Posted on 07/24/2008 7:50:26 PM PDT by Coffee200am
Universal access to contraception is needed to help fight climate change, it has been claimed.
A spiralling global population, with an annual increase of 79 million people, is driving up greenhouse gas emissions, John Guillebaud of University College, London, and GP Pip Hayes of St Leonard's Practice, Exeter, said.
And in an editorial in the British Medical Journal they raised the question of whether people in the UK should be told that stopping at two children is "the simplest and biggest contribution" that can be made to saving the planet.
The doctors said every person born adds to greenhouse gas emissions, with demand for food, fossil fuels, water and forests outstripping supply. And they pointed to research from the Optimum Population Trust which said that each new birth in the UK will be responsible for 160 times more greenhouse gas emissions than a birth in Ethiopia.
While they said pressure should not be put on people over the number of children they have, doctors should show that family size has an impact on the environment - just like patio heaters and cars.
"Should we now explain to UK couples who plan a family that stopping at two children, or at least having one less child than first intended, is the simplest and biggest contribution anyone can make to leaving a habitable planet for our grandchildren?" they wrote.
"We must not put pressure on people, but by providing information on the population and the environment, and appropriate contraception for everyone (and by their own example), doctors should help to bring family size into the arena of environmental ethics, analogous to avoiding patio heaters and high-carbon cars."
Globally, they said, a rising population has led to food shortages, escalating prices and riots, while growing demands for food exacerbates climate change through the use of transport and fertilisers.
Around half of pregnancies around the world are unplanned, with many women unable to access contraception because of a lack of empowerment or abuse from partners, family or authorities. Doctors should help eradicate myths and rules that prevent women accessing family planning, the editorial said.
Population and family planning seemed taboo words in the climate change debate, they argued, adding: "Isn't contraception the medical profession's prime contribution for all countries?"
If these hypocrites truly believed there are too many people in industrialized nations, they’d go off themselves.
I’ve got the gun and the bullet for them. I’ll pick up the tab.
I don’t believe in birth control any more. Have as many kids as the Lord will bless you with.
“raised the question of whether people in the UK should be told that stopping at two children is “the simplest and biggest contribution” that can be made to saving the planet.”
Civilized nations can reduce their population to make room for the turd world who likes to multiply starvation and disease along with barbarism. What a stupid idea.
Yeah sure. I propose exactly the opposite.
Boy, oh boy, the Western world is setting itself up nicely for Islamic rule:
1. Declining birthrates
2. Irrational multicultural surrender
Cleaner skies explain surprise rate of warming
09 July 2008
From New Scientist Print Edition. Subscribe and get 4 free issues
http://environment.newscientist.com/channel/earth/mg19926634.800-cleaner-skies-explain-surprise-rate-of-warming.html?feedId=online-news_rss20
Cheers!
Ooops.Missing link.
How bout we start by limiting all politicians and government bureaucrats to one child per family first. Let’s see how it works out with them first. Give it 20 years. Damn the results, we care - give us points for that, our INTENTIONS are good.
Further, lets force all politicians and government bureaucrats to take public transportation, carpool with at least 2 other people, walk, or use bicycles.
Take all the air conditioning out of all governemt office buildings. Give them a small desk fan.
Force all govt buildings in the winter to keep heat no higher than 65 degrees. No personal space heaters. Require them to bulk up on clothes like the average person will be doing.
Per Cheryl Crowe, set all toilet paper dispensers in government buildings to dispense only 1 square of toilet paper per visit.
Force all govt offices to us CFL and tube flourescent bulbs. If one breaks, call hazmat.
I have so f@cking had it with these Big Brother , pointy-headed elitist numb nuts thinking they can force US to do things we don’t want to do while themselves, they can keep wasting more and more and never having to change their behaviors.
LEAD BY EXAMPLE you political bastards! You start feeling the pain first, see how you damn like it.
How many articles have we seen about how the indigenous European population is not even replacing itself? And now someone is making this loony proposal. Why tell people to stop at two children when most European nations are already below that?
These busy bodies and totalitarian wannabes just can’t shut up.
WTF happened to Ananova. I’m surprised they are still around and where did the talking chick go?
Voila! If they can convince everyone that there is Global Warming, and that it is being cause by humans, they can convince governments that it's in best interest of everyone to limit the numbers of children born into the world.
they must hate that size zero chick from england...
I forgot to mention,
All politicians and govt bureaucrats cannot drive SUVs or large vehicles. It doesn’t matter if there are security concerns or not, this is about saving the planet, not them. They must all drive small hybrids (prius, hondas), sub-compacts like the Geo Metro, or the new Indian Nano car by Tata.
Lol...It’s on my list. With 500 news sites on the list...2/3 are AP stories.
You don't have a problem with religion, you have a problem with Freedom and what people choose to do with it. Individuals are free to exercise religion as they see fit, particularly when it doesn't impose anything on you.
It is true that the Church does engage in public policy issues as an organization of individual citizens collected under the banner of shared belief, petitioning the government for certain laws, etc., which *might* impose on your life somehow.
But rather than engaging in debate or protest against the public policy issues that may affect you, you instead steal property from the Church and desecrate it.
While you could more reasonable object to the Church being involved in a public policy process, you instead target for ridicule and desecration the Eucharist which is stolen and are, in effect, assaulting the individually chosen beliefs of fellow humans for no other reason than to express your own hatred for their self-determination and for free expression.
We could also assume that you are smart enough to know that this is not a way to open people eyes to the mistaken ways of their beliefs. I guess you lacked the sophistry and semi-intellectual capabilities of Dawkins.
But you aren't smart enough to realize that this was a great way for you to get yourself killed by our less tolerant brothers, the Muslim Fundamentalists (see Pim Fortuyn) - but at least we Catholics will pray for you.
Here’s a better idea. Zero children. Wait a few years and Bingo, no more worrying about global warning, carbon footprints or high gas prices.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.