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     The Clock is Ticking is a weekly column on overpopulation, global climate change and mass extinctions, and what we can do about them. I’ll be exploring the reasons why these are crucial problems, their causes and their remedies. I’ll explain the impact of the coming global changes on you and your loved ones. I’ll also examine the reasons why we’ve let these problems develop, why we’ve done so little about them, and how we can change our behavior.
     If you don't see The Clock is Ticking in your newspaper, and you’d like it to be published there, you might want to call or email them and recommend it. They need to know that readers like you are concerned about the future of life on this planet. All subscriptions are free of charge.
     I welcome your constructive comments and suggestions.

ABOUT THE COLUMN

The Clock is Ticking features the following kinds of material:

· the facts about overpopulation, climate change, pollution and mass extinctions

· the impact these will have on you

· readable scientific explanations of the causes of these problems

· possible solutions to these problems

· human nature: why we have let these problems develop, why we haven’t remedied them, and what we can do to bring about effective changes in our behavior

· further sources of information: books and links

· breaking news

· track records of politicians and governments

· positive actions you can take

There have been many columns on the environment, and certainly many political pundits regularly (and rightly) chastise our politicians for talking big about environmental action while doing little. Politicians and pundits, however, are universally silent about overpopulation and population control, for fear of awakening paranoia about Big Brother. What we really need is a frank disclosure, sticking as much as possible to solid science, of the problems, possible solutions, and obstacles to effective action.

My task will be to provide the science in a digestible form. Based on this analysis, I think reasonable people (the ones who apply reason, not just the ones who agree with me) will concur that the problems are real, they pose a grave threat, and they arise from human behavior. The principal underlying problem is overpopulation. The Earth doesn't have the resources to support the global population at the American level of consumption, and a sufficient reduction of population would solve our problems. As scientists have been trying to tell us for years, we must achieve a sustainable mode of life by balancing population, resources, and per capita consumption.

The solutions to our behavioral problems don't lie with government or with scientists and technologists. They certainly can't be achieved by military, political, economic, or legislative action. These problems can only be solved through a global consensus on changes to our own behavior, and an exercise of the informed will of the people.

read the first column.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Paul Brown is a neuroscientist who has done research on the brain and spinal cord for nearly forty years. He earned a bachelor's degree at MIT, with a major in biology and a minor in psychology. He earned his doctorate in physiology at the University of Chicago, where he was trained as an auditory neurophysiologist. He obtained postdoctoral training as a sensory neuroscientist at Cornell University. After a period as a research scientist at Boston State Hospital, he moved to West Virginia University, where he is a Professor.

Dr. Brown also has extensive training in mathematics and the physical sciences. He has written and edited books on electronics and computer science, and has contributed to books on neuroscience. He has had over thirty years of research support from the National Institutes of Health, and has published over sixty papers on his research in peer-reviewed journals. He has also read widely in the social sciences, humanities, literature and the arts. He has extensive experience as a teacher of college students, medical student, and other students in the health sciences. He has traveled widely, and can get along in five languages.

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*The Clock is Ticking*
	*a planet is a terrible thing to lose*