World population growth becoming global issue Valorie M. Allen explains how the fights by environmental groups and world aid groups are all for nothing as every gain is soon overwhelmed by the pressures of more growth. Nick AlleN Pass Herald Reporter The world is about to hit a population level of eight billion people living on the planet. In the book Eight Billion Reasons Population Matters, Valorie M. Allen explains how the fights by environmental groups and world aid groups are all for nothing as every gain is soon overwhelmed by the pressures of more growth. Allen has spent the last 35 years working with environmental, population, and animal rights groups, and was awarded the Canadian Volunteer Award for her efforts. She is a proud member of Population Institute Canada, and this experience along with her many years in the education field, revealed the dire need for this book of hope and solutions. Eight Billion Reasons Population Matters takes an in-depth look at one of the planet’s greatest threats, that of too many people depleting the Earth’s resources and contributing to climate change. This book is an effort to demystify the puzzle of population growth and steer the planet toward a more intentional and promising future, rather than allow human nature to forge a path forward that leaves no space for a healthful existence. Allen offers an analysis of a world reeling from environmental, social, political, and economic crises. She goes further to provide examples of solutions and success stories. "Valorie Allen’s research and writing are essential to understanding how human society can settle down into a sustainable path. Allen’s new book Eight Billion Reasons Population Matters clearly articulates the importance of addressing population. It is also part of another important focus: Public education,” said Rex
Submitted photo
Author Valerie M. Allen holding up her newest book Eight Billion Reasons Population Matters.
Weyler, a founding member of Greenpeace International and author of Greenpeace: The Inside Story Allen explained how important it is to look at this issue from a woman’s perspective, a difference from many of the other population books that are available. “We've had a lot of men who have championed the cause for women's rights, but I think that this gives it a whole different perspective, especially on war, poverty and family planning,” said Allen. She credits Paul Ehrlich’s book The Population Bomb with influencing her work. Allen said the book was the start of recognizing the population issues facing the planet, but little headway has been made since it was published. She said one of the major issues in Canada is people see a huge country with room for a lot more people, but they don’t realize the climate is not suitable for a large population. "According to Population Institute Canada, we're already overpopulated in Canada, and there are a lot of indicators showing this,” said Allen. She says the lack of old growth forests and depletion of fisheries are two of the most recognizable im-
pacts on the environment here in Canada. The shorter growing season is also a factor in the size of the population that Canada can sustain along with the types of food we can produce. "A lot of the food that we eat is imported and can't be grown here, like bananas and all kinds of other grains and fruits,” explained Allen. Even with the increasingly efficient processes of food production, an ever-growing number of people will become impossible to feed as growth outpaces resources. This has led to more people joining the “childfree movement”. “There are a lot of women who are deciding not to have children,” said Allen, “They want to be child free, and they're making that choice based on either climate change or all the other environmental problems.” She recognizes that she probably wouldn't have written the books or done the volunteer work she was able to do if she had children. She said it allowed her to contribute more to the causes she cared about, though she acknowledged that going child-free is not for everyone. Cont’d on page 2