| New England Coalition for Sustainable Population |
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Future generations depend
on the wisdom of the present.
on the wisdom of the present.
Position Papers
NECSP is constantly engaging the regional & national press, commenting on the pressing population issues
of the moment, and trying to point the way forward to a sustainable future. Below are brief examples of our
work. Click on the headings below for further reading.
of the moment, and trying to point the way forward to a sustainable future. Below are brief examples of our
work. Click on the headings below for further reading.
Published in The Boston
Globe
November 2006
By Henry Barbaro, Chairman
JEFF JACOBY makes a
misleading analysis by simply
taking our population
numbers and dividing by the
land area to determine
whether we have enough
space.
Rather, optimal population
growth levels should be
based upon the rate of
resource depletion, reductions
in overall quality of life,
irreparable damage to
ecosystems, and the country's
ability to manage its
resources to sustain its
people.
Yes, we may still have room to
grow, but what kind of
country are we becoming?
Rather than choose to ignore
the consequences of
America's rapidly growing
population, Congress should
revisit the idea of
adopting a population policy,
as was promoted by
President Nixon in the 1970s.
Otherwise, our future
generations will be faced with
a severely diminished
quality of life and will be
unable to bring America
back to the time when "life
was good" during the early
years of the New Millennium.
Globe
November 2006
By Henry Barbaro, Chairman
JEFF JACOBY makes a
misleading analysis by simply
taking our population
numbers and dividing by the
land area to determine
whether we have enough
space.
Rather, optimal population
growth levels should be
based upon the rate of
resource depletion, reductions
in overall quality of life,
irreparable damage to
ecosystems, and the country's
ability to manage its
resources to sustain its
people.
Yes, we may still have room to
grow, but what kind of
country are we becoming?
Rather than choose to ignore
the consequences of
America's rapidly growing
population, Congress should
revisit the idea of
adopting a population policy,
as was promoted by
President Nixon in the 1970s.
Otherwise, our future
generations will be faced with
a severely diminished
quality of life and will be
unable to bring America
back to the time when "life
was good" during the early
years of the New Millennium.
US Immigration Policy
As the nation's Congress
prepares to again debate
legislation that will provide "a
path to citizenship" for millions
of illegal immigrants, the New
England Coalition for
Sustainable Population
(NECSP) has outlined its
views on the pending
legislation.
NECSP is alarmed by the
ongoing loss of wildlife
habitat, forests, and farmland
in New England, across
America and throughout the
world. We see population
growth as a root cause of
most environmental problems.
All across the globe people,
including our own citizens,
face growth-related problems
such as urban
sprawl/suburbanization, water
shortages, traffic congestion,
air and water pollution, loss of
biodiversity, crowding of
recreational areas, fisheries
crashes, and other threats to
the quality of life.
NECSP is not
anti-immigration. Immigration
(legal and controlled
migration) and illegal entry
have to be regarded in the
larger context of population
policy. With increasing human
numbers placing
unmanageable burdens on
earth's resources, it is
imperative that we in the U.S.
develop policies regarding our
own population and how we
will assist other countries to
deal with their population
pressures. We must also
strive to assist people in other
countries to achieve a decent
standard of living so that
pressure for economic
migration is eliminated.
Domestic policies to protect
our own nation's quality of life
should serve as an example
of what all nations must do to
complete the global picture.
Meanwhile, we should turn off
the safety valve that allows
other countries to ignore their
own population problems and
ultimately contribute to
America's high population
growth rate. America should
encourage developing nations
to strengthen family planning
initiatives as a means of
creating a better standard of
living for their people, rather
than relying on the
expectation of free flow of
unemployable emigrants to
America and other parts of
the world. To complement
these efforts, the U.S.
government should promote
global population stabilization
through international
agreements and economic
assistance.
In terms of America's
population growth rate, our
high rate of immigration (legal
and illegal estimated at about
1 ½ million per year) is
unsustainable and runs
counter to NECSP's national
goal of population
stabilization. Although illegal
immigration is a significant
contributor to America's
population growth, the
process is not managed by
our government in any way.
The result is continuing
unplanned negative
consequences, not only to our
environment and quality of
life, but also to our low-wage
work force and to a wide array
of government-subsidized
social programs.
NECSP believes that illegal
immigration is bad for our
country in many ways, and
does not support rewarding
past illegal immigrants, or
providing incentives for future
illegal immigration.
Specifically, NECSP:
1.Opposes the general
amnesty provisions of the
immigration bills being
debated, as these will reward
those who have broken our
immigration laws, and thus
provide incentives for future
illegal immigration.
2.Believes that illegal
immigration is not necessary
to serve the nation's
employment needs. Studies
have indicated that
immigrants "take jobs
Americans won't take" in many
cases because such jobs
provide inadequate pay.
American employers need to
be required by market forces
to pay a living wage, which will
greatly reduce the need for
immigrant labor.
3.Supports improved
enforcement of existing
immigration laws, especially
strengthening employer
sanctions, and possibly the
adoption of a national
employment eligibility system.
As the nation's Congress
prepares to again debate
legislation that will provide "a
path to citizenship" for millions
of illegal immigrants, the New
England Coalition for
Sustainable Population
(NECSP) has outlined its
views on the pending
legislation.
