What "exponential growth curves"? People used to think population was exponential back in 1798 [0] before they had enough data. Now we know population is logi

What "exponential growth curves"? People used to think population was exponential back in 1798 [0] before they had enough data. Now we know population is logistic [1], which looks like an exponential on the left side of the curve but flattens out on the right; you can see a very clear divergence from the exponential if you look at real data [2]. Human population growth passed its peak (annual growth of 1.1% down from 2.2% in the 60s; numerical growth of 75 mil down from 88 mil in the 80s [3]) and is on the way to leveling out at around 9 billion, or about 20% more than today's population [4]. Things that go along with population -- like waste production -- are, obviously, also not exponential. Worrying about the consequences of exponential growth curves is like worrying that a potted plant is going to consume your entire house by the end of the month because it went from seed to sprout in just a few days. The only reason the "exponential" myth persists is scaremongering and willful ignorance. [0] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Essay_on_the_Principle_of_Population http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Essay_on_the_Principle_of_Po... [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logistic_function#In_ecology:_modeling_population_growth http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logistic_function#In_ecology:_m... [2] http://www.growth-dynamics.com/articles/Kurzweil_files/image004.gif http://www.growth-dynamics.com/articles/Kurzweil_files/image... [3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Population_growth#Human_population_growth_rate http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Population_growth#Human_populat... [4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Projections_of_population_growth http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Projections_of_population_growt...