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By Eric Ruark

Environmental leaders in Arizona, Utah, and other western states are scrambling to avert an impending ecological catastrophe.

The Colorado River -- which supplies water to around 40 million people across seven states -- is rapidly drying up. 

These sorts of resource challenges are only becoming more pervasive across the country. Climate change is unquestionably a contributor, and it's imperative that our leaders pursue policies that realistically deal with it instead of using climate change as an excuse for not taking actions that  can protect the nation’s national resources. 

Like the elephant in the room that most policymakers refuse to acknowledge: explosive population growth. 

The U.S. population has increased by a staggering 50 million people since 2000, with arid southwestern states experiencing some of the most rapid growth. 

This growth isn't the result of Americans having more kids. Our birth rate has actually trended downwards over the last several decades. 

Yet the population keeps booming because we've opened our doors to tens of millions of immigrants. Those immigrants -- most of whom are indeed seeking a better life -- have good reasons for wanting to come here. The United States, despite its flaws, is still arguably the best place on earth for the global poor to accrue material wealth and enjoy the political and personal freedoms in a modern, advanced society. 

But providing these opportunities to everyone in the world who wants to come here is not why U.S. immigration policy exists. Our nation needs sustainable immigration policies that ensure we have enough water, land, and jobs for everyone already here. 

For much of our country's history, newcomers to the United States could pursue "Manifest Destiny" all the way to the west coast, where the American landmass drops into the Pacific. But that era ended long ago. There's no more frontier to settle. Now, adding more people inevitably means draining more reservoirs, bulldozing more forests, and scraping up more open spaces to construct additional houses, businesses, and shopping centers. 

Simply put, we're operating a 19th-century immigration policy with 21st-century resource constraints. And nearly unlimited demand for limited resources is a recipe for disaster. 

With about 340 million residents, we're the third most populous country behind India and China. And we're projected to reach 404 million inhabitants by 2060, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, almost entirely due to immigration rather than births. 

Unfortunately, that pace of growth is straining our natural resources. Over the last four decades, we sacrificed nearly 69,000 square miles -- an area larger than Florida, comprising around 3,455 acres per day -- to make room for burgeoning cities and towns. That's goodbye to approximately 11.1 million acres of cropland, 13.1 million acres of pasture and rangeland, and 18.8 million acres of forest. 

And here's the kicker: a startling 60% of this land loss resulted directly from population growth, as opposed to consumption habits. 

It's even beginning to imperil our most treasured national parks, like Yellowstone. Several of Yellowstone's fauna, including Bison, bighorn sheep, and songbirds, rely on the areas surrounding the park for migration. But many of these crucial habitats are now being razed to create commercial centers and housing developments. That isn't sustainable. 

Too many Americans still hold to the false idea that our nation has the capacity to grow indefinitely. It's past time to reject that narrative -- along with policies of infinite expansion that drain our aquifers, deplete our rivers, and transform our stunning natural landscapes into strip malls. 

Eric Ruark is Director of Research for NumbersUSA. A version of this column originally appeared in the Standard-Examiner in Ogden, UT.

About Eric Ruark:

Eric Ruark is the Director of Research and Sustainability, and Director of Public Relations for NumbersUSA. He has worked on immigration policy since 2008. He has a B.A. and an M.A. in History from Virginia Commonwealth University and completed his comprehensive Ph.D. exams in 20th Century European History, with a concentration in the history of science, technology, and the environment at the University of Maryland. Eric has researched and published extensively on U.S. immigration policy, and his work has been cited in national and international media reports. He testified before the Senate on agricultural guest worker programs in 2011.