CW7-3579

From Environmental Technology

A) Sierra Club--Global Population and Environment Program: Read the section about "Family Planning in the US" and "Family Planning Around the World," discuss the programs that Sierra Club brings up here. Which ones seem to work and why?

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The National Family Planning Program: Title X has prevented unwanted pregnancies, reduced the number of abortions performed, lowered the rates of sexually transmitted diseases (STD) and overall improved women's health. The Equity in Prescription Insurance and Contraceptive Coverage Act (EPICC)increases the access to a full range of safe, effective, affordable contraceptives that is vital to reducing population growth. This program has not been approved everywhere,therefore, it does not work well. Abstinence Only programs give considerable evidence that comprehensive sexual education programs delay sexual activity and increase the likelihood of using contraceptives when individuals become sexually active. This also is not the best program since it doesn't work as often. United States Agency for International Development (USAID) provides economic, development and humanitarian assistance around the world in support of the foreign policy goals of the United States. USAID works to support global health and is one of the main contributors to family planning and reproductive health services worldwide. The The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) works in over 140 countries to ensure that women have access to voluntary family planning, economic opportunities, and education - all of which contribute to increased opportunities for women to choose the size and spacing of their families.

B) Read the section about "Migration," and "Consumption." discuss the problems that Sierra Club brings up here about human overpopulation.

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Migration happens when freedom, disaster, economic opportunity, environmental degradation, and desperation are distributed so unevenly across the globe that people are forced to make difficult choices: stay and barely survive, or move and possibly thrive. Only one fifth of the world's people live in industrialized countries, yet they consume more than two thirds of the planet's resources. With less than 5 percent of global population, the United States accounts for about one fourth of global consumption. Water is a resource that we can no longer afford to overconsume. More than 508 million people in 31 countries face water scarcity in the world today. By 2025, this number will increase to 3 billion. We lose one or more entire species of animal or plant life every twenty minutes - some 27,000 species a year. Habitat loss remains the biggest threat to most species, as humans transform natural areas through agriculture, logging, road construction, and housing structures. The loss of plant and animal species due to habitat loss alters the environment in unpredictable and potentially devastating ways. The spread of hazardous chemicals and pollutants globally is directly related to the increased amount of technological activity and the irresponsible handling of the waste created.