Danielle all too true.
But unacceptable, the hardest step in any journey is the first.
People power can change anything.
I believe starvation and third world poverty, Man made Global warming, pollution of the seas and air, are by products, symptoms, of over population.
I too think while we can fight over the man made part of Global warming, it is hard to push a view, that without change we are not over populated.
Yet without a change, a considered world wide change we already are and it will get much worse.

In saying "I believe starvation and third world poverty, Man made Global warming, pollution of the seas and air, are by products, symptoms, of over population." why do you assume the problem is numbers (specifically in the poor third world) rather than that the way some (being the industrialised nations which comprise just 1/5th of the population of the globe) are greedily over consuming?

I believe that reducing our greed would allow the poor to have more of what they need for survival, and that if they had that security they would be far less reliant on having big families. The evidence is that in countries where people have security, people are having family sizes that barely replace themselves.

I think blaming the poor for the problems we are clearly responsible for is just a tactic to allow us to continue in our greedy ways and not face our responsibilities to the earth and to others.

Landrights4all its official! you and I are unlikely to ever agree, on anything.
Why do you think I started a thread about over population?
And put poverty and starvation as products of that problem?
If you looked at my post history you would see many thoughts on worlds poor.
I ALWAYS think we need to end both.
But we first must end over population.
Not to, to say we can fix poverty but have no need to fix its dangers, is not some thing you can get most to consider.
Your well meaning post ignores reality by miles.
It is getting increasingly hard to get nations and people to donate.
IF the donation funded birth control, food housing education and all that is required for a better life, not just more mouths we could fix it.
Do not craft your begging bowl on us giving more with out results,or starvation will be forever.

Hi belly - while I do think we should be giving more, my last post was actually about taking less. That is to say, we are the major cause of the problem because we are taking too much and certainly more than our share. Furthermore we are modelling this way of life for the third world to follow. For them to choose a different path the smartest thing we could do would be to model a low consumption more highly attractive alternative. Unfortunately when they look at us now what they see is all that glitters - but it is not gold. Our way of life is unsustainable, unhealthy, and unjust. Many would also say it is unfulfilling.

I see what you are thinking but in your post is why we will not agree.
Now England gutted its colony's, none more than India.
It too left SOME planks that built the place.
I can find no reason to think we EVER will find even many, less a majority who do want to give up western life styles.
And in truth while we over consume can not see how we help directly by not.
I actually think we should give, more and often,but for proving out comes.
If every one of us, every Australian resident, gave each week, on behalf of our selves and our kids $1= $52 a year 23 million people, on top of our country and our own personal gifts to Charity's.
We could send each year every cent to one nation to help end poverty.
I have no problem in saying if ten cents in the dollar made it I would be surprised.
First build the platform/will to make it work