The Fate of America
- Tim Palmer
- June 19, 2000
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The Fate of America
NPG Forum Paper
by Tim Palmer
June 2000
Click here for a downloadable, printable PDF version
This Forum examines the current levels of destruction of the American environment by our current population growth, fueled by immigration, which continues to devastate our natural resources. Already ninety-eight percent of old growth forests have been destroyed, and a third of our plants and animals could face extinction. Meanwhile, sprawl consumes three million acres of farmland and green space each year. These ecological losses are increasingly exacerbated by rampant population growth. By 2050, a staggering 404 million Americans will consume what remains of a shrinking natural resource base. America must embrace population reduction by promoting a reduced population, as sixty-three other nations have already done. If we do not act now to reduce population growth, the future consequences on the environment and humanity could prove catastrophic.
Tim Palmer is the author of twelve books on the American landscape, its rivers, and
the environment. This article is adapted from his latest book, The Heart of America:
Our Landscape, Our Future, recently published by Island Press.