NPG Releases Landmark Report on Colorado's Population Crisis C olorado is quickly losing its foothold at the forefront of environmentalism as record population growth overwhelms its infrastructure, finds a new NPG report. At 4.3 million residents, Colorado is the third-fastest growing state in the country. During the 1990s, Colorado added over one million inhabitants, or about 275 people each day, growing by almost one-third. Its open space is vanishing, its highways are clogged with polluting traffic jams, and every hour, ten acres of its farmland and open space are lost to development.
Residents now rank growth as the state's number one problem.
More than two-thirds say overpopulation is a major problem in Colorado, and 72 percent say that population growth is an outright threat to the quality of life in Colorado. Sixty-one percent want the federal government to lower immigration levels, and 70 percent say that state and federal leaders have a responsibility to halt population growth so that a high quality of life, a healthy environment, and a sound economy can be maintained. NPG sent the booklet to Colorado legislators and is urging local activists to discuss results with their representatives. While most developed countries will stabilize or return to past, smaller sizes, the poorest nations are expected to triple in size. Africa, Latin America, and much of Asia will grow rapidly, and India will surpass China as the world's most populated country.