Shanghai alone gained 9 million new residents in 2011…with a predicted 7 million more to come by the end of 2012.
Everywhere we go in Australia we see towns growing rapidly and the prices for food in the shops reflects the rising costs being born by the community.
Every day we read in the newspaper or see on the news about price rises that are directly attributable to the rise in population: electricity price rises water price rises transport price rises. All directly linked to much higher demand for infrastructure to provide for the additional people. And it means we all pay to provide the additional infrastructure for the new people.
Put simply it makes me feel insecure and invaded.
I’ve been reading a book called “Rambunctious Garden: Saving Nature in a Post-Wild World; by Emma Marris”. Was given it by a friend. It is a book about the philosophy of ecology. I had no idea how little I understood about ecology and the theories and ideas that drive decisions by ecology professionals for conservation management of our wildlife and environment.
It is powerfully relevant for the population debate. In ecology the introduction of a non-local species sends all the red lights flashing. Ecosystems are recognised as highly complex interdependent webs of species that can be destroyed by invasive introduced species. Ecosystems are not something that can just be manufactured off the shelf.
At exactly the same time the “ecosystem” of our social and cultural and religious community is treated as having absolutely no value and all the attention in our media is on bringing large numbers of introduced social and cultural and religious newcomers into our community. There is no attention at all on protecting the “ecosystem” of our precious local communities on ensuring that they continue to work to provide us with safety and stable working systems to live in. Concern about destroying the precious systems we all rely on to live is given no attention at all in the massive push to absorb an endless stream of newcomers from cultures that are largely very different.
There is no respect given to understanding the culture in our local area. Our demographic profile in The Grove is nothing like what the current approach to governing Australia is producing. Population growth demographic cultural and religious changes result in massive and very dramatic changes down the track.
We are deluding ourselves if we think we can live here quietly in our upper Kedron Brook valley and have the world stay comfortable and the same. A massive tidal wave of extreme demographic and cultural change is pouring towards us and there is no way we will avoid it by pretending it isn’t happening or by deluding ourselves that the interests of people overseas are more important than our own need for a home and workable ‘ecosystem’ in which to live.