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"There's no way the earth can support 1 billion people, especially with peak oil within the next five years!" -Someone in the 1980's, probably.
by bryan_w 3y ago
"There's no way the earth can support 1 billion people, especially with peak oil within the next five years!" -Someone in the 1980's, probably.
- quickthrower2 3y ago1780's?
- the_third_wave 3y agoThat was Malthus, in the 1780's. His 1980's alter-ego was and is Paul Ehrlich who warmed up Malthus prognosis with numbers adjusted to fit our era. Ehrlich is, just like Malthus, known for failing in each and every one of his predictions. Both Malthus as well as Ehrlich failed - and in Ehrlich's case most likely ignored - to take into account that the population not only grows but also develops new technologies. These new technologies increased the carrying capacity of the world's economies faster than the population increased which has led to a staggering reduction of the fraction of the population which lives in poverty.
- fluoridation 3y ago"Because we've been able to grow enormously in the past, we'll always be able to grow enormously in the future", is what you're saying?