Beyond Malthus: Nineteen Dimensions of the Population Challenge

Rating:
Summary: Solid enough
Review: 'Beyond Malthus' paints a jarring picture of an Earth about to grow increasingly unstable, with generations in the near future facing a serious population crisis. In theory, though, countries other than the United States will encounter the most problems, thus posing the authors with the difficult task of mobilizing our notoriously apathetic nation on an issue far more important to, say, those living in India.
They attempt this by sketching out 19 areas of fundamental crisis that will accompany the looming population growth. These 19 concepts fall into two major categories. The first is the side effects of population growth itself, which demands increased food production, energy and fresh water, and more housing, jobs and education. As the population explodes, particularly in Africa and the Middle East, already taxed support systems and natural resources will buckle under, compounding a severe problem. The other classification of crises is the increasing effects of the economy dictating how the natural world is dealt with. Issues brought up on this point include a fading sense of biodiversity, growing income disparity, deforestation and pollution leading to a greenhouse effect and the loss of national recreation areas.
After an intensely pessimistic first 60 pages probably intended to grab the reader's attention, though, the authors pull back and say that this future is not entirely inevitable. Their plan consists of a four-pronged attack: helping the government and public understand the urgency of stabilizing the population, aiding promotion of family planning, educating young women and pushing a worldwide two-child limit. Essentially, they want the world leaders to do all they can to maximize a developing country's chances to move into stage 3 of the demographic transition, instead of falling back to stage 1.
For the most part, the argument of the authors presented in 'Beyond Malthus' is cogent, logical and eye opening. To increase its effectiveness, though, several changes could have been made. By separating the book into 16 distinct points, the argument feels scattered. Several sections would have been more effective if presented in tandem, like the incapability of meat and fish production to continue growing at the rate of population. Instead, they are 30 pages apart, and the food crisis seems less apparent than it should. Also as a consequence of this organizational method, all points are given equal weight, although most would agree that the diminishing of national parks is less consequential than, say, a grain shortage.
These are just organizational missteps, though. More troubling is the fact that the authors never acknowledge how hard it will be to promote two-child limit to those countries not threatened, and how difficult it will be to enforce in the developing countries. It worked in China because they were facing a crisis themselves, and they had the authoritarian government to ensure their solution was carried out. It definitely would not seem as easy in the United States or Europe, both of which value a distinct sense of freedom and a certain disregard to the needs of other countries. Also, for a book steadfastly focused on the problems of food and water shortages, the problem of over consumption is never seriously discussed. Sure, population growth needs curbing, but it should be in conjunction with a series of measures streamlining the over consumption of the wealthy countries. In the end, though, 'Beyond Malthus' provides a solid portrait of an unhealthy planet, even if it does not cover all the bases.

Rating:
Summary: Solid enough
Review: ???Beyond Malthus??? paints a jarring picture of an Earth about to grow increasingly unstable, with generations in the near future facing a serious population crisis. In theory, though, countries other than the United States will encounter the most problems, thus posing the authors with the difficult task of mobilizing our notoriously apathetic nation on an issue far more important to, say, those living in India.
They attempt this by sketching out 19 areas of fundamental crisis that will accompany the looming population growth. These 19 concepts fall into two major categories. The first is the side effects of population growth itself, which demands increased food production, energy and fresh water, and more housing, jobs and education. As the population explodes, particularly in Africa and the Middle East, already taxed support systems and natural resources will buckle under, compounding a severe problem. The other classification of crises is the increasing effects of the economy dictating how the natural world is dealt with. Issues brought up on this point include a fading sense of biodiversity, growing income disparity, deforestation and pollution leading to a greenhouse effect and the loss of national recreation areas.
After an intensely pessimistic first 60 pages probably intended to grab the reader???s attention, though, the authors pull back and say that this future is not entirely inevitable. Their plan consists of a four-pronged attack: helping the government and public understand the urgency of stabilizing the population, aiding promotion of family planning, educating young women and pushing a worldwide two-child limit. Essentially, they want the world leaders to do all they can to maximize a developing country???s chances to move into stage 3 of the demographic transition, instead of falling back to stage 1.
For the most part, the argument of the authors presented in ???Beyond Malthus??? is cogent, logical and eye opening. To increase its effectiveness, though, several changes could have been made. By separating the book into 16 distinct points, the argument feels scattered. Several sections would have been more effective if presented in tandem, like the incapability of meat and fish production to continue growing at the rate of population. Instead, they are 30 pages apart, and the food crisis seems less apparent than it should. Also as a consequence of this organizational method, all points are given equal weight, although most would agree that the diminishing of national parks is less consequential than, say, a grain shortage.
These are just organizational missteps, though. More troubling is the fact that the authors never acknowledge how hard it will be to promote two-child limit to those countries not threatened, and how difficult it will be to enforce in the developing countries. It worked in China because they were facing a crisis themselves, and they had the authoritarian government to ensure their solution was carried out. It definitely would not seem as easy in the United States or Europe, both of which value a distinct sense of freedom and a certain disregard to the needs of other countries. Also, for a book steadfastly focused on the problems of food and water shortages, the problem of over consumption is never seriously discussed. Sure, population growth needs curbing, but it should be in conjunction with a series of measures streamlining the over consumption of the wealthy countries. In the end, though, ???Beyond Malthus??? provides a solid portrait of an unhealthy planet, even if it does not cover all the bases.

