June 28, 2021--Malthusianism

 

A very smart friend, when we were talking about climate change, said--"Though I like the idea of all electric cars, and though I wish this wasn't true, while good in itself, is not going to get the job done.

"What will?" I said? "Do you have other, better solutions?"

"Population growth."

"You mean what Malthus said about this centuries ago?"

"Yes," he said, "Excessive population growth, which we've had for decades, is threatening to overwhelm the food supply which will eventually cause a global population die-off."

"Are we seeing any of that now?" I asked.

"Definitely." he said.

"Why isn't anyone talking about this?"

"You want to go after the religious right who are opposed even to contraception?"

"Not until I've had a few drinks," I said.

You're old enough," he said, "to have lived long enough to see the population of the United States nearly triple from about 130 million when you were born to the current 330 million."

"I'm old enough?"

"That's the good news and the bad news," he said. And smiled.

"Malthusianism, right?"

"Yup," he said.

"I remember from reading him when I was in college about his overlapping graphs, which showed population growth becoming exponential, while . . . I forgot."

"While food supply and other resources grow at a much slower rate--linear," he said. "That's when your die-off occurs."

I said, "We'd better start talking about this, right?"

"First another drink?" And again smiled.