4.13.2009

Oh, Please! Get the Facts, Sir David



"I've never seen a problem that wouldn't be easier to solve with fewer people, or harder, and ultimately impossible, with more." Sir David Attenborough in a statement issued by the Optimum Population Trust.

According to a story by the BBC, Sir David "has become a patron of" the Optimum Population Trust, "a group seeking to cut the growth in human population." According to the article, available in full at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7996230.stm, "[t]he Trust, which was founded in 1991, campaigns for the UK population to decrease voluntarily by not less than 0.25% a year. It has launched a 'Stop at Two' online pledge to encourage couples to limit their family's size."

Perhaps someone should tell Sir David that the CIA estimates the total fertility rate of the UK for 2009 to be 1.66, well below the "ideal" 2 which the "Trust" advocates. So, in fact, the UK would have to INCREASE its fertility to match that goal. See https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2127rank.html.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have yet to see Sir David know what he's talking about on anything. Another instance is global warming. He said all the ice on Antarctica would be melted by 2100. One of the hydrology professors did the math. Even if all the heat of the world were transfered to Antarctica, there would still be ice on it in 2100. Sir David is not a credible source of information. http://www.mng.org.uk/gh/threat/threat5.htm

Anonymous said...

I forgot to say the hydrology prof is from my university checking Sir David's statement to see if it is possible or not.