Growing, not slowing population the scourge

There is no scenario in which a “Slow population growth will hurt state’s future” (Page A7, Jan. 5) or where a slowing population would be considered a burden anywhere.

A study from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel found that as of 2020, “the mass of human-made materials such as concrete, asphalt, metal and plastic now outweigh the combined biomass of every living plant and animal on Earth. Since 1900, human-made mass has doubled approximately every 20 years, to the point where plastic alone outweighs all animals on land and in the ocean.”

Given that human population has increased from almost 2 billion to nearly 8 billion people in 100 years and that we have now exterminated over 68% of the wildlife of the world via overconsumption, pollution and destruction of the forests and oceans it is inconceivable that we would worry about any human population that is decreasing.

What’s hurting the future is overpopulation.

— Tina Peak, Palo Alto