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  lanners and politicians here in
Southern California act as if our time on the planet was an "All
you can eat" buffet. Names and faces may change but the
behavior remains the same, as the greedy boys and girls continue
to load up their plates to the point of gluttony. Saving some
for later never crosses their minds, because in their opinion,
there will always be more.
 What
is the carrying capacity of San Diego County? This is a question
that every resident should be asking themselves, and their elected
officials. The technical definition of carrying capacity is:
The maximum population of a species that a specific ecosystem
can support over long periods of time. The fact that we are currently
driving indigenous species to extinction tells me that we have
far outreached the region's ability to handle the ever-growing
numbers of humans.
The last time
I saw a California mule deer in coastal North County it was laying
dead on Rancho Sante Fe Road, having been struck by a car. If
that isn't the perfect analogy to our relationship to our environment,
I'm not sure what is. The true tragedy is that we aren't hunting
these animals for food, which is at least understandable. Instead,
we are literally pushing them out of existence to make room for
more people. Like waves hitting the beach, we are slowly eroding
away at coastal sage scrub and the species that inhabit it, replacing
them with a mass of humanity not prepared to live in a semiarid
biome.
Proponents
of the development paradigm believe everyone has the right to
live in Southern California, prompting SANDAG to conjure up another
million people. County and city officials continue to approve
new development, while somehow distancing themselves from the
fact that San Diego County receives 70 percent of its water from
the Colorado River. Without this water, the region could not
support its current population. Yet golf courses continue to
be built, as do homes with thirsty residents.
Early next
year, the seven states drawing from the Colorado River will be
using all water allocated to them by the Colorado River Pact
of 1922. As populations continue rise in cities such as Denver,
Phoenix, and Las Vegas, San Diego's reliable water resources
decrease. Why, then, do we keep building as if water availability
was a non-issue? People may have the "right" to live
here, but like it or not, overriding this claim is the grim reality
of a shrinking water supply.
Due to planning
decisions that favor sprawl, these residents also require cars,
and cars require roads. And roads, as we all now, require more
and more coastal sage scrub habitat. It's unimaginable that the
species most capable of surviving in this dry desert environment
are the ones being removed. To continue distancing themselves
from our semiarid environment, thirsty residents require thirsty
landscaping more in keeping with their sense of aesthetics. A
lack of common sense has propelled us way beyond the region's
carrying capacity.
Not only do
we import the majority of our water supply, we are also importing
the majority of our food supply. What little agricultural land
remains is slowing being converted into suburban neighborhoods
and shopping centers. The semiarid desert biome commonly known
as San Diego County could not produce enough to feed a quarter
of its current population, even if all of its arable land was
returned to crop production. More people and less resources does
equate to a bright future. The Malthusian age is upon us, and
it's all downhill from here. 
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