April 6, 1970
Page 10407
POPULATION AND POLLUTION
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, Gershon Fishbein, publisher of the Environmental Health Letter, is a longtime observer of the environmental crisis. His opinions are held in high regard by environmentalists, and all Senators should listen to what he has to say.
In the recent issue of his newsletter, Mr. Fishbein commented on the growing concern regarding overpopulation. Without questioning the importance and seriousness of the population problem, he did call attention to the danger that concern with overpopulation will overshadow the continuing need to deal with the environmental strain caused by the growth in per capita consumption and income. This is an important perspective.
I ask that Mr. Fishbein's comments be printed in the RECORD.
There being no objection, the comments were ordered to be printed in the RECORD, as follows:
POPULATION ISSUE SHOULD NOT REPLACE ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION
Unless environmentalists are vigilant, they may soon find that their ambitious but expensive cause will be pre-empted by the population control issue.
A dangerous trend is already evident to use the population issue as a substitute for, not in connection with, environmental control action. It is undeniably true that unlimited population growth does compound environmental control problems, but that does not suggest that it be used as a reason to do nothing about pollution.
We hear reports that some segments of industry plan an advertising campaign keyed to the theme: "Industries don't pollute; people do!" If the reports are true, and we hope they're not, the cause of pollution control will be obscured.
Gross national product, per capita income and consumption all continue to rise; while those who advocate a limitation on the size of families and a national economic slowdown as the key to pollution control must shoulder the burden of proving their thesis. Is a slowdown of growth the only answer to environmental control? Politically, we don't believe the American people will buy it. There must be a better way to permit the nation to advance economically while controlling its wastes.
Psychologists might contend that the preoccupation with population control in lieu of environmental control demonstrates a conditioned reflex built into humans to come up with less demanding alternatives to burdensome and costly inconveniences. It is one thing to say that unlimited population growth makes environmental control more difficult; it is quite another to contend that any action taken to control the environment will be futile unless population is strictly controlled at the same time. In the wrong hands, the latter contention can be used as an excuse for doing nothing.