This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
In his opinion piece of Nov. 15, Paul Wickelson correctly attributed a portion of the cause for the violence in Syria to drought at least exacerbated by climate change. He wants us to understand how serious and pervasive the effects of climate change are and will be for all of us, but particularly those already living in areas of perpetual poverty and distress.
However, climate change is not the major factor in the violence and religious fanaticism of Syria. It is exuberant population growth which results in a large percent of the population being young men with nothing to do and no hope for the future. The countries with the largest youth sectors are in the Near East, North Africa and Eastern Sub-Saharan Africa. Demographers are concluding that the countries with fast growing populations are unsustainable and we can see that they suffer extreme political instability and appalling human suffering. Why are we so hesitant to discuss what is so obvious?
John O'Connell
Salt Lake City