Population impact (split from Is global warming the most urgent environmental crisis ?)

[mistermack]

That's right. But some ifs are more realistic than others. 

IF you compare ifs, yours of making life comfortable in countries like Haiti, are in the realm of fantasy. 

Mine, of providing free family planning  to all in such countries, might indeed never happen, but only because nobody tried. There's no economic barrier to it. 

[Peterkin]

24 minutes ago, mistermack said:

Mine, of providing free family planning  to all in such countries, might indeed never happen, but only because nobody tried.

Why do you think nobody tried? 

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Given the magnitude of the family planning programme in India, there is a need to strengthen the coordination of all its aspects, focusing on planning, programmes, monitoring, training and procurement. The quality of care in family planning must be a major focus area to ensure the success of family planning programmes. Despite serious efforts and progress, India has yet to achieve its family planning goals.

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According to a survey on the sex life in China released in 2019, a majority of the young Chinese adults take different types of contraception when having sex.

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A low modern contraceptive prevalence rates is a consequence of societal and personal barriers. Societal barriers include civil war and conflict zones in many settings, political disturbances, absence of health services, attacks on health-care professionals, and sexual violence against women, among others. Habitually, contraceptive provision and services are neglected during civil conflicts.The removal of the societal barriers is a difficult, lengthy, and complex process.

 

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More training for nurses and greater access to family planning services has resulted in significantly more new mothers leaving a Haiti hospital with long-term contraception, a fact that could lead to safer pregnancies and fewer maternal deaths.

You really are not the very first person ever to think of this!

[Doogles31731]

mistermack, I applaud you for your concern about population growth and its high ranking as a world problem. I also applaud your optimism and your belief that it's a problem that should be addressed more widely. If it is addressed, there is a chance that some fresh and useful ideas can be generated. I regret that you were not around when I raised the matter under the theme of climate change. If it is not addressed more widely, nothing will change.

I totally agree with your recent comment "Surely the chances of it happening affect the quality of the idea. Which puts your idea at a value close to zero. I put forward various ideas, all of which are better, for that very reason. There's no reason why family planning products and advice couldn't be made available in every country in the world that has a high birth rate. The cost would be tiny, compared to the pay-off. The price of aid could also be linked to measures taken against churches that preach against contraception. Churches could easily be leaned on in any case. Just the threat of changing their tax status would have an instant effect on their behaviour. 

If population growth was given just ten percent of the publicity that global warming gets, then attitudes could be changed very quickly. The world is obsessed by CO2, and is completely ignoring the real threat to the planet. It's like being led towards the guillotine, and worrying about rust on the blade."

Please accept this as a word of support for your stance, rather than a contribution to the topic.

[mistermack]

2 hours ago, Peterkin said:

You really are not the very first person ever to think of this!

You really are inconsistent in your argument. At one point you characterise what I suggest as impossible. Then later you quote a whole list of people who are on the ground, working towards exactly the same thing. One of your links even elaborate on what Bill and Melinda Gates are doing, something I mentioned way back in this thread. 

 

23 minutes ago, Doogles31731 said:

Please accept this as a word of support for your stance, rather than a contribution to the topic.

Thanks Doogles.

[Peterkin]

39 minutes ago, mistermack said:

At one point you characterise what I suggest as impossible.

What I actually wrote was:

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I think it's impossible for you to change other people's - particularly heads of state and religious bodies - attitudes and persuade them to implement the measures you propose.

And if you will note the efforts currently, and for some time now, under way in various countries, they are not altogether successful. Meanwhile, in some other places, including part of the US, laws have recently been passed that make family planning, access to birth control and sex education more difficult. In fact, the efforts of people far more powerful and influential than you are have fallen short of their aspiration, for all the reasons that I've previously outlined. Changing attitudes is not fast or easy; when there is powerful opposition, it becomes even more difficult. "The will" does not materialize on demand, or uniformly, or globally. The reasons you deny

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There's no reason why family planning products and advice couldn't be made available in every country in the world that has a high birth rate.

  do exist and won't disappear because you have this "idea".