'population explosion' as a cause of poverty in India

[Gurumurthy K]

Dear teachers

I learnt in my school that India's biggest (or one of India's biggest problems) was 'population explosion'.  During the emergency, mass sterilisation (often forced) was done to 'control population'. Even today, we have sterilisation camps (mostly for women), to reduce the population. Even now it is popular thinking that our poverty, malnutrition, illiteracy are all due to 'population explosion'

However, it is more and more clear to many that an important cause of poverty is the rampant consumerism in a minority of the world's population .. As Gandhi said..'there is enough for everyone's (and everyone's) need but not for everyones greed...' ... we can take care of all the people in the world and provide them food, clothing, shelter and meaningful work/life.... but the earth cannot afford current rates of exploitation and mindless consumerism / greed ...

" Pope Francis reached the same conclusion; he points out that blaming “population growth instead of extreme and selective consumerism on the part of some, is one way of refusing to face the issues.” To blame population growth is, he goes on to say, “an attempt to legitimize the present model of distribution [of wealth and resources], where a minority believes that it has the right to consume in a way which can never be universalized, since the planet could not even contain the waste products of such consumption.”

read more at http://www.nationofchange.org/2016/12/21/rapacious-consumerism-climate-change

Consumerism is the biggest cause of climate change/environmental degradation ... and since it is inherent in the current model of capitalism, it is important that we re-look at our 'Economics' and reform it ... including what we teach in schools

Comments welcome..

regards

Guru

IT for Change, Bengaluru

www.ITforChange.net

[Gurumurthy K]

The plea to reduce consumerism is  on the same lines of what Jesus Christ said "... I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God....."

Merry Christmas to all ....

regards,

Guru

IT for Change, Bengaluru

www.ITforChange.net