Perhaps Santa Feans can rejoice when even a crusty curmudgeon such as columnist Gregg Bemis has found it opportune to break bread with environmentalists and liberal orthodoxy. His June 21 column, "Why so little attention to population?" restates the popular Malthusian predictions of the 1970s that humanity is doomed to a future of resource scarcity.

In fact, in the last three decades, the world has only become better fed, better sheltered, and more wealthy in virtually every measure of material comfort. To this point, the world has not collapsed due to any scarcity of resources.

Population growth is rapidly declining around the world.

One notable example relevant to our region was the quiet announcement a few months ago that even Mexico has arrived at the population stability target of 2.1 births per woman.

Population numbers are almost certain to never double again; rather, we can anticipate a gradual 50 percent increase in the next half century to about 9 billion humans. This growth, certainly not explosive, can be accommodated before overall population begins a likely historic decline in the second half of this century.

Bemis chooses water as the iconic resource to fret about. As The Economist has observed, water remains abundant almost everywhere but is enormously wasted due to government subsidies which have entitled everyone to believe that water should be virtually free. Particularly for agriculture.

Population growth will run its course; which families would Bemis demand have fewer children? Obviously, population growth and environmental deteriorations are linked, but we should remain optimistic that humanity has the ingenuity to tackle its challenges.

Rather than focusing on the curse of people, we need to concern ourselves with policies that promote economic opportunity and reduce international tensions.

Stephen Kress lives in Santa Fe.