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Cons• Outdated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