Planet Earth - babies need not apply

The zero population growth greenies and Ms Kanck have support in strange places. What are we to make of Barry Walters, an associate professor of obstetric medicine at the University of Western Australia, who was quoted recently in a national newspaper?

“Every newborn baby in Australia represents a potent source of greenhouse gas emissions for an average of 80 years not simply by breathing, but by the prolifigate consumption of resources typical of our society. What then should we do as medical practitioners?” Dr Walters asked.

He goes on to say, “Far from showering financial booty on new mothers and thereby rewarding greenhouse-unfriendly behaviour, a Baby Levy (his capitals) in the form of a carbon tax should apply, in line with the polluter pays principle.”

And just when you thought it couldn’t get weirder, American environmentalist Kelpie Wilson argues that abortion should be considered an environmental issue. She wants women to consider the environmental cost of bringing a child in to the world. I like to think Kelpie means that women should consider this before conception - but maybe not.

Ms Kanck seems to have a knack of adopting “whacko” causes. A few years ago she advocated the regulation and decriminalisation of Ecstasy in South Australia. But her source credibility is not the issue here yet.

Here’s another problem. The Greens were right to crow about the Democrats and the GST. It was indefensible. Population is the Greens GST. It will split the party, with those advocating direct action on outputs (anti-corporatist “shonks”, polluters, environmental protectionists) and those who advocate cutting back on “supply” - people.

It’s a curious phenomenon that when the going gets tough, a select few scramble to the moral high ground, tell us the end of the world is nigh and start bossing us around - in this case, calling for zero population growth. They are the Red Guards of our conscience.

Sandra Kanck, the Sustainable Population lobby and other misanthropes have tapped in to a rich vein of doom and gloom to use in their global scare campaign. Who would have thought that they would want to legislate what we do in our bedrooms?

It’s curious that the most striking manifestation of the loathing they have for every human can be seen in the idea that we need a significant reduction in the number of human beings from people who purport to love nature.