Marilyn Hempel
"Now the trumpet summons us again-not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need-not as a call to battle, though embattled we are-but a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle, year in and year out, 'rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation'-a struggle against the common enemies of humankind: tyranny, poverty, disease and war itself."
-President John F Kennedy
TERRORISM
Our hearts go out to all of our members who have suffered the loss of loved ones or colleagues and the loss of freedom from fear due to the terrible events of September 11th. It is impossible to ignore the link between rapid population growth and terrorism-especially when more than 150,000 children are born each day with no reasonable hope of good education, jobs or health care. While a natural response to terrorist attacks is to retaliate with in-kind violence and to isolate ourselves inside Fortress America; another is to reach out to the world's dispossessed in an attempt to reduce the number of people who have nothing left to lose by supporting terrorism.
We must look for the root causes of terrorism, and work harder for social change. When we talk population today, we mean empowering women and educating men-and in some places that will take enormous social change. When we talk population today, we mean understanding the root causes of both poverty and overconsumption-and how population stabilization will reduce both.
Citizens of 80 countries died in the attacks on New York and Washington. If we are to defeat terrorism, we cannot do it alone. The Population Press is proud to be part of a global community committed to the long twilight struggle of working for the common good. In these uncertain times, we renew our dedication.
MEGACITIES
At night, from space, the lights from megacites and superhighways illuminate a world wide web of human activities, hopes and aspirations. However, with more than 3 billion people now living in urban areas and with nearly 5 million people being added to urban populations every month, each dot of light is a reminder that the battle for the environmental and social future of the planet will be won or lost in cities.
If there was ever a time to focus on the urban future, it is now. Today, more people live in cities than lived on the entire planet in 1960! Worldwide, there are over 326 cities with populations of 1 million plus. And the ecological impacts of these cities outpace the exponential growth of their populations. Urban areas import almost all of their food and water, while at the same time, they export large amounts of waste and pollution. In an age of growing concern about climate change, cities have become islands of heat, altering their micro-climates in ways that threaten some ecosystems.
As urban agglomerations are a major part of the problem, so they must become an essential part of the solution. Cities offer possibilities for large-scale conservation and technological innovation. They can demonstrate neighborhood solutions and stimulate global collaboration. In this "city century," let us use the world wide web of possibilities to move beyond population growth to improved human settlements, and a restored environment.
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