Do You Agree With David Attenborough Or Not?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2013/sep/18/david-attenborough-famine-population

Is it a waste of time sending food aid to third world countries when population growth is the problem?

[sp1814]

No, I disagree.

Population growth needs to be checked by education, especially in outcries where Catholicism has 'taken hold'.

Population growth should not be checked by allowing people to die through starvation/malnutrition.

That's a shockingly cruel stance.

[mikey4444]

I agree...let them all starve to death. That will solve the problems.

[mushroom25]

what checks population growth most effectively is a realisation that more mouths to feed just cramps your style - in the west, population growth is inversely proportional to the affluence accrued. Thus SP is entirely correct - education, plus a leaning of aid toward self-help (teach a man to fish, etc).

[Bazile]

//I agree...let them all starve to death. That will solve the problems. //

mikey4444 - i cant beleive you really mean that

[Zeuhl]

David Attenborough did NOT say it's /a waste of time sending food aid to third world countries/

I'm sure Sir David appreciates that saving people's lives is not a 'waste of time'

His point is that thinking food aid is a real solution to the underlying problem is a delusion and 'barmy'

[anotheoldgit]

sp1814

/// Population growth should not be checked by allowing people to die through starvation/malnutrition. ///

Where does it say that is what David Attenborough is suggesting?

/// Population growth needs to be checked by education, especially in outcries where Catholicism has 'taken hold'. ///

Isn't it the countries that follow Islam who have the problems?

Once again the act of inventing issues so as to get one's own agenda over.

[anotheoldgit]

/// "What are all these famines in Ethiopia? What are they about?" he said. "They're about too many people for too little land. That's what it's about. And we are blinding ourselves. We say, get the United Nations to send them bags of flour. That's barmy." ///

In other words a waste of time.

[Old_Geezer]

I'd not be interested in not helping those in need, but it is also true that population is likely to expand to use the available nutrition, and then some. Food aid can not solve the issue, merely push the crunch further into the future.

[Zeuhl]

/In other words a waste of time./

incorrect aog

'waste of time' is not a synonym of 'barmy'

you are misrepresenting Sir David by applying your own subjective interpretation to what he actually said.

[Baldric]

As he is saying Food-Aid alone is not enough in Countries with rapidly rising populations and that more needs to be done for them, then yes, I think he is right.

[boxtops]

anyone read Dan Brown's Inferno?

[Zeuhl]

To assist aog's comprehension:

/waste of time

definition - the devotion of time to a useless activity/

Clearly food aid isn't 'useless' (without purpose) if it saves the lives of people directly affected.

And I think it is inappropriate to suggest that Sir David thinks that doesn't matter

Sir David's point is that treating that as a solution to the underlying problem is 'barmy' (foolish) and much more fundamental steps need to be taken because 'if we don't do something, the natural world will do something'

By inference; 'doing something' isn't just 'leaving them to starve because it's a waste of time'

[viv38]

I don't think mikey means that for one minute Bazile.

[sandyRoe]

No. Some people would twist his words in order to justify doing nothing when there are famines or other natural disasters. As others have already said, it's education which will eventually help reduce populations to match the resources available to them.

[sp1814]

AOG

You asked:

Is it a waste of time sending food aid to third world countries when population growth is the problem?

Food aid is sent to areas of the world hit by natural disasters and war zones.

You juxtaposed food aid to population growth.

What did you mean, if not that food aid keeps too many people alive?

I'm not questioning Attenborough - I'm questioning you.

[sp1814]

AOG

I'm curious as to why you've brought Islam into this.

No..not curious...I'm being polite here and holding my tongue.

Also, I would like you to stop making personal digs at me and try to show the respect i afford you. I'm not inventing issues, and I am not putting across an agenda, and would suggest that your introduction is Islam UNO this debate would suggest that it might be you, rather than me who is pushing n agenda.

[Gromit]

Yes, it is nothing new and plenty of others have voiced the same opinion, including Prince Charles and Spike Milligan.

The World's population in 1913 was 1,650,000,000. Today it is over 7 billion. It does not take an aged tv presenter to realise that kind of growth is not sustainable.

[mikey4444]

Bazile...no, of course not. Its was an attempt, rather poor I'm afraid, at irony, in protest at such a daft post. But I shall probably get into trouble for saying it.

[Bazile]

mikey -ok

I know what irony is -
It's like "goldy" and "bronzy" only it's made out of iron.