Dear Students:
In the last few decades California’s population has exploded. Since the 1970s, it doubled from 20 million to nearly 40 million today. This crowding has led to a wide variety of problems: urban sprawl, increased traffic, loss of wildlife, natural resources stretched thin, longer emergency room waits, ever increasing job competition, and so on. If we care about the future, we need to have a national conversation about stabilizing our population.
Put plainly, virtually 100% of current growth is due to large numbers of people moving here from abroad, coupled with their high birth rates. The resulting overcrowding and growth is obvious in California, but not unique. These trends are happening to communities across the nation. Lowering America’s high per capita consumption and reducing immigration can help us make the most realistic plan to respect carrying capacity, conserve our resources, and secure a high quality of life for our future generations.
The Crowdifornia contest judges want to read your well-reasoned, compelling op-ed that helps raise awareness about the need for an open dialogue on population growth, immigration, and the trade-offs involved. We look forward to reading your piece addressing this challenging, but critical issue!