NECSP is alarmed by the
ongoing loss of wildlife
habitat, forests, and farmland
in New England, across
America and throughout the
world. We see population
growth as a root cause of
most environmental problems.
All across the globe people,
including our own citizens,
face growth-related problems
such as urban
sprawl/suburbanization, water
shortages, traffic congestion,
air and water pollution, loss of
biodiversity, crowding of
recreational areas, fisheries
crashes, and other threats to
the quality of life.
NECSP is not
anti-immigration. Immigration
(legal and controlled
migration) and illegal entry
have to be regarded in the
larger context of population
policy. With increasing human
numbers placing
unmanageable burdens on
earth's resources, it is
imperative that we in the U.S.
develop policies regarding our
own population and how we
will assist other countries to
deal with their population
pressures. We must also
strive to assist people in other
countries to achieve a decent
standard of living so that
pressure for economic
migration is eliminated.
Domestic policies to protect
our own nation's quality of life
should serve as an example
of what all nations must do to
complete the global picture.
Meanwhile, we should turn off
the safety valve that allows
other countries to ignore their
own population problems and
ultimately contribute to
America's high population
growth rate. America should
encourage developing nations
to strengthen family planning
initiatives as a means of
creating a better standard of
living for their people, rather
than relying on the
expectation of free flow of
unemployable emigrants to
America and other parts of
the world. To complement
these efforts, the U.S.
government should promote
global population stabilization
through international
agreements and economic
assistance.
In terms of America's
population growth rate, our
high rate of immigration (legal
and illegal estimated at about
1 ½ million per year) is
unsustainable and runs
counter to NECSP's national
goal of population
stabilization. Although illegal
immigration is a significant
contributor to America's
population growth, the
process is not managed by
our government in any way.
The result is continuing
unplanned negative
consequences, not only to our
environment and quality of
life, but also to our low-wage
work force and to a wide array
of government-subsidized
social programs.
NECSP believes that illegal
immigration is bad for our
country in many ways, and
does not support rewarding
past illegal immigrants, or
providing incentives for future
illegal immigration.
Specifically, NECSP:
1.Opposes the general
amnesty provisions of the
immigration bills being
debated, as these will reward
those who have broken our
immigration laws, and thus
provide incentives for future
illegal immigration.
2.Believes that illegal
immigration is not necessary
to serve the nation's
employment needs. Studies
have indicated that
immigrants "take jobs
Americans won't take" in many
cases because such jobs
provide inadequate pay.
American employers need to
be required by market forces
to pay a living wage, which will
greatly reduce the need for
immigrant labor.
3.Supports improved
enforcement of existing
immigration laws, especially
strengthening employer
sanctions, and possibly the
adoption of a national
employment eligibility system.
Poverty
NECSP believes strongly that
the current dynamics of
poverty across the Earth are
the result of an unacceptable
morass of failed leadership.
Poverty is often
over-simplified as merely a
measurement of the economic
growth rate of a particular
demographic of people.
However, this is a
misrepresentation of the many
causes and effects of what it
means to be poor. Poverty
remains a dynamic and
multi-dimensional problem
facing many people of the
world today. Rather than
simply depicting poverty as a
scarcity in wealth, NECSP
strives to raise awareness of
poverty as the inability of
people to satisfy their basic
needs, make informed
choices, and take advantage
of opportunities for living a
tolerable life.
Because poverty is a complex
issue, its solutions must
exceed the simple
redistribution of monetary
wealth. Policy makers have
been slow to address the
inequitable allocation of
services that helps keep
people poor. Despite
economic growth and
ever-increasing technological
advances, the first four years
of this century have seen a
steadily rising poverty rate
within the United States.
Between the years 2000 and
2005, the poverty rate rose
from 11.3% to 12.6%. In order
to reverse this trend
nationally, as well as globally,
programs must be designed
and implemented with the
intention of providing
resources, skills,
opportunities, and outreach in
the areas of reproductive
health, social and gender
equity, education, and
empowerment.
NECSP believes strongly that
the current dynamics of
poverty across the Earth are
the result of an unacceptable
morass of failed leadership.
Poverty is often
over-simplified as merely a
measurement of the economic
growth rate of a particular
demographic of people.
However, this is a
misrepresentation of the many
causes and effects of what it
means to be poor. Poverty
remains a dynamic and
multi-dimensional problem
facing many people of the
world today. Rather than
simply depicting poverty as a
scarcity in wealth, NECSP
strives to raise awareness of
poverty as the inability of
people to satisfy their basic
needs, make informed
choices, and take advantage
of opportunities for living a
tolerable life.
Because poverty is a complex
issue, its solutions must
exceed the simple
redistribution of monetary
wealth. Policy makers have
been slow to address the
inequitable allocation of
services that helps keep
people poor. Despite
economic growth and
ever-increasing technological
advances, the first four years
of this century have seen a
steadily rising poverty rate
within the United States.
Between the years 2000 and
2005, the poverty rate rose
from 11.3% to 12.6%. In order
to reverse this trend
nationally, as well as globally,
programs must be designed
and implemented with the
intention of providing
resources, skills,
opportunities, and outreach in
the areas of reproductive
health, social and gender
equity, education, and
empowerment.
Our Ideas
