EJSD
Electronic Journal of Sustainable Development
Volume 1, Issue 3
Summer 2009
The third issue of the EJSD looks at "The Population Bomb Four Decades On."
On World Population Day - Saturday, July 11 - the EJSD publishes a critical evaluation of theories and evidence relating to the impact of a burgeoning human population.
Volume 1, Issue 3: The Population Bomb Four Decades On
Jul 2009 - Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Science
Featured Story
THE POST WAR INTELLECTUAL ROOTS OF THE POPULATION BOMB - FAIRFIELD OSBORN'S 'OUR PLUNDERED PLANET' AND WILLIAM VOGT'S 'ROAD TO SURVIVAL' IN RETROSPECT
By Pierre Desrochers, Christine HoffbauerThis paper traces the “intellectual roots” of The Population Bomb by discussing two now largely forgotten 1948 best-sellers, Fairfield Osborn’s Our Plundered Planet and William Vogt’s Road to Survival. These books launched a Malthusian revival in the post War era and profoundly influenced a young Paul Ehrlich, whose own best-seller epitomised this movement, both in content and rhetorical style. Our paper is structured as follows. We first discuss the traditional opposition between so-called Malthusians and Cornucopians. This is followed by an overview of Osborn and Vogt’s life and work, and a more detailed survey of their basic arguments on environmental destruction, population growth, economic development, technological change and the basic institutions of a market economy. A review of reactions to both books upon their publication follows. Our concluding thought is that, at the time of writing The Population Bomb, Paul and Anne Ehrlich should have been more cautious and revised their tone and rhetoric, in light of the undeniable and already apparent errors and shortcomings of Osborn and Vogt’s analyses.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Volume 1, Issue 3: The Population Bomb Four Decades On
Download the pdf (2235.0K) of the entire issue.
EDITORIALS
THE PERSISTENCE OF POPULATION PESSIMISM
By Julian Morris
PEER-REVIEWED ARTICLES
HAVE INCREASES IN POPULATION, AFFLUENCE AND TECHNOLOGY WORSENED HUMAN AND ENVIRONMENTAL WELL-BEING?
By Indur M. Goklany
HTML || pdf (1085.2K) || abstract
JULIAN SIMON AND THE "LIMITS TO GROWTH" NEO-MALTHUSIANISM
By Paul Dragos Aligica
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LAND CONFLICT AND GENOCIDE IN RWANDA
By Karol Boudreaux
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POPULATION GROWTH AND CITIES
By Randal O'Toole
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POPULATION GROWTH, INCREASES IN AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION AND TRENDS IN FOOD PRICES
By Douglas Southgate
HTML || pdf (207.1K) || abstract
THE POPULATION BOMB REVISITED
By Anne Ehrlich, Paul Ehrlich
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THE POST WAR INTELLECTUAL ROOTS OF THE POPULATION BOMB - FAIRFIELD OSBORN'S 'OUR PLUNDERED PLANET' AND WILLIAM VOGT'S 'ROAD TO SURVIVAL' IN RETROSPECT
By Pierre Desrochers, Christine Hoffbauer
HTML || pdf (1006.6K) || abstract
BOOK REVIEWS
REVIEW OF BLUE PLANET IN GREEN SHACKLES
By Peter Gordon
REVIEW OF CREATING A WORLD WITHOUT POVERTY
By Per Bylund, Mario Mondelli
REVIEW OF FAILED STATES
By Chris Coyne
REVIEW OF FATAL MISCONCEPTION
By Heli Kasanen
REVIEW OF GREENER PASTURES
By Glenn Fox
REVIEW OF SEX, SCIENCE & PROFITS
By Pierre Desrochers
REVIEW OF STARVED FOR SCIENCE
By John H. Sanders
REVIEW OF THE DOMINANT ANIMAL
By Matt Ridley
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