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OVERPOPULATION AND OVERCONSUMPTION: WHERE SHOULD WE FOCUS?

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OVERPOPULATION AND OVERCONSUMPTION: WHERE SHOULD WE FOCUS?
An NPG Forum Paper
by Michael G. Hanauer
March 1998


There are many pieces to our environmental puzzle, which when assembled can ensure that our planet and everything on it has a joyful ride now and into the indefinite future. We call that sustainability, and this is our work, our goal, and our passion. But that sustainability can and must be achieved without each of us manipulating all of the puzzle’s pieces. Each of us must decide which pieces to focus on —which ones we feel are overarching in their effect, which ones we as individuals and organizations can impact, and which are most overlooked. In science, there is a rule of thumb called the 20-80 rule which says that 20 percent of the underlying problems often cause 80 percent of the significant effects. To be successful in the longer term, an individual or organization needs to choose carefully.

20 percent of underlying problems cause 80 percent of significant effects.

Because the United States so severely aggravates so many of the world’s environmental problems, because of our responsibility to set an example for the world, and because this is my home, I believe that we should place a significant emphasis on our domestic problems (but certainly not entirely). All solutions require support and action at the local level, whether you consider local to be a nation, or an individual community. “Think Globally, Act Locally” makes a lot of sense from any perspective.

Much of the environmental movement has chosen to pursue specific issues such as pollution, forests, global warming, species diversity, or open space —perhaps because these are the problems we each see
in our own backyards. To those with a more overarching view, consumption and population issues stand out because they are largely local and because they are causal, that is they occur at a community level and tend to underlie or exacerbate many individual problems. Both of these pieces are important to our ride toward sustainability. Where should we place our emphasis and our resources?

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