The writer’s conclusion that the world needs a period of negative population growth, “Energy investment flaw dooms economic growth,” (Nov. 29), is one I agree with. In the last 40 years the world’s human population has doubled whereas world wildlife has declined dramatically; many fisheries have collapsed and half of all coral reefs are now dead or dying.

Human activity is changing Earth’s climate. Here in the United States the native population reached replacement levels where deaths plus emigration equaled births back in the 1970s, yet our population has continued to grow due to high levels of immigration. At current rates we are destined to add another 90 million people to our population by 2050 (Pew Research Center, 2014). The rest of the world is in worst shape – sub-Saharan Africa alone is expected to add 1.3 billion people by 2050.

All efforts to conserve wildlife and habitat, convert to renewable energy sources and lower our consumption levels only buys time and in the end is for naught if we don’t act now to restrain our growth. As the economist Kenneth Boulding said, “Anyone who believes exponential growth can go on forever in a finite world is either a madman or an economist."

Ronald Clark

Lyme