Excerpt
Foremost among the concerns we face at the dawn of the 21st century are the rapid increase in world population, the continuing degradation of agricultural soils, and the ongoing release of greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. These three issues are intimately linked. Solving one problem will help to solve the other problems. Agricultural practices that prevent soil degradation can reduce the emission of greenhouse gases and ensure a secure global food supply.
Throughout human history, experts have warned that rapid population growth will lead to widespread famine. In 1798, for example, the British economist Thomas Malthus warned that “population, when unchecked, increases in geometric ratio, while subsistence increases in arithmetic ratio.” Malthus believed it would be impossible to grow enough food for Great Britain's growing population, and without “moral restraint” (his term for family planning), population size would ultimately be limited by war, pestilence, and famine. Many modern scientists have voiced Malthusian fears (e.g., Myers 1991; Ehrlich et al. 1993; Brown 1994a, b, c; Brown et al. 1998).
When Malthus wrote his famous “Essay on the Principle of Population as It Affects the Future Improvement of Society,” he could …
Footnotes
- Copyright 2000 by the Soil and Water Conservation Society
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