Regarding Tim Sullivan’s recent comment regarding the threat of climate change, he too neglected to mention the most significant contributor. When Steamboat Resort opened its doors a little over a century ago, the world’s population was less than half of what it is today.
During this same period, Routt County’s population nearly quadrupled. The demand for limited or dwindling resources continues to rise as more affluent people seek out these resources.
The result of this imbalance is potentially, or more likely, catastrophic. Population reduction, not population growth, should be embraced by all, regardless of political, religious or cultural background.
Any hope of survival will depend on a complete overturning of the values and norms of our global culture. Geopolitical, socio-economic, capitalist, technological, medical and religious decrees will all have to be questioned and in many cases modified or completely reversed. This seemingly insurmountable task makes the simple closure of a coal-fired power plant or even a national or global energy transformation pale in comparison.
Discussions, as well as actions, that fail to address population growth and the social and economic predispositions that accompany it as a central thesis do a great disservice. They will only serve to talk unnecessarily about the symptoms rather than the underlying cause.
David Lawrence
Steamboat springs