Recently, I have read an article quoting a student asking if it is true that the entire population of the Philippines (90 million) could fit in the island of Bohol in the Visayas region. Conservative groups have since been attacking environmentalists for being alarmist and they oppose government intervention regarding environmental matters, specifically the population question, claiming that we have no population problem and therefore no need for family planning.
By simple arithmetic, they;re right. Fitting all Filipinos into Bohol would have about 20,000 people/square kilometer, just about the density of Quezon City. But who would like to live in such an atmosphere where even your beaches would deteriorate in such a short period of time. Boracay with all its glory, is already showing the kind of damage a large population can inflict.
List of what to do to protect the environment focuses on flora and fauna, and ways to combat pollution; personal initiatives consists of minimizing the use of plastic bags, not eating shark's fin, recycling paper, and the use of CFL lights instead of incandescent bulbs. These are all good advocacies, but we often fail to address an important variable connecting environment degradation to population growth. The greatest predator, the greatest threat today to the world's environment, is Homo Sapiens.
Love the environment, but recognize how much people need in terms of food, shelter, clothing, and most importantly, a natural environment that nourishes both body and soul. I personally do not support State restrictions like China's one-child policy, but we should also question the argument that people should just have as many children as they can afford. Sure, a couple could have so much money they could afford a dozen children, but the costs of having it will be shouldered not just by the family and the community but the entire planet, and by generations yet to be born.
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