Why Is This Major Source of Global Warming Being Ignored?

Global warming is not a burning issue (no pun intended.) for me. This is not because I don't believe that anthropogenic climate change is a menace to humankind. It certainly is. But for one  thing as an old man, I don't think that I will live long enough to see its dire consequences.  However,  before you dismiss me as an unfeeling geezer, there's more to the story.

From the time that I became an adult over 50 years ago, I, have been conservation-minded, and  would like to think that compared to many other people, I,  along with my wife, have left a relatively small carbon footprint, simply by living a modest life style. All the vehicles that we ever owned had only four cylinders, and we commuted to work public transportation, years at a time, when it was feasible to do so. We've been responsible consumers of both material goods  and energy, such as by practicing  recycling and  setting our thermostat high in the summer and low in the winter.  In short, like others who care about the environment,  we've done our best to  walk the talk.

The proportion of climate researchers who support the theory that global  warming is caused by humans stands at 95%.  Accordingly, various movements have sprung up in an attempt to put the brakes on this man-made climate change. However, there is a serious issue that as far as I'm concerned makes their efforts ring hollow: the failure  to address the matter of overpopulation.

In fact in recent  years  the very topic of population control seems to have become unfit for discussion in polite company.   Yet some experts say not to worry about such growth  because overall the world's fertility rate is dropping, and further that the main problem is not too many people but overconsumption.  However, even in a report that takes this position, there's disagreement. on which way the trend of fewer children per family worldwide is really heading, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa. On the other hand, another report reflects the tie in between population growth, resulting energy consumption, greenhouse gases,  and  warming as intrinsically linked throughout the world.

But for the sake of argument, assume that our planet could sustain continuing population growth beyond the almost 8 billion people who are already here. What about the environmental havoc that such numbers of people will further wreak on the world?  Consider the ecological fallout from the recent fires that were deliberately set in the Amazon rain forest, or the trash that has been found in such contrasting points as the Mariana Trench  and on Mount Everest, and in the bellies of sea life.  . That reflects how little regard humankind has for what has been rightly called our only home. And yet we still want to crank out the  2 billion more inhabitants of this planet that are expected by 2050? It's true that the worldwide fertility rate is falling, but not fast enough to reduce the strain that already exists on our natural and man-made resources.

With that increase in mind, those who have remained child-free  as my wife and I have done, are well within our rights  to be especially critical of widespread irresponsible human reproduction in which people have children ''because it is God's will'' or just plain for ego, gratification, but for whom they cannot or will not adequately provide and nurture. It is such willful blindness that has greatly contributed to the population problem that the world now faces.

So how can we slow the population growth rate? One way is to change to the tax code in counties like the U.S. At present the IRS there rewards taxpayers for having large broods by offering  them a child tax credit child for every baby they pop out. That law should be revised such that people who have more than two children are penalized for every additional child that they bring into this world. Further, there  would be no tax penalty but no credit either for the maximum number of two children people wish to  have.

Another solution is for the Catholic Church to end its ban on contraceptives. This is especially vital in poor and overpopulated countries where the Church holds sway such as the Philippines. This is why it's absolutely ridiculous for  Pope Francis to profess concern about humankind's roll in climate change in light of his opposition to the utilization of this effective method in birth control and family planning.

Even if the need to reign in the world's burgeoning population is recognized, it's going to take will and determination on  a national and on an international level to carry it out. That won't be easy, but using that prospect as an excuse for inaction or continuing to pretend that there is no overpopulation problem will only spell doom for other efforts to control global warning and in all likelihood for humankind itself.

A Special Anniversary

The following is a sligthtly revised version of my response to the "Atheist Revolution" blog post "Why Can't You Keep Your Atheism to Yourself?"


Aug. 27 marks my 14th year of living as a retired American expat in the Philippines which is probably the most devout Roman Catholic country in the world. Yet I'm still more comfortable as an openly Jewish atheist here than I was while living in California in the bright red Inland Empire and working in Orange Country at a company where evidently I was the only Jew and likely the only atheist among over 100 employees, many of whom were Christian fundies.

Not once since I've been here have I been seriously challenged about my ethnicity or godlessness, even by my wife's family who are almost all devoted Catholics and who I'm sure have seen my posts in Facebook stating my opposition to religious belief. My wife BTW is also an atheist but not as outspoken about it as I am.

