People and the Environment: Can the two co-exist?

Dear Claire, Shane, and John: As the following letter published in a local paper points out, you are asking entirely the wrong question for your April 24th session. The real question is "People and Environment: Can the two co-exist?" Dear Sir: According to Statistics Canada, Canada has a very rapid rate of population growth when compared to other countries. “Between 2001 and 2006, Canada's population increased 5.4%, the first time since 1991 that the census-to-census growth rate has accelerated. This acceleration during the past five years was due to higher levels of immigration. Canada had a faster rate of growth than any other member of the G8 group of industrialized nations between 2001 and 2006.” That high rate continues, and there are calls by politicians and the business community to increase it even further. In contrast, there are calls by citizens’ groups to halt population growth and immigration across the spectrum, making it clear that this is not a racist perspective, but rather an environmental one. Recent polls in the United States and other countries show that the majority of people in general support population control, but that the people in control do not. From July 1 to October 1, 2007, Canada’s population increased by 115,200 people, or about 46,000 households at an average of 2.5 persons per household. British Columbia is growing more rapidly than most other provinces, and takes a large share of that growth. At the current annual growth rate of 1.4%, British Columbia’s population stands to double within 50 years. In one year, the increase will be about 60,000 people, or about 24,000 households. In that light, it’s indeed sad that BC Hydro tries to make us feel good about the recent Earth Hour, where people are urged to turn off their lights for an hour. According to an article in the Lakeshore News (April 4, 2008, p. 10), BC Hydro claims that, if all British Columbians turned off their lights for one hour every evening, “the combined savings would be enough to power more than 4,000 homes for an entire year.” Putting the two numbers together, British Columbians would apparently have to turn off their lights for about 6 hours each day in order to accommodate the provincial population growth in just one year. After four years of this, we will apparently have to leave our lights off permanently, 24 hours a day, in order to accommodate the growth. This is just another example of the futility of conservation efforts in the face of population growth, and economic growth I might add. And worse, further population growth only makes other problems much worse. Loss of biodiversity, loss of farmland, further depletion of fish stocks and resources, and a host of other serious problems lead us even closer to the brink of ecological collapse, and to the other grim predictions from a large and increasing number of voices on this planet. At some point, we will shed our arrogant assumption that we and our economy are somehow immune from the limits of the natural world. Whether that comes before or after the collapse of our civilization is the question. Exactly like a cancer, we are rapidly killing our host with unchecked growth. Sincerely, Rick Shea, 1375 Salmon River Road, Salmon Arm, B.C. 833-4053 Postscript On Wednesday, January 24, 2007, Environment Critic Shane Simpson shouted in the Campbell River Museum, “I will not tell people not to come to British Columbia!” Why not? If he was a motel owner, would he never tell passing motorists that there were no more vacancies? If he was a fire marshal, would he never say there was a limit to the number of people who could sit in a given restaurant or movie theatre? When told that Qualicum Beach had capped its population, at first he expressed disbelief. He was unaware of such a pivotal move having taken place in his own province. Then he haughtily dismissed its legality, “It won’t last, it is illegal”. But it is completely in keeping with the Charter, as is the simple device of refusing to issue more building permits. The province now tells people they just can’t visit the West Coast Trail or Bowron Lakes on whim. The principle is already established. As the environment falls under siege, more and more people will be excluded from popular destinations be they Provincial Parks, seaside towns or the province itself. And of course, the easiest measure of all would be to restore immigration levels to sane pre-Mulroney era levels. But oh no, “I am not going to tell people they can’t come to Canada.” Very well then, suffer energy growth. Since 1970 US population grew by 43%, GHG emissions grew by 43%. Since 1990, Australia’s population grew by 30%, and its GHG emissions grew by 30%. The correlation is clear. Face it. Tim Murray Quadra Island, BC