Re: population: real problem, or capitalist plot?

[Andy, you at least are consistent, reframing everything in terms of  
orthodox marxist-leninist ideology.  If you would stop and reflect,
you might realize this is an internal maneuver which prevents you from
having to deal with new information in new ways.]

To take your point seriously, although you seem to have expressed it
only sneeringly:

1)
Using Amin's terminology, Europe was simply (or *is* simply according to
AGF) a backwater area of the tributary form of society, and in that sense
not different qualitatively from China, India and other more civilized
parts of the world.

It is an interesting question why the latest revolution in technology
occurred in the backwaters (this applies to Japan as well relative to
China), but the underlying SYSTEMIC reality is that the industrial
revolution arose from a tributary society that had experienced tremendous 
population growth in a very short period of time (recorded history). If
the evidence is looked at globally, therefore, I think Boserup's
population pressure theory makes perfect sense.

2)
Certainly today global industrial society is placing unbearable demands on
regional ecosystems and the global ecosystem.  One form this takes is that
modern medicine has prolonged lives everywhere (reducing mortality), but
fertility is still high.  So will the "demographic transition," (that
Panglossian equilibrium deus ex machina), take effect globally in time?
It is the obvious reasonable answer NO (it's too late already!) than leads
to a concern with overpopulation.  Of course, the earlier boom in 
population in Europe, the U.S. and elsewhere has left these regions
unacceptably deforested and with rapidly declining topsoil as well, so it
isn't as if overpopulation is only a problem in the periphery.

3)
The oil is running out.  The replacement(s) may make possible a new round
of growth, but new technology cannot bring back topsoil, water, and 
species, unless you want hydroponics, distilled water and genetically
engineered pseudo-species.  Far better to limit population (as well as
wiping out rapacious capitalism, of course) than to count on a new
technofix.  And rather than wait until capitalism is wiped out, green
action can be taken now.  Who wants socialism on a monospecies world?

Back to the original I=PCT, of course population is only one factor, but
saying it is of no importance (how you could get any more ideological than
that, I haven't a clue) is dangerously wrong.

[Oh, but I forgot, all evil is to be attributed to capitalism, to solve all 
problems we need only carry out more Leninist revolutions.  I'll have to
get back on that right away.]

RH