Over Population is Rearing its Head

Anti-abortion zealots hate it when someone says there may be too many people in the U.S. or in the world. They always say there is land in many places where no one lives. The growing population can live there. Maybe they mean Death Valley, few people live there. While none of them have actually suggested Death Valley, the point is lots of places with sparse populations cannot support many people because of water or weather. All of us have supported in one way or another people living where costs are high and subsidies are needed to make an area habitable. Subsidies for places that do not work as places to live and work is coming to an end.

A few years ago the Federal Government began requiring flood insurance to cover damage to homes and businesses built in flood prone areas. A two-billion-dollar project is underway in Fargo, ND, to handle flood water and make home insurable without the very expensive flood insurance. Flood prone areas will not be available for development like they were previously. 

In the last few days, however, another big insurance bomb fell. State Farm Insurance will no longer accept new customers in the entire State of California. Because losses from fires and floods have been so high State Farm has found California unprofitable. To be sure, lots of California is not subject to floods and fires and there will be companies who will insure there. But the large swath of the State will not be desirable for development because insurers will not sell insurance there. 

 Where will the people live if not in California? It will not be Arizona, one of the fastest growing states. Arizona recently began denying permits for house developments where there is no additional source of water. This, as I understand it, includes the rapidly growing Phoenix area. The underground water table across Arizona has been dropping for years and wells are on the way out. Its rivers are low.

Then there are the hurricane areas in Florida and the South and East. They are or will be uninsurable. Oceans are rising and many coastal areas will be on the move. More land is being used in the U.S. for solar and wind energy. 

 This is not to it is impossible to add population to the U.S. There are people who think their religion demands more babies. Population growth will continue for a while. The point is economics will dominate events in the future. When demand for land, water and energy grows but supply is mostly stagnant or falling, the cost of living will rise. The rising cost of living will inevitably change religious views about issues like birth control and abortion.