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Show Friday, 5. December 1997 The Daily Utah Chronicle - 5 population from page 4 what must happen versus an empirical analysis of what has happened over the long sweep of history." Neither Sean Siska nor Michael Salazar present facts that support or contradict overpopulation. To pick on Siska: Because the United States and Europe contribute 75 percent of the Earth's pollution doesn't necessarily mean that more people are going to contribute to more pollution. Siska's reasoning doesn't refute Salazar's argument appropriately. What does this statistic prove? If one looks at the smoke levels in London from 1800 till now, there is a significant reduction in pollution. I'm not arguing against the problems of overpopulation. Does the myth of overpopulation perpetuate like a virus, a Richard Dawkins "meme"? I believe so. I would argue that there is a problem with the notion of overpopulation. However crazy Salazar sounds, there is a grain of truth in what he feels. Overpopulation is a myth. Siska demonstrates facts, but what light does it shed on overpopulation? I argue that the the scarcity of natural resources including food and energy has been decreasing, and bask measures of US. environmental quality show positive trends. The aggregate data show no long-ru- n negative effect of population growth upon standard of living. "Models mat embody forces omitted in the past, especially the influence of population size upon productivity increase, suggest a long-ru- n positive effect of additional people." Michael Salazar's editorial is mostly unfounded, and as Sean Siska correctly points out, "bur facts and arguments to show how 'ridiculous' the population problem is were themselves ridiculous." And another point, not mentioned in Siska's argument: Using the Bible to support factual evidence is quite unsettling. Is it common among University of Utah students to support important arguments with the Bible? It's a notion I rather cringe at . Salazar's statement that "the one true resource is man's mind" is not completely unfounded, however, and I think it problem of overpopulation is not supported by factual evidence. According to information from the U.S. Census Bureau's "Statistical Abstract of the United States and Historical Statistics of the United States," the conditions that humanity suffers have not increased, they have decreased. Many facets of humanity have actually improved. The facts are so numerous; if one takes time to look them up, I feel they speak for themselves. In the journal Science, a summary about an article stated, "False bad news warrants some validity. People create resources using the mind and hard work, such is the case with improvements in agriculture technique that have yielded an increase in food supply throughout history. "Resources come out of people's minds more than out of the ground or air. Minds matter economically as much as, or more, than hands or mouths. Human beings create more than they use, on average," Simoa says Resources, for the most part, don't grow on trees. People produce them, it be food, they create them-whet- her new factories, machines, technologies, or stockpiles of mined, refined, and purified raw materials. I don't advocate ignoring problems such as pollution, and starving third-worl- d countries. I do, however, promote optimism and that traditional theories of overpopulation need EricRolph Junior Biology Iaii Hi fftt Whn- - dlfnm ,tit$Minuiu' DECEMBER 6TH 12:00 NOON INSTITUTE CHAPEL Richard Eyre FORMER MISSION PRESIDENT, AUTHOR, FORMER GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE series on Morality) (First of a two-pa- rt REFRESHMENTS IN THE CULTURAL HALL about population growth, natural FOLLOWING THE FORUM resources, and the environment is published widely in the face of contrary evidence. "For example, the world supply of arable land has actually been increasing, 1 j-jrfSbaC- St Deseret Book. Aril tWf SOMEtHDMG NEW. TV may Ik; growing a few gray hairs, but what you can do with it is still as fresh as a or Want to know more? Call www.dce.utah.edu. visit our Web site: morning rose. Watch. Learn. And earn University cmlil through the U of Us Telecourse program. Pull up a chair, turn on Winter classes begin January die tulw, and soak in the knowledge classes are broadcast on KU1.C Channel 9 and on cable. If die program's time doesn't match ydur schedule, set your VCR and view it later. , Dealing With Diversity 581-575- ETHNIC 5. WINTER QUARTER TELECOURSES: ECON 202 (4 credits) ' (4 credits) 1 HIST 102 (5 credits) History of Film Performing Arts LB ED 173 (5 Scientific Foundations of The U.S. Constitution Human Nutrition POL 101 (3 credits) World Regional Geography GEOGR 160 (5 credits) . DISTANCE EDUCATION Western Civilization from 300 A.D. FILM 332 (4 credits) FDNU Principles of Macroeconomics 391 CONTINUING EDUCATION UNIVERSITY OF UTAH S credits) 479 (4 credits) Introduction to Psychology PSYCH 101 (5 credits) |
