Madam, - The powers that be seem obsessed with growth. They preach that capital cities must grow to keep their eminence (hence badly planned suburbs); that businesses must grow to compete (hence mergers and redundancies); that every organisation must grow to remain viable (hence bigger and less personal schools); and so on.
Money also grows, and with it the expectation of amenities. Thus large-scale immigration is required and social tensions are likely to grow despite the mantra that diversity is to be celebrated. In many respect quality is sacrificed to quantity and the world's population follows suit.
Apart from this explosion of the world's population being the real and obvious cause of global warming, climate-change and the extinction of other species, will it not at the present rate inevitably lead to pestilence or war? But it seems that population is a taboo subject. Only two countries have taken it seriously - India and China. In India it cost Mrs Gandhi her job and China was, as to be expected, ruthless.
Global warming may be slowed down by a concerted reduction in carbon footprints, industrial emissions and the destruction of forests and habitats; but scientists are not sanguine. Better than a stealth tax on filament light bulbs would be to remove automatic financial support for more than two children in a family.
I suggest this despite the large families of my acquaintance being a blessing to society.
"Go forth and multiply". Now we know what happens. - Yours, etc,
DAVID GIBBS, Bellmount, Cullahill, Laois.