Birth control touted as part of Earth Day

So, what to do to celebrate Earth Day today? For a start, no sex without birth control, suggests Hans Tammermagi, author and adjunct professor in the School of Environmental Studies at the University of Victoria. While people try to step more lightly on the Earth by using compact fluorescent bulbs, turning down the thermostat and using public transit, they should also be thinking about the dramatic impact of overpopulation, Tammermagi suggested.

“We can make changes, but they don’t mean a thing if our population keeps growing,” he said.

“People have to start thinking on a bigger scale than a few little Band-Aids here or there.”

It is a problem that most of the population growth is going to be in Third World countries where there is a culture of large families, Tammermagi said. “We have to very dramatically overhaul foreign aid to those countries and help them to get family planning,” he said.

Apart from curtailing the number of children, Tammermagi wants to see people commit to changing their lifestyle permanently, not just for 24 hours on Earth Day, an annual event held every April 22.

It is aimed at increasing awareness of environmental issues.

“I think there are glimmers of hope. A lot of people care deeply and are making sacrifices, but … I think only a crisis will force us to change things,” he said.

Crises such as wide-scale civil unrest and mass starvation are probably 20 years away, but are almost inevitable if the world keeps going the same way, he predicted.

Today, Tammermagi will celebrate Earth Day by jogging near his Pender Island home, carrying a plastic bag to pick up litter and eating vegetarian meals.

“It’s more symbolic than anything, but I’m trying to make the big changes as well.

“Our family has only two children and only one car,” he said.