our consumption patterns are essential. But, if population growth is not slowed appreciably worldwide, merely increasing the efficiency with which we use energy or raw materials will not solve the environmental challenges facing humanity. The long-term welfare of both people and the other species with which we share the planet is dependent on stabilizing human numbers rapidly through voluntarily limiting family size. What does all this have to do with Population Media Centers social content soap operas? A lot. PMCs programs demonstrate the benefits of small families for its audiences, and they model lifestyles that support environmental preservation. In countries such as Brazil and Mexico, families observe how limiting the number of children they have will increase the opportunities they can provide for their children. By improving the quality of life in developing countries we help slow immigration to developed countries, thus limiting the growth of the highest consuming population. Of course, the demand for resources is the other half of the problem. In the United States, PMC has opened an office in Los Angeles to work with the U.S. entertainment industry to promote responsible lifestyles and to motivate consumers of American broadcast programs to delay childbearing until adulthood, to limit family size, and to become involved in population issues by demanding that policy makers address these issues in a positive way. By addressing population growth and consumption in both the US and abroad, PMCs work aims to alleviate the enormous and unsustainable drain on the environment. Our programs continue to show impressive results. Evaluation results from Burkina Faso, Cote dIvoire, Ethiopia, Mali, the Philippines and Sudan point to widespread effects on attitudes and behavior as a result of the programs PMC has broadcast in those countries. So far in 2006, PMC programs have gone on the air in Jamaica, Niger and Nigeria, and new projects are getting under way in Rwanda and Vietnam. Our long-term goal is to be active in 50 key countries. The support we receive from individuals, foundations, corporations, United Nations agencies, and governments are the reason for our progress. We thank you for making this work possible and for the positive impact we are making together. Best Wishes, William N. Ryerson President |
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