Stop having children instead of bleating about conservation, says wildlife expert

[R.R]

Quote:By Anita Singh
05 Apr 2011

Chris Packham, the BBC presenter, said the government should offer financial rewards to couples who opt to remain childless.

Setting out his radical approach, Packham said: "There's no point bleating about the future of pandas, polar bears and tigers when we're not addressing the one single factor that's putting more pressure on the ecosystem than any other - namely the ever-increasing size of the world's population.

"I read the other day that, by 2020, there are going to be 70 million people in Britain. Let's face it, that's too many.

"I wouldn't actually penalise people for having too many children, as I think the carrot always works better than the stick. But I would offer them tax breaks for having small families - say, 10 per cent off your tax bill if you decide to stick with just one child. And an even bigger financial incentive if you choose not to have a family at all.

"I question the way, for example, people have two children with one partner, then split up and have two with their next partner, just to even up the score.

"Fact is, we all eat food, breathe air and require space, and the more of us there are, the less of those commodities there are for other people and, of course, for the animals."

Pakackham has no children of his own but does have a 16-year-old stepdaughter.

The co-host of the BBC's Springwatch programme said that everyone must do their bit for the environment. "If I didn't recycle and shop locally, I couldn't see the point of being human," he told the Radio Times.

The presenter is known for his forthright views on the environment and caused outrage in 2009 when he suggested that giant pandas be allowed to die out. “Here’s a species that of its own accord has gone down an evolutionary cul-de-sac. It’s not a strong species. I reckon we should pull the plug. Let them go with a degree of dignity.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environ...23a225%2C0