Regarding Gwynne Dyer's July 1 article, "Preposterous population forecasts in Africa": As someone who lives in the United States, I find the outlook for us very troubling. Some have made the argument that a sustainable U.S. population would be around 200 million people. We certainly are not doing particularly well at 320 million — high unemployment, failing infrastructure, loss of biodiversity, water issues, etc. The list goes on.
How we will be able to provide a decent quality of life for all with an estimated population of 460 million by 2100 defies imagination. So thanks for putting a spotlight on population issues.
I would disagree, however, with the conclusion that the huge predicted ramp-up in population in Africa is primarily only of concern to Africa. More than ever before, people throughout the world are on the move. Where there is war, social unrest and lack of economic opportunity, people will migrate if they can, adding to pressures elsewhere. Europe has experienced a tremendous influx of people coming from Africa, with 6,450 deaths in the Canal of Sicily alone between 1994 and 2012, according to reports.
Surely migration numbers will only increase as population pressures continue to increase. The U.S. is no exception. The tremendous growth we've experienced in recent years has been from immigrants and births to immigrants.
The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.