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Newsletter, Spring 2001

Please Note - As this newsletter was originally published in 2001, some of the information about events and references to other opportunities may no longer be timely. This and the other back issues of newsletters are archived here so that interested parties can get an idea of the kinds of activities in which World Population Balance is involved and learn about the importance of our growing population problem. To receive timely information, please subscribe to this free newsletter.

In this Issue:

Spotlight: U.S. Population Growth

Stallings Joins Staff: by Ben Stallings

Highlights of Fall Conference

From the President: by David Paxson

We Rely on Your Support!

Our Mission

Spotlight: U.S. Population Growth

The results of the April 2000 U.S. Census are coming in, and population growth statistics are among the first available. The U.S. as a whole grew 13.2% from 1990 to 2000. As of last April, U.S. population was 281,421,906. If we allow this high rate of growth to continue, our nation's population will double to 562 million -- over half a billion! -- in only 57 more years. That means we'll need twice as many schools and hospitals, homes and prisons -- and all other social infrastructure and resources -- by the year 2057. This is not a prescription for a viable, sustainable nation, especially since we are already straining and depleting many of our core resources -- with our current 281 million people.

Here in Minnesota we grew by 12.4% in the '90s. As of April 2000, we had 4,919,479 people. If we allow that rate to continue, we will double our numbers by 2060. Think about what that would do to many of our beautiful resources in this state.

The Twin Cities are an island of moderate growth (about 5.7%) amid a population explosion in surrounding counties. Scott and Sherburne counties are growing the fastest at about 54%, with the cities of Eden Prairie, Eagan, and Maple Grove topping the list. Bloomington actually lost 1.3% of its population.

Some states' populations grew faster than others: Nevada grew 66.3%. If that overwhelming rate of growth is allowed to continue, Nevada's population will double in just 14 more years! At the other extreme is North Dakota, which grew only 0.5%. California absorbed far more additional residents (4,111,627) than any other state. Arizona may be in the worst predicament, ranking 5th in net growth and 2nd in percentage increase (40%).

These figures came from http://www.census.gov/clo/www/redistricting.html and http://www.mnplan.state.mn.us/demography/ (where we also picked up the nice Minnesota map).

Stallings Joins Staff

by Ben Stallings

I'm very pleased to join the staff of World Population Balance. For most of my life I've been an environmental activist, but I didn't start thinking about the population growth/stabilization issue until after college. By then I had already found a career in community networking and a job as general manager at Twin Cities Free-Net. However, I remember thinking that if I'd known about the population problem earlier, I would have taken a different career path! I bought a copy of World Population (the video with the dots on the world map) and a curriculum guide called Earth Matters. Then I started giving informal population presentations for groups of friends.

At the Peace Prize Festival in the spring of 1999 I learned about World Population Balance and was surprised and pleased to find population educators here in town. Part of my mind said, "Ah ha! My next job!" and I sent in my membership form. In lieu of a donation, I offered to pay for World Population Balance to set up a Web site on the Free-Net. After many hours of Steve Hardy's excellent volunteer efforts, WorldPopulationBalance.Org came into existence.

At World Population Balance's October, 1999 conference I was very impressed by Albert Bartlett's strong presentation. However, it struck me that activists and public speakers who quote lots of statistics could strengthen their presenetations by citing their sources. So I started laying plans for a free, open database of citations, and WorksCited.Net is now up and running.

After the October 2000 conference, I mentioned to David Paxson that I was looking for a new challenge, and he said he wanted to increase staff. As we talked about the responsibilities I would have, Tom Breckenridge said it sounded like we were talking about a Chief Operating Officer... so that became my title.

Initially, much of my work has focused on computer and Web site improvements. Bill Nord and I moved the membership database to a new, more modern program. I am editing the newsletter, which we plan to publish on a more frequent basis. You an also expect to see more updates to the Web site as Steve Hardy and I expand it. Meanwhile, I'll be working on research to support our presentations and video productions.

I've come a long way to get here, and I'm thrilled to be here. All the people I've worked with so far are delightful and committed. I look forward to communicating with all of you and working with those of you who volunteer.

Ben Stallings is COO of World Population Balance.

David Pimentel Keynotes October 2000 Conference

At last fall's World Population Balance conference, "Population: Benefits of Slowing the Growth," the keynote speaker was David Pimentel of Cornell University. He focused on the environmental unsustainability of the human race's current population and consumption habits. Here are some of the facts he presented.

