Jessica Mookherjee Poetry

To think about …

Population and Earth’s Carrying Capacity

Fromhttps://worldpopulationhistory.org/carrying-capacity/: “How Many People Can the Earth Support?”, mathematical biologist Joel Cohen classifies current solutions into three paradigms: those looking for a “bigger pie” (improving technology), those advocating for “fewer forks” (slowing population growth), and those looking to rationalize and improve decision-making though “better manners” (changing global culture). Cohen argues that, standing along, each paradigm is necessary in solving our environmental crisis, but not sufficient. Change must come from a combination of all three. “Promoting access to contraceptives, developing economies, saving children, empowering women, educating men, and doing it all at once,” he writes, is a way to both lower our impact on the planet and improve the quality of life for all.

Women’s Reproductive Choices are political hot potatoes. Almost everything about women seems to be fairly hot. New Survey by the National Institute of Health in 2022 showed that women in UK are delaying having babies – one of the things women talked about was the ‘maternal urge and the biological clock’ and how ‘no one told us about this’. Patriarchy has known that it makes basic economic sense to have division of labour – someone to chop the wood and bring home the bacon and someone to breastfeed and keep the baby safe. Reality of capitalism is both (plus family) have to invest a lot of time and effort into baby. What to do if women also want education, political power and time to write poems? Much hand wringing and gnashing of teeth if the rich ‘husband’ or kind man-friend does not appear in time. Are there enough babies in the world anyway?

Amazingly life can be fulfilling and interesting not having kids. Something we sometimes don’t tell girls.

Population Decline will help the Earth – in the long run.

Check out the Scientific American in 2023 4th May 2023, which reported that “Declining populations will ease the pressure eight billion people put on the planet. As the population and sustainability director at the Center for Biological Diversity, I’ve seen the devastating effects of our ever-expanding footprint on global ecosystems”. Despite what Elon Musk would have us believe.