Suicide sparks stabilisation debate
A young Sydney man was found dead overnight in what appears to be an Australian first; an environmentally motivated suicide.
Alex Greenwood, 23, a self-proclaimed 'hippy' and neo-Malthusian was found dead late last night at his home in Campbelltown.
"He was very passionate; willing to go that extra mile for causes that he believed in" says Amanda Hurst, his girlfriend of three years. "While I'll miss him terribly, I understand. I'll keep on fighting for you, Alex."
Excerpts from his suicide note, released today by his family read "I simply can't take the shame of my carbon footprints [sic]. I am only 23 years old, and yet by my estimate, I have already produced 2.8 tonnes of CO2 [...] What better way to reduce my carbon impact than to not exist?"
Neo-Malthusian theory, a rather extremist evolution of Thomas Malthus' Principle of Population, blames over-population for a number of humankind's problems. Proponents of population stabilisation claim that population growth is the source of many ills, ranging from poverty and famine, to terrorism, and even global warming.
Population Action Australia (PAA) is one such organisation lobbying for population stabilisation laws in Australia. "I feel for his family," says John Ashton, spokesperson and co-founder of PAA. "it is never nice to lose someone you love, but Alex believed strongly in our cause. We admire his restraint and devotion."
"We all know that global warming is the biggest threat facing Australians today, and that population growth is the leading cause. We believe that the best way to tackle this issue is to introduce legislation limiting the sizes of families, to achieve zero, or even a negative, population growth. Look at Russia for example, their population is in decline; yet the country has never been better!"
When pressed on the issue during question time in Parliament today, Mikhail Fosta, NSW State Treasurer and staunch denier of global warming said, "Everyone knows that global warming is just bullshit. I feel for this kid's family, I truly do, but I can't help thinking that maybe our state is better off without someone so damn gullible."
As for whether population control efforts should be considered, he continued, "Well, I don't really have an opinion on whether those laws should be instituted or not, but you can bet your ass I won't be opening the State coffers. Funding for enforcement will have to come from somewhere else."
Greenwood's body is due to be buried this Sunday, in line with his last request from his suicide note, "Don't cremate me, I've probably caused enough pollution already."