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The Population Bomb. Dr. Paul Ehrlich. The Problem: Too Many People. Food production falling behind pop. Growth “Starvation doesn’t kill starving people” Half of the people in the world are undernourished (1971) Doubling time = Really fast in UDC’s Kenya = 23 years U.S. = 70 Years - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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The Problem: Too Many People
• Food production falling behind pop. Growth– “Starvation doesn’t kill starving
people”– Half of the people in the world
are undernourished (1971)
• Doubling time = Really fast in UDC’s– Kenya = 23 years– U.S. = 70 Years
• Social + Environmental problems accelerate faster than population
“No growth rate can be sustained in the long run”
Two options: Control population via birth rate, or nature will
control it via death rate.
3 Scenarios
• Nuclear Holocaust
• Pandemic
• Cooperation between nations– Survivor tax on GDP– Many people still
starve
What is being done
• Planned parenthood• Empowering women• Environmental
Protection• Education• 2 bills:
– Tax deductions for no more than 2 children/family
– Legalize abortion
Who to Target
• Politicians• Extreme
Conservatives and Liberals
• Catholics• People with children• People without
children• [Everyone]
My Take on The Population Bomb
Pros• Discusses the most
important issue of our time
• Many of the topics vitally important today
• “What can you do?” section
• Prominent influence in the history of Environmentalism
Cons• Outdated
– A lot has happened since 1971
– Nuclear Holocaust? Leaded gasoline? Supersonic jets?
– Now: 7 billion– No current figures or
projections (obviously)
…And So
• Worth reading– Took me 4 hours – Entertaining
• I would suggest Thomas Friedman’s Hot, Flat, and Crowded– Many similar themes– Much more relevant
today