BRIEF COMMENT ON OVERPOPULATION+CLIMATE CHANGE

OVERPOPULATION'S NOT A PROBLEM?  TRY CLIMATE CHANGE

In 9/14/12 Opinion section of the New York Times Erle C. Ellis, professor of geography and environmental systems at the U. of Maryland, argues that "overpopulation is not the problem."  Even though the earth's population is projected to be some nine billion people by 2050, he thinks that there will be no environmental reason for humans to go hungry.  Increasing land productivity with existing technologies could feed all humans on earth now.  The advanced technologies of the future will feed the nine billion.

Perhaps Dr. Ellis is correct.  But he could have provided two or three sentences about the effects of climate change on the ability of humans to transform ecosystems!  The article lacks the proper framework of reference, in my opinion.    That many of his world class science colleagues are predicting the end of the human species, unless there is a dramatic alteration in human activities that cause global warming, certainly is a matter that deserves some notice!  

To mention only one consideration, 11% of the world's population -- or 668 million people--will, in the not too far distant future, live in water scarce river basins or find that water scarcity is aggravated as the temperature rise (if carbon pollution isn't soon altered).  But further on down the road, if humans don't stop polluting, many experts predict that water scarcity will be such a problem that there will be millions of deaths due to war over water.

Just saying Professor Ellis.......