Because of this, statistics concerning this subject vary widely. But, in order to persuade, it is necessary to take one side or the other. Thus, statistics may be questioned as to their validity, even though the statistics come from credible sources. .
Lifeboat Ethics .
The United States is the most populous country in the world, behind only China and India. Unlike China and India though, the United States is the fastest growing industrialized nation. The United States" population expands so quickly because of the imbalance between migration and immigration, and births and deaths. For example, in 1992, 4.1 million babies were born. Weighing this statistic against the number of deaths and the number of people who entered and left the country, the result was that the United States obtained 2.8 million more people than it had gotten rid of (Douglis 12). .
Population increases place great strain on the American society and more particularly it causes tremendous destruction to the natural environment. For example, more than half of the wetlands in the United States are gone, and of all of the original forest cover, 90 percent has been destroyed. This depletion has caused the near extinction of over 796 individual plants and animals. At least part of the year, the air that over 100 million people breathe is too dirty to meet federal standards. And finally, almost 15 million people are subject to polluted water supplies (Douglis 12). It is very likely that total destruction of the environment can take place and probably will if something is not done to curb the population growth. .
When discussing Hardin's essays it is necessary to confront the problem of immigration. Immigration is responsible for approximately 40 percent of the population growth in the United States (Douglis 12). The United States now accepts more immigrants than all other developed countries combined (Morganthau 22). It is estimated that approximately one million immigrants from all over the world are making the United States their new home each year (Mandel 32).