POPULLUTION

The heading of this post I have termed popullution. It is a term I have coined. The term is a fusion of population and pollution. It means pollution caused by population (human) explosion. Population explosion is the unbridled increase in the number people living on planet Earth. Population explosion has turn out to be the basic cause of dysfunctions in the natural environment. In a number of my posts I have indicated many a time the indispensable interconnect between man and nature. The material life of man is derived from, and sustained by resources from the natural environment. Air, water and soil all play essential roles in the sustenance of life of man. In using the resources, man has overexploited the natural environment leaving in its trail a messy natural environment.  

As a result of this there has developed a concern of resource depletion. A reversal of that trend is the concept of sustainable development. What it means is that in using the resources (which is meant for the use man) of the natural environment man must do it in a way that future generations will have something to live off.   

Overexploitation of the natural environment which results in resource depletion, is not driven by greed, competition and consumption only, but by population explosion as an underpinning cause. Simply put the more people we get on planet Earth the more resources man should extract from the natural environment for their use. Extraction of resources from the natural environment for industrial/commercial purposes has moral dimensions driven by competition and profit. Even without the moral dimension, the sheer increase in population should take its toll on natural environment; some of the resources in the natural environment are exhaustible!

Just look around you. Many more people are using mobile phones than ever before. Many more people are using automobiles. Check the gridlocks on our roads. Many more buildings are being built for human occupation. What it means is that more vegetation is being replaced with concrete jungles. There is more lighting for cities. You take Las Vegas for example, and ask yourself whether people there can see natural light at night.

The end result of popullution is a natural environment in disarray. The excess carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere by the increasing number of people on planet Earth is causing global warming. A warming planet is causing ice sheets to melt. The melting ice sheet in turn cause rise in sea level. A rising sea needs more space, and that space is land occupied by man (you may check my last post).

Another form of popullution is careless disposal of plastic, turning water bodies for example into a plastic dump. Time was when I go to the beach to enjoy a refreshing environment. Today, it is not a pleasant thing for me to do. It is not a pleasant thing for me to do because more often than not you will find yourself surrounded by plastic waste; plastic waste washed ashore and floating on the sea.    

The basic solution to popullution that easily comes to mind is population control. Why is it that when the population of animals in game reserves is increasing, posing a threat to balance in the game reserve, measures are taken to bring the number of animals down? Why is it that on the other hand, when a species is facing extinction measures are taken to right-size its population? Why is it that man has not been able to control their numbers successfully on planet Earth in a way as to prevent popullution?

A more basic key question is that, given the history of man on planet Earth, is man properly programmed to handle the natural environment? Popullution prompts that question, and is a manifestation of man’s mishandling of the natural environment.

Perhaps as a consequence, a revolution is ongoing. A revolution to reprogram man to fit into the natural environment so as not to upset the balance in the natural environment. A revolution to plan and right-size human numbers- China tried it. A revolution to eventually put paid to populltution.

Using solar energy instead of energy derived from fossil fuel is a path of the revolution. Solar energy is inexhaustible. Using a biodegradable carrier bag is another path of the revolution. The educated tend to control, plan and right-size their families.

How successful this revolution is going to be depends on how sustainably responsive you are going to be.