Beyond Malthus: Sustainable Development

On the bicentennial of Malthus' legendary essay on the tendency of population to grow more rapidly than the food supply, this book examines the impacts of population growth on 19 global resources and services, including food, fresh water, fisheries, jobs, education, income and health. Despite current hype of a 'birth dearth' in parts of Europe and Japan, the fact remains that human numbers are projected to increase by over 3 billion by 2050. Populations in rapidly growing nations are in danger of outstripping the carrying capacity of their natural support systems and governments in such situations will find it increasingly hard to respond to crises such as AIDS, food and water shortages and mass unemployment. Beyond Malthus examines methods such as the expansion of international family planning, investment in educating young people in the developing world and promotion of a shift towards smaller families which will represent the most humane response to the possible ravages of the population explosion.

Lester R. Brown is founder, president, and a senior researcher at the Worldwatch Institute. The senior author of the Institute's two annuals, State of the World and Vital Signs, he is perhaps best known for his pioneering work on the concept of environmentally sustainable development.Gary Gardner is a senior researcher at the Institute and has written on agriculture, waste, and materials issues for the annual State of the World report, World Watch magazine, and other Institute publications.Brian Halweil is a staff researcher and writes on issues related to food and agriculture, HIV/AIDS, cigarettes, and biotechnology.