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The United States Sustainable Population Policy
Project
(USS3P)
June 1999
What is USS3P?
Why USS3P is
a Good Idea
The U.S. Population
Needs to be Stabilized
1.) Facts
2.) Quality of Life Issues
World Conferences
Calling for Population Stabilization
Previous Initiatives
Calling for United States Population Stabilization
The Five Phases of USS3P
Initial
Phase: Citizens
Dialogue Sessions / Town Meetings
Professional Focus Groups
Objectives
Support Needed
Summary
Contact
What is USS3P?
· A project to develop and
implement a domestic population policy for the United States in order to achieve
long-term environmental and economic sustainability.
· A national grassroots
effort with broad national, state and local support.
· The only initiative
underway to address all aspects of the population problem.
Why USS3P is a Good Idea:
· 1996 Roper Poll reports
that a majority of Americans want to see U.S. population levels no larger than
today's and many desire a smaller population than today.
· Facts about sustainability
speak strongly for the need of a population policy.
The U.S. Population Needs to be Stabilized
1.) Facts:
The United States is the
only developed and one of the very few nations without a formally instituted
national population policy. The U.S. population is now around 272 million,
adding nearly 250,000 every month, and at 1.1%, has the highest rate of growth
of any nation in the developed world and higher than many developing nations.
At current growth rates, Census projections are for it to grow to over 500
million in the next 50 years and 800 million by the year 2080.
This is particularly
troubling when some scientists say we are already exceeding our carrying
capacity. For example, authors Lindsey Grant and Leon Bouvier recently
concluded that, "the U.S. because of it's size and consumption habits, is the
most destabilizing entity within Earth's fragile ecosystem."
It is important
that through the efforts of USS3P, the Administration will be encouraged to pass
appropriate legislation and at a minimum, establish a national commission with
the function of adopting and implementing a fair, equitable, and sustainable
national population policy.
2.) Quality of Life Issues:
· More Air, Land, and Water
Pollution
· More Urban Sprawl
· Traffic congestion
· Water Shortages
· Depletion of Fossil Fuels
· Less Habitat for People
and Other Species
· Loss of Farmland leading
to Higher Food Prices
· Less Freedom at Parks &
Recreation Places
· Higher Crime levels and
less security
· Increasing taxes
· Increasing civil strife
and government intrusion in private lives
· Increases in Disease and
Poverty
· Widening income gap
between the poor and well off
World Conferences Calling for Population Stabilization:
· Expert Population
Conference, Rome 1954
· Expert Population
Conference, Belgrade 1965
· World Population
Conference, Bucharest, 1974
· UN International
Population Conference, Mexico City 1984
· New Delhi Conference, 1993
· International Conference
on Population & Development, Cairo 1994
· Follow Up to Cairo 1998
· Next?
Previous Initiatives
Calling for United States Population Stabilization:
· June 1970 - First National
Congress on Optimum Population and Environment (COPE) - A citizens movement
supported and attended by 1,000 people.
· President Nixon's
Commission on Population Growth and the American Future (Rockefeller Commission)
appointed in 1970, completed in 1972.
· 1974 - Nixon
Administration Study: "National Security Study Memorandum 200" (NSSM 200) - on
population growth and its implications for US security. It became public
policy 11-26-75 under Ford. However, it was stalled and never
implemented because of pressure from opponents of family planning —the Vatican.
· Global 2000 Study - Carter
Administration 1978
· Series of Population
Policy Bills introduced into Congress beginning in 1970's
· June 1994, Clinton's
Presidential Decision Directive (PDD) which outlined the problem but was never
signed.
· President’s
Council on Sustainable Development 1995 (PCSD). The Report from Taskforce on
Population and Consumption was never formally adopted nor did it promote a
national population policy. However, it continues to be useful in the
sustainable cities effort.
The Five Phases of USS3P
As stated in the Planning
Document:
· Focus Groups, National
Polling, and Citizen Dialog Sessions
· Pre-conference for experts
and specialists including, but not limited to:
·
environmentalists · minorities
· civic
groups · social Justice groups
· religious
leaders · the media
·
corporations · others
· educators
· Regional Preparatory
Conferences - to make comments on recommendations of experts.
· National Conference - Open
to national, regional, grassroots organizations and individuals - who will
discuss and endorse recommendations and identify avenues for implementation.
Electronic and video conferencing planned.
· Implementation Phase -
Activities identified during previous phases will be carried out, including a
call to establish a national commission to formulate a population policy for the
U.S. Books written will help to educate the American public.
Initial Phase: Citizens
Dialogue Sessions / Town Meetings:
· When? —Spring or Summer
1999? 2000?
· Why? —Greater number of citizens
groups = more information for participants (experts) at Pre-conference.
· How? —Each Citizens
Group Would Submit a Summary to National Coordinator.
· Who? —Volunteers for
Citizens Dialogue committee in different areas. Can be as simple as a monthly
meeting, or a full Town Hall meeting.
Professional Focus Groups:
Proposal from Belden &
Russonello (Jan. '96):
· Research Plan - To build
upon past research and assess values and attitudes among key constituency
groups.
· Focus groups would provide
more useful and insightful information from which a communications strategy may
be developed.
· Several Focus Groups
meetings have already been conducted.
Objectives:
· Knowledge about rates of
population growth in the U.S. and other nations;
· Knowledge about U.S. per
capita use of resources and production of pollution;
· Motivations toward
reproductive decision-making, specifically toward having two or more children;
· Arguments and information
which can cause individuals to reassess their perceptions of optimal family
sizes and population levels in the U.S.
Support Needed:
· The United States
Congress.
· Ideas and expertise of our
environmental leaders
—to make the connection
between population growth and the environment and
—to come to the table and make
recommendations.
· Support of local, state,
and national organizations to join us as cosponsors (more than environmental).
· Help in
funding - locally & nationally.
Summary
This is a major initiative
calling for a national dialogue on the population issue and all that
encompasses. The public overwhelmingly supports this program and we encourage
the Congress to actively promote and to fund the project.
· Imperative that the United
States population achieve stability.
· Structure of Plan is
effective and fair.
· Not a single conference,
but an ongoing effort involving everyone from the grassroots on up.
· Plan is Unique.
· USS3P is the only major initiative before
us today.
· There is not time for
another plan before the end of this decade —a very critical time if we are ever
to achieve an environmentally and economically sustainable United States
population.
· With each increment of
United States population, the world becomes politically less stable,
economically unsustainable, and environmentally critical.
· Complete documents are at
USS3P Website: < http://www.iti.com/iti/uss3p > [Link no longer works; all
items are available on the MFS
Website.]
Contact Information:
Carole
Wilmoth, Executive Committee
U.S.
Sustainable Population Policy Project
919
Vinecrest
Richardson, TX 75080-3043
Ph.
(972) 238-8805
Fax:
(972) 479-0322
E-Mail: Carole Wilmoth <71634.217@COMPUSERVE.COM>
Website: < http://www.iti.com/iti/uss3p > [Link no longer works.]
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