The Book That Incited a Worldwide Fear of Overpopulation

Smithsonian Magazine ^ | January 2018 | Charles C. Mann

[Remole]

Norman Borlaug. We all should know his name and celebrate his achievements, as he is almost single-handedly the reason why the Population Bomb did not go off.

[The Great RJ]

I too remember Ehrlich’s book coming out in my college days and quickly followed the zero population growth movement...another hysteria induced reaction to a non existent problem. It seems that no one learns from history. These wild haired prognosticators predicting doom and gloom have been with us since the days of Malthus and have never been right.

The global warming hoax however is more insidious as it is a politically motivated vehicle for greater government control and world governance by a handful of elites. Man caused global warming a.k.a climate change, has now become a cult with an unquestionable dogma, an Inquisition to root out “deniers” and its own Savonarola, Al Gore. I pray the world comes to its senses and exposes these charlatans.

[mjp]

the book promised, “hundreds of millions of people are going to starve to death.” No matter what people do, “nothing can prevent a substantial increase in the world death rate.”

The beliefs of Ehrlich and Malthus are valid only for stagnant or retrogressing economy that is the result of leftardism or a non division of labor economy

[BRL]

We had one of those stupid machines at our school too

[redangus]

It sold lots of copies because college students across the country were forced to buy it by their professors. I was one of them.

[redangus]

It convinced a lot of white, college educated women to forego motherhood or at least do replacement only. The push for abortion just ‘happened’ to coincide with the release of the book.

[Buckeye McFrog]

"If that's the best job you can find, why are you complaining?"

I was working with a Pakistani fellow back when Kathie Lee Gifford got into her big kerfluffle about sweatshops making her fashion line.

His take was interesting. He said "I hope this does not cause them to shut down. I have a cousin who works there, and its the best job she has ever had."

[ClearCase_guy]

That’s true all over. In Indonesia, the basic job was harvesting sugar cane, or some such thing. Back breaking work. High risk of injury. Awful pay.

Then Nike opened up modern, air-conditioned factories and paid people the princely sum of $5 a day, or something to make sneakers. Indonesians were thrilled! Best job they ever had!

Meanwhile, Liberals in the US tried to shut them down because $5 a day is insulting.

[catnipman]

that chart certainly has pretty colors, but constant tribal war, greedy, corrupt and ineffective governments, lack of infrastructure, lack of potable water, inability for food self-sufficiency, disease, ignorance, apathy, lethargy and much more will guarantee that population growth curve never happens in Africa ...

[JimRed]

No matter what people do, “nothing can prevent a substantial increase in the world death rate.”

True. More people = more people dying. Red herring.

[Ozark Tom]

An exponential population growth curve doesn’t hold together unless nutrition, medical intervention, and especially sanitation improve accordingly. More population pressure results in expansion of contact with wildlife harboring microbes. Many animal species are carriers of hemorrhagic fevers as an example.

It’s reasonable to take the position that there are disease vectors we have had no encounters with as yet. An increase in population density results in an out-sized likelihood of finding something nasty which results in a pandemic outbreak, one which will check growth of a population.

[Ozark Tom]

Agricultural robots will replace hand picking of fruits and other agricultural products.

[LTC.Ret]

I remember sitting in a special presentation at High School in the early 70’s [Class of 72’] and heard the overpopulation propaganda complete with this song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yK3oWQfb_2M

They pushed the “we’re all going to starve” on us hard all through High School. When I went to my 30th HS Reunion, approximately half of my class had produced -0- children, and those who did have kids typically had only one.

Now the liberals complain that:
1) Americans are having too many children;
2) We need to import illegals because Americans aren’t having enough children; and,
3) The contradictory statements above appear to be coming out of both sides of their mouths at the same time!!!

[Theophilus]

Ehrlich not dead yet. Turns 86 in May.

I'm really surprised he hasn't starved yet.

[Ozark Tom]

A FYI: There are chemical and biological agents developed for population control of mammalian species, which work by inducing different degrees of sterility in both sexes for various periods of time. Results depend on which approach is chosen.

These materials have specific handling precautions, as humans are also affected if exposed. The materials are fairly specific in action, as they tend not to greatly disrupt other biological processes linked to behavior. The relevant question is whether these agents have ever been purposely employed within a human population. The adherents of the Club of Rome sometimes advocate extreme actions in support of goals.

[Sirius Lee]

You can put the entire Earth’s population in the space of Texas.

Texas doesn't want 'em.

[JPJones]

“Technology, not government intervention, will make the problems of today the products/services of tomorrow. That is a fact. The explosion of new technology grows at an ever increasing rate in every field - materials, energy, agriculture, health, computers, etc etc.

The future is bright if we allow freedom and capitalism to prevail.”

So True.

Remember ‘Peak Oil’?

Totally reasonable prediction based on the extraction technology available at the time.

[SunkenCiv]

Yeah, I always turn to an entomologist and Malthusian nitwit for information about the future, about human population growth, about agriculture, and even about metals futures.

Thanks C19fan.

• But Why Did Julian Simon Win The Paul Ehrlich Bet?
  Tim Worstall, Forbes Contributor
  Jan 13, 2013

[Berosus]

I find it ironic that a solution to overpopulation appeared while Malthus was alive. All you have to do is educate girls, and they won’t want to spend the best years of their lives barefoot and pregnant. Also, he didn’t see how industrialization would make people less eager to raise large families.