Krystal Sykes

In J. Kenneth Snail’s article he writes about “Ten Inescapable Realities” which help support his belief that even a program of zero population wouldn’t be enough to reduce the world’s population. Snail feels that “it would take at least two to three generations” of no population increase just to get to a point where the Earth’s population would be considered stable. He points out that adolescents are already here and on top of that there’s their parents, grandparents (sometimes great too) and maybe even their children. With this fact we look at the time they’ll be around, probably until 2050. On top of this, though not all will survive this long, birth rates are greater than death rates which in turn will continue to increase the population by billions. Even if we took this factor out, our resources are not infinite. Although we have made huge technological advances, it won’t be enough for the already seven billion people forever. It is an already seen fact that resources are running out and that’s just for the developed countries. Because it is an apparent growing problem, Snail suggests that it’s “better for our species to err on the side of prudence, exercising wherever possible a cautious and careful stewardship.” With time continuing to move forward and our constant discoveries, many simply feel we can find some magical answer to any problem. We are the “dominant” species on Earth, even if we are also a disease infecting the planet. We need to become individually aware of our environment and what every small action actually does to the planet and the millions of other species. Instead of being the “absolute masters” we need to realize that humans are the cause of the destruction and we have to share the Earth among species and respect each habitat in order to preserve it.
BY KRYSTAL