THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, March 15, 1995 TAG: 9503140012
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A10 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 29 lines
Five years ahead of schedule, China's population has reached 1.2 billion, thus adding to China's leaders' concerns about their ability to feed their growing numbers.
In the United States, a new report by the American Association for the Advancement of Science pointed out that by the year 2050, energy shortages, exhausted land, scarce water and a doubling in our population will combine to radically alter the American diet. There will be less meat and dairy products, more grains and beans and a sparser variety of vegetables.
This scientific panel explains that about 120 million acres of farmland will be lost due to urbanization and erosion in the next 60 years, while the nation's population doubles to 560 million.
At the current rate of reproduction, our numbers here and globally could overwhelm this planet which is our home.
MARY SHANNON COREY
Edenton, N.C., Feb. 28, 1995 by CNB