Alarm sounds on US population boom

The Boston Globe ^ | August 31, 2006 | John Donnelly

[A. Pole]

WASHINGTON -- The United States, now at nearly 300 million people, is the only industrialized country that has experienced strong population growth in the last decade, creating concerns that the boom and Americans' huge appetites for food, water, and land will sharply erode the nation's natural resources in coming years, according to a report released yesterday.

The Northeast remains by far the most densely populated region of the nation, but it also had the slowest population growth in the country during the 1990s

[...]

In contrast, the South and the West were booming, creating new pressure on fragile environments and water sources.

For the first time, the report compared national and regional population trends with environmental indicators, highlighting stresses that growing populations are placing on nature, according to the report and outside analysts.

While some researchers focus on alarming fertility rates in poor countries, which grew by 16.3 percent from 1995 to 2005, the US population grew by 10.6 percent in that period, or 29 million people, the report noted. Europe during that time grew by 504,000 people, or less than 1 percent.

[...]

Americans consume like no other nation -- using three times the amount of water per capita than the world average and nearly 25 percent of the world's energy, despite having 5 percent of the global population; and producing five times more daily waste than the average in poor countries.

[...]

But the booming South and West regions show some of the most dramatic environmental stresses, according to the report. For example, the four fastest-growing states -- Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, and Utah -- all have areas of acute water shortages.

[...]

[Vision]

Isn't there a bunch of water around Dallas?

[JasonC]

LA is barely growing, much slower than the country as a whole. New York is treading water and losing relative population, as is most of the NE (only low tax NH is an exception). Nevada, Arizona (and not Phoenix incidentally, which is no more than the national average), Florida, Utah, Idaho, Texas, Colorado, North Carolina, and Delaware are the states gaining population significantly faster than the whole country - the first 6 by double digit rates in just the last 5 years, and Nevada in particular over 20% in that period.

You don't know anything about America, you are just another Malthusian fool stuck in failed 19th century thinking.

[Vision]

What's up with Gary? I hear the stories.

[wideminded]

Everywhere that is green and gray is pretty much open for more settlement.

The gray spots all seem to deserts, frozen places, or jungles.

[Tenacious 1]

[What's up with Gary? I hear the stories.]

Gary is almost a suburb of chicago. It is a thug staging area and retreat for the intrepid misguided souls that would otherwise call Illinois home. It was a steel town at one point. Today it looks like something you might see in a third world country. I don't like to talk about it. If not for Michael Jackson and the highest per capita murder rate competition it has with DC, no one would have ever heard of it.

[reformedliberal]

My son works for himself. He has contracts with companies in many places. He works over the web. Living in the rural heartland doesn't limit ones options.

I don't like your attitude that we should keep importing people into this country to fill non-crisis cities because we can; especially while we are going through major cultural wars, illegal immigrant protests aimed at hurting our economy, and jihad.

What attitude? I was simply responding to your statements about there not being any lesser populated places with infrastructure.

I said nothing at all about cultural wars, illegals or jihadis. I have no idea where you got that, except perhaps living in ant hills tends to increase people's free floating hostility.

You could take a look at my posts. I have been here since 2000. However, out of compassion:

I resent the progressive culture being pushed down our throats even here in the boonies. I served my time on the left back in the day and it has changed into something so ugly and dangerous as to be unrecognizable.

We have illegals here. They live mostly in one little village and keep to themselves. I don't employ them. I know of people who do. I know farmers who wish they could find reliable hands, but won't hire illegals. So far, I can't say they have degraded our lifestyles. We still don't lock our doors and there hasn't been a murder in over a year. Most violence is domestic in nature and fueled by alcohol. In fact, the home grown progressives have made more hell on earth than anyone else.

There is one Muslim landowner on the tax rolls in my entire county. No one I know has any knowledge of him. I support getting them out of the country and would be happiest if they disappeared from the planet. I am too old to think that will happen, so I vote and work for the most conservative candidate available and in the general elections I am forced to vote GOP to keep the enablers out of office.

Agenda? I want the America I knew in the 40s and 50s. I also hope that fellow conservatives would direct their understandable angst towards those who would take our nation into dhimmitude, instead of venting at someone who was merely pointing out that there is a lot of room in America, complete with modern and serviceable infrastructure and filled with Americans.

BTW, while I haven't been to the DC area for at least 10 years, I complained about the traffic there even back then. I was told by locals to remember that those roads were designed by the same people who designed this country. The problems of the metropolis goes deeper than illegals and jihadis. Not counting the freeways, many roads were designed for horses and wagons.

Nor do I think the entire population increase in America is due to illegals, terrorists and progressives. Out here, people still are having babies and many come from families of eight-to-ten siblings, almost all of whom not only had three or more children, but those children are having children.

Get out of the cities. America is still here and it is thriving. Not only do we thrive, we are still civil to one another.

[Vision]

That was a very nice post.

Let's focus this, why do you want more people in this country? I thought the point you were trying to make before was that we have plenty of room in the country. My point is, we don't unless people start building more cities...and people actually stay in those cities.