However, even if I were rejected for my what and  who I am, that wouldn't be a reason to change my beliefs or even pretend to do so for the sake of appearance. But being accepted certainly makes life a lot easier.

Ruthlessness And Religion

A few nights ago, my wife Lydia and I went out to dinner at a restaurant down the street from  our residence.  About halfway through the meal Lydia got a small piece of shrimp shell stuck in her throat. She wasn't  choking, but it was painful and hard for her to swallow  The nearby clinics that could have taken care of her were  already closr the evening, so that left only one alternative--a trip to a hospital ER, the closest of which is about 5km (3 miles) from our area.

Just our luck it was a rainy evening, and taxis were hard to come by, but we finally got one. However, due to the cab scarcity, the driver  took  advantage of  our situation and demanded a high flat rate  instead of running the meter. Under the under the circumstances we had no choice but to accept.
 

Just as we got in and the driver was about to  pull into traffic, he crossed himself, which is a common  gesture here in the Philippines among devout Catholics beseeching God's protection at the start of a journey. 
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A couple of blocks into the trip, Lydia suddenly coughed, which dislodged the shell, so no  need for the  ER after all. Even  the driver said something to the effect that  God is good. So we turned around and went home. However,  traffic was so heavy that the metered fare wouldn't have been much more than the driver's demanded amount anyway. So we paid it. And all things considered, we were just so glad that Lydia was okay that the fare wasn't worth arguing about. But the point is if the cabbie was so pious, he had a strange way of showing it by exploiting an urgent matter to squeeze extra money from his passengers. I can't help but wonder how much more he would have socked it to us if our need had been really dire.

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Can Atheists Work Together with God-believers for a Common Cause?

The following originally appeared as a response to a post in "Atheist Revolution" on a different subject but I slightly revised it to discuss the following related issue..

In theory, atheists and god-believers should be able to  work together for a cause in which they both have a stake, such as promoting  a political candidate who equally recognizes both groups. Such was  the case with President Obama.  In his 2009 inaugural address  he stated "We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus, and nonbelievers...".

But this is a rare occurrence. What's more common are scenarios in which liberal atheists who support the Democrats had to put up with the likes of Hillary Clinton,  who during  the  2016 election campaign continually  harped on her Methodist faith, ("Why do Democrats keep snubbing atheists? We help drive the party")  In all fairness maybe she did that to win over the ''god and  guns'' demographics, but it obviously didn't work and it turned off a lot of atheists, including me. I can't imagine that it was much better for conservative non-believers who  were confronted with Trump's' and Christian evangelists  hijacking of the  Republican party.

And as likely as not, when working with Christian organizations, atheists will be marginalized, just based on their numbers which will likely be much smaller than that of their religious counterparts. The majority mentality of the latter may well extend to such procedural matters as insistence on starting meetings with a prayer, notwithstanding the awkward position such rituals place the non-believers in attendance. This is a common occurrence even in the public domain, such as city council public sessions, and for which, unfortunately the U.S.Supreme Court has already given the green light.

So atheists who want to join forces with theists need to go into such  alliances with eyes wide open and be prepared for a range  of  responses extending from initial acceptance to outright  rejection, with the latter a more likely eventual outcome.

An Atheist's Perspective on Accepting Reality

As is likely the case with many other seniors, I often consider (but don't dwell on) my mortality.  I know that there's a chance that I could live into my 90's as did my maternal grandfather. But the odds that will happen are slim, and of course there's the matter of possible / probable deterioration in the quality of life itself, as my physical and mental health may fail even if I remain ''alive''.  That's the real world.

But most other elderly people whom I know are theists and are convinced that when they die, they will go to heaven and be with God and their loved ones for eternity. How sad that they can achieve peace of mind only from illusions like this.

I have to admit that it's a bit daunting to contemplate the probable reality that the life we're now living is the only one we'll ever have and that when we die, it's lights out forever. Yet, it's that same likelihood of complete ''finis'' that makes me realize that the good things that I have here and now should be appreciated and enjoyed.while I'm still able to do so.

This post originally appeared  as a comment in response  to the Dec. 26, 2018 "Atheist Revolution" blog  post "Welcome to the Real World''.