"There's a burning concern in the American West--almost an obsession--that Democrats did not touch in their convention [in Denver]. Nor will Republicans in St. Paul. It is the U.S. population explosion. The West is feeling the brunt of it, as flowing lava of housing developments and big-box crudscapes claim its cherished open spaces--and increasingly scare water supplies. ... And where oh where are they going to find water? Every county in Colorado was declared a federal drought disaster area in 2002, when the population stood at 4.5 million. It is expected to approach 8 million by 2035. ... Why isn't the population boom being discussed at the party conventions? Because its main driver is immigration--both the number of newcomers and their high birth rates. (The region is also trying to accomodate people relocating from other parts of the country, many of them trying to escape congested California.) Promoters of open borders like to drag race into any discussion of immigration, so that even those who focus on numbers, not skin color, fear to speak. The Sierra Club leaders have gone into hiding on the matter. ... 'It's called the third rail,' [Fred] Elbel [of Sierrans for U.S. Population Stabilization] told me. 'But immigration and urban population growth will be the defining issue for our country in this century.' The parties do talk about immigration, he adds, but never its environmental implications", Froma Harrop at the Houston Chronicle, 31 August 2008. Here's the link: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/5974826.html.
People sure talk about immmigration and its implications in Houston.
1 comment:
Immigration is obviously a part of the reason the population is increasing. But regardless of the short term factors involved, long-term the issue is going to crop up regardless. The earth has a finite carrying capacity.
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