Received: from localhost (gimenez@localhost) by csf.Colorado.EDU (8.8.4/8.8.4/CNS-4.1p-nh) with SMTP id RAA20533; Thu, 4 Jun 1998 17:33:18 -0600 (MDT) Date: Thu, 4 Jun 1998 17:33:18 -0600 (MDT) From: Martha Gimenez Reply-To: Martha Gimenez To: Nan Hildreth cc: PROGRESSIVE POPULATION NETWORK Subject: Re: Class and Mortality In-Reply-To: <3.0.1.32.19980604115153.006a5488@mail65.MCIONE.com> Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII These are interesting questions but too broad to elicit a solid response. U.S. consumption, as well as the consumption of all advanced capitalist countries undoubtedly affect consumption patterns in other nations. The interesting issue to me is the identification of the specific links between overconsumption in one country and underconsumption in others, but right now I cannot think of any specific recent studies. Now the issue of global instability and population growth is a different matter - it reminds of the alarmist literature of the late 1960s and early 1970s when Ehrlich's Population Bomb book was published and Barclay and Reynolds wrote their fascinating study of the Population Establishment. And Rius, the Mexican cartoonist and humorist author of books such as Marx for Beginners, Cuba for Beginners wrote Uncle Sam and his Population bomb. An article published in a recent issue of The Atlantic makes a good case for rejecting population bomb arguments while calling our attention to qualitative changes in the earth brought about by the normal functioning of the economy and current forms of resource utilization. In his view, it is not so much population growth in itself that will cause perhaps unsurmountable problems, but the unprecedented increase in the consumption of resources that will accompany it with their unavoidable effects upon the earth and its atmosphere. Solving the problem will require more than lowering the birth rate, though that will help. I think you will find it useful and it is, perhaps, an article members of PPN might like to read and discuss. I would be interested in what others think of it: Bill McKibben, A Special Moment in History. The Fate of the planet will be determined in the next few decades, through our technological, lifestyle, and population choices. The Atlantic Monthly, May 1998. And about your question about the relationship between economic insecurity and people's reproductive choices.... well, that depends on the kind of insecurities and the social class of the people we have in mind. People who risk losing their social and economic status are likely to plan the timing and number of births or might opt for remaining childfree, while those at the bottom of the class structure with nothing to lose might not be so worried about family size. But these are, of course, well known generalizations. I am not very clear about your last question with respect to human rights and environmental concerns. I will just say that the U.N. declaration on Human Rights include, besides the usual political and civil rights, the right to work and right to a good life - broady defined so that one could extrapolate (or perhaps the UN is explicit about this) and argue that to live in a pollution free environment and to have clean water to drink and adequate housing are important human rights and that everyone who pollutes violates the human rights of the people affected by the poisoned environment. in solidarity, Martha E. Gimenez Department of Sociology Campus Box 327 University of Colorado at Boulder Boulder, Colorado 80309 Voice: 303-492-7080 Fax: 303-492-5105 ******************************************* On Thu, 4 Jun 1998, Nan Hildreth wrote: > I am having a long discussion with some population people on an email list > who would focus on US population, specifically US immigration, and deny the > impact of growing US consumption on global consumption growth. And the > relationship between global instability and population growth. Has anyone > got pointers for me? Does economic insecurity affect people's choices > about having children? Are human rights equivalent to environmental > concerns? > > > > > > Nan Hildreth Nan.Hildreth@MciOne.com > Houston Population/Sustainability Contact > > In 1992, "When ...Ted Turner funded a competition to find a fictional work > demonstrating a plan for sustainability, ten thousand manuscripts poured > in. And yet, reports Turner, "we did not have one plausible treatise on > how we could get to a sustainable, peaceful future."' (Chellis > Glendinning's, "My Name is Chellis and I'm in recovery from Western > Civilization.", 1994, p 206) Also in 1992, Donella advised us to come up > with a positive vision of the sustainability transformation (Beyond the > Limits). >