Of the world's 6.1 billion people, 3 billion have some form of malnourishment (caloric, vitamin, or other nutritional deficiency). This is the largest number of people to be malnourished ever in human history.

If the people of the world adopted a 2-child average in the year 2000, population would still not stabilize until 2040 at about 8.5 billion. This "population momentum" is due to our young age distribution; that is, there are more young people than old.

The population of the United States has doubled within Pimentel's lifetime and may double again in the next 70 years.

Pimentel estimates that we could sustain 200 million people in the U.S. if we reduced our energy consumption by 50%. (We currently have more than 248 million.) His research also indicates that the total number of people on Earth who could be sustainably supported at a European standard of living is only about 2 billion -- compared to the 6.1 billion we now have.

The amount of fossil fuel we consume each year is 50% greater than the amount of biomass that is being created each year. In other words, we're using up stored solar energy 50% faster than all the plants on earth can capture it.

99.7% of our food comes from the land, yet in 30 years we paved over an area of farmland larger than the state of Ohio! Each additional American requires about 1 acre of urbanization and highways, which means less land is available for growing food.

The US is losing topsoil to erosion 13 times faster than it can form. 30% of our agricultural land has been abandoned due to degradation in the last 40 years.

We can maintain our freedom to reproduce only if we sacrifice our freedoms from malnutrition, hunger, poverty, and pollution, and our freedom to enjoy nature and the environment. If we want to maintain those freedoms, we must curtail our freedom to reproduce.

His conclusion: If we do not control our numbers, nature is going to do it for us!

From the President

By David Paxson

This is an incredibly exciting time for World Population Balance and for raising population awareness!

Recently His Holiness the Dalai Lama visited Minnesota. He held live appearances with thousands and reached additional hundreds of thousands through extensive media coverage. When asked, "What do you think is the biggest crisis we face in the world today?" he responded: population. Public awareness and concern about population is increasing, and that is fabulous news!

During the past four months I did three extended speaking trips to other states. In each case I spoke live to several hundred people and reached thousands more through media coverage. None of these trips would have happened without the tremendous efforts of my local hosts.

I am forever grateful to Jim and Barb Lennington in Bismarck, ND, Caroline Beckett and members of the Audubon Population Committee in Madison, WI, and Mike Chamberlin at the Interlochen Center for the Arts near Traverse City, MI, for all the incredible work they did to arrange the dozens of presentations and media interviews.

In December I appeared on Public Television's NewsNight Minnesota and have given many other presentations in the state, including at colleges, schools, churches as well as Rotary and other service organizations.

It is an exciting time to be educating people about population stabilization. We are in the awareness-building business. The time is approaching when millions of Americans will understand that continuing population growth is not sustainable, that resources are limited, and that population stabilization is essential if we want to leave a viable, healthy, peaceful and sustainable planet for future generations.

I am greatly encouraged by watching the seeds we plant. Countless times I have seen people go from unawareness -- or even opposition -- to grave concern about population after they learn the facts.

We need your help to create this societal awareness. We need your time -- to help in our office, arrange meetings with elected officials, or arrange speaking opportunities. We need your financial support -- to help us maintain and expand our activities, to pay our staff, and to reach millions instead of thousands. Finally, we need your encouragement, prayers, and support to help us rekindle our energy and our spirits as we go out daily to raise awareness.

We Rely on Your Support!

World Population Balance has accomplished great things in the past few years. We've held three major conferences with expert guest speakers; we've reached at least 25,000 people with our own presentations; and our Web site has been read by people all over the world. This year looks even better! We have a lot of great plans for the future, and we need your support to help them happen!

We want to reach thousands more students and citizens. We want to educate elected officials and media reporters about the realities of this issue. We want to produce video programs about the impact of population growth on the Upper Midwest and Minnesota. We want to bring several nationally and internationally known speakers to Minnesota during the year, to help you become even more informed about his keystone issue of our time.

If you have not yet contributed and would like to support our many great activities, please take a moment to complete this form and send in your tax-deductible contribution.

You can also contribute online via credit card at http://worldpopulationbalance.org/about/join.html .

Our Mission

World Population Balance is a non-profit, educational organization dedicated to raising awareness about the benefits of population stabilization.

We present our message through public presentations and conferences, appointments with elected officials, written articles, our newsletter, and TV, radio and newspaper interviews.