How Many Americans?

In this tough-minded, lucid book, Leon Bouvier and Lindsey Grant examine
the inevitable and escalating environmental degradation that will
result if population growth pushes the limits of our already strained
environmental carrying capacity. If we are already grappling with dirty
air, poisoned water, destruction of forests, the loss of topsoil,
vanishing species, and the deterioration of cities, with the gap between
rich and poor growing ever wider, what will the next century be like as
we grow from 260 to 400 million? The prospects the authors describe are
not pretty ones. Because of our energy-demanding, consumption-driven
economy, the United States is the leading source of two of the gravest
threats to life on this planet -- acid precipitation and climatic
warming. Given the disproportionate damage we as Americans create, the
authors call for appropriate attention to the difficult issues raised by
population questions. Analyzing current and projected rates of
fertility, mortality and migration, Bouvier and Grant forecast various
population scenarios and conclude that low fertility rates alone will
not solve our population problem. They recommend lower immigration
levels to achieve environmental sustainability in the twenty-first
century. Arguing with compassion and concern for the less fortunate in
other countries, the authors point out ways the United States could
support population-reducing policies abroad and promote the empowerment
of women in decisions affecting family size. At the same time, they urge
Americans to act responsibly toward our own future, here, at home. In
the increasingly heated debate over immigration, the reasoned,
unflinching, progressive voice ofHow Many Americans? is sure to play a
pivotal role.