[reformedliberal]

I did not say I wanted more people in America. However, more people, per se, is not something awful to be feared. I see nothing threatening about people having children and everyone living longer, healthier lives. Some legal immigration is positive for America. Both my husband and myself had one parent who was a naturalized American citizen.

I want America to grow and prosper. Europe is dying because they are not having children. We are a capitalist society and capitalism needs builders, entrepreneurs, investors and a market.

Why do we need more cities if our population grows? Some people like cities, I guess, and they are convenient for activities like theaters, galleries, areanas, convention centers and other venues that need to attract a large audience. But why can't people also live as they do in my area: we have acres of land for each family, much of it productive of both food and commodities due to the labor of those families and the jobs they provide. Some is simply lovely wild land useful for hunting or gathering or contemplating or recreation. Some is too steep or too wet or too dry for very many people and will always remain wild, except, perhaps, for the adventuresome isolationists who choose land no one else wants.

Being separated from your neighbors by at least 1/4 mile or more is conducive to appreciation of other people and engenders hospitality. We help each other in times of need. We form volunteer fire and EMT squads. Our elderly might move into town and towns of a few thousand are perfect, with shopping available nearby and hospitals and clinics close at hand. Villages of a few hundred are also great for some people who want some closer neighbors, but not too many, and who want to be closely involved with the running of a tiny community.

Personally, I don't care for towns, let alone cities. I may be forced to move to town in 20 years or sooner, if either of us should experience failing health, but it would take that sort of exigency to move me out of the country.

Actually, I could make a stronger case for more people to move to the rural areas to replace our retiring farmers. You folks in the cities need food and lumber and someone has to provide it. I must not be alone in this, as we have a lot of younger folks moving here in the past ten years or so and many of them farm.

With the Internet, one can be a "knowledge worker" and still live in spacious and open rural areas or small villages or towns. Rural residents can also commute to midsized cities if they want to work or provide services that need a larger market. Since not everyone commutes, the roads aren't congested and over the years, they are improved.

We have an Interstate system that facilitates transport and several large businesses whose purpose it is to move goods, not only to the cities, but between rural and small town residents. Many manufacturers operate out of rural or small town venues with ease. We have river traffic and railroads, too, for the same purposes but for different commodities.

There are so many options that they are almost limitless. I neither advocate more or larger cities or that the natural population increase from generation to generation will eventually overwhelm the countryside. Some who are born in the country will be drawn to the cities and vice versus.

Are you advocating zero population growth? If so, how would that be enforced? Humans have been fruitful and multiplied forever. We have lived, as a species, in many different arrangements. I suspect we shall continue to do just that.

Some of us stay in one place. Others move from place to place. Some will leave America. Some will come here. As long as it is orderly and legal, I don't see a problem.

[Vision]

Being separated from your neighbors by at least 1/4 mile or more is conducive to appreciation of other people and engenders hospitality

I imagine.

[HarmlessLovableFuzzball]

Americans consume like no other nation

Who's stopping the other nations from consuming ?

[A. Pole]

A population boom in th US is not a bad thing if you look at the way things are going in Europe and the rest of the world.

Population of France started to grow in the last few years. And this growth is accelerating. I wonder why?

[A. Pole]

There is PLENTY of room left in the world and especially the USA for more people. Everywhere that is green and gray is pretty much open for more settlement.

Canada, Algeria and Australia seems to have even more room.

[NRA2BFree]

In contrast, the South and the West were booming, creating new pressure on fragile environments and water sources.

That's because we're over run by illegals!! IF we have a recession again, who do the mental giants in DC think is going to take care of all the extra people? They're so stupid!!! You know they haven't even given that a thought!!

[A. Pole]

In other words the only industrialized country that people want to move to

Millons of people move to Western Europe too.

[FreedomCalls]

>>In other words the only industrialized country that people want to move to

>Millons of people move to Western Europe too.

Quoting the article: "The United States, now at nearly 300 million people, is the only industrialized country that has experienced strong population growth in the last decade."

If what you say is true, then it must also be true that millions of people have moved out of Western Europe over the last decade, because according to the article "The United States ... is the only industrialized country that has experienced strong population growth in the last decade."

[roaddog727]

"Population of France started to grow in the last few years. And this growth is accelerating. I wonder why?"

I would suspect that the Population growth acceleration in France is not so much due to the indigenous French themselves, but the immigrant populations from various middle eastern states.

[junta]

Our economic growth almost mirrors the growth in miles driven by Americans. Its not going to be pretty once world oil production starts to mirror the American production slope and yet world demand still rises.

[HungarianGypsy]

People stay in rural areas. I'm an example (hometown population is around 225, high school alma mater is pop. 4300, town I live in now is pop. 775), along with many people I've known since childhood. Many have moved to cities/suburbs, but many have not. Cities are nice places to visit now and then, if one avoids rush hour, but you couldn't pay me enough to ever even think of living in one.

I have lived in a city all my life. Would love to live in a rural area. It's that whole money and job issue, though.