April 24th Human Population Growth & UU Values

Does Human Population Growth Intersect with UU Values?

Dr. Ron Quinn is an ecologist, with a BA from California State University and a Ph.D.

from Princeton University. He is Professor Emeritus of Biology and Regenerative

Studies at California State Polytechic University, Pomona. He has taught population

issues to approximately 25,000 students.

Ron Quinn has been interested in human population growth since he was 17 years old.
Since that time the world population has more than doubled, and the US population has

almost doubled. The population of his birth state of California has quadrupled.

If populations were to continue growing as presently projected, most environmental

problems would inexorably worsen, and become increasingly difficult to ever solve.

The consequences of population pressures now affect some peoples and regions

more than others, but they will increasingly become equal opportunity maladies. No

one can escape all of the threats associated with global warming, epidemic diseases,

and environmental deterioration.

The first UU principle, the inherent dignity and worth of every person, is far more

likely to be realized where population sizes are stabilized or reduced. Achieving this

goal lies within the seventh UU principle, understanding ourselves as part of the

interdependent web of existence, and behaving accordingly.