Rating:
Summary: Beyond Malthus
Review: In 1978 Thomas Malthus warned the world that food shortages and famine would soon face our ever-increasing population without a check on population growth. Lester Brown, Gary Gardner and Brian Halweil pick up where Malthus left off and take his argument even further in Beyond Malthus. The authors of this book look at the status of 19 resources and social dimensions to demonstrate the world's approach to its sustainable limit. The book is filled with facts, figures, graphs and projections. They all seem to provide irrefutable proof that we are reaching our limit in terms of food, water, energy, housing, among others, as the population skyrockets. 2.8 billion people are predicted to be added to the population between 2000 and 2050. There will be only one fourth as much freshwater per person as there was in 1950; Grain area per person will have dropped from 0.24 to 0.08 hectares. If these facts don't scare you, what will? If anything, this book makes one think about the seriousness of the population problem. After 19 chapters of evidence, the authors summarize the findings in a rather grim conclusion. Some countries are already facing the constraints of being unable to support their populations, like India. Other countries have implemented methods of stabilizing population, such as China, which restricts couples to having only one child. It is unknown what is in store for sure for developed countries, such as the United States. The authors offer a negative outlook but cannot confirm a certain outcome. The main suggestion given by the authors is to reduce fertility. Women need to be educated and given other opportunities to keep families from having excessive numbers of children. Global recognition of the problem and the relief of debts in overcrowded countries are additional ways of addressing this.
I was certainly persuaded, through all 19 chapters, that there are indeed major implications associated with a growing population. There is not enough water, food, energy, housing etc. to keep us going forever. The fact that the authors used the year 2050 as their point of reference, made their argument hit home. Many people reading Beyond Malthus will still be alive in 2050 and certainly don't want to face what the book predicts. Despite the effectiveness of the argument, I believe that an article would have sufficed and swayed me just as well. This many facts and numbers were not needed to make the point. It became redundant to read chapter after chapter of the same predictions when it could have been simply stated, "if the population grows, we'll run out of A, B, and C". The conclusion was slightly more stimulating. The suggestion that we restrict the number of children we have is a very simple solution and I would find it hard to disagree with its effectiveness. Brown, Gardner and Halweil offer ways to accomplish this and admit the difficulty in implementing programs to reduce fertility in some countries where the population is not so accepting and/or doesn't have the funds. All in all, Beyond Malthus contains valuable data and helpful suggestions, but in too long of a format.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting
Review: Lester Brown, Gary Gardner and Brian Halweil team up in their book, Beyond Malthus: Nineteen Dimensions of the Population Challenge, to present some of the problematic issues involved with the rate of global population growth. The book analyzes and argues that growing economies will use up our planet's resources by 2050 if we keep reproducing and consuming at the current levels.
With the world population more than doubling in the past 50 years, Brown et al. explain how population growth can lead to shortages of resources, negative ecological impacts, reduction of food production and social and health disasters. The authors base their ideas from 1950 data, establishing projections up to 2050.
According to their projections, the main problem caused by population growth will be the scarcity of natural resources. Fresh water, energy outages, material consumption and diminishing cropland space will be important concerns in the future, since smaller amounts of these resources will be available per capita. This situation could lead to major problems related to global food production. Even with an exhausted cropland, grain production must increase dramatically by 2050, in order to support the new incoming population and rising affluence. Similarly, the oceanic fish catch of 97 million tons annually, is already being pushed to the limits and must be monitored in order to insure that future generations can enjoy seafood consumption.
According to the authors, the use of natural resources to support not only population, but also economic growth, could lead to many ecological disasters. Aquifers will eventually be depleted, posing grave risks for food production. Forests and protected natural areas are being destroyed in order to get more cropland, threatening biodiversity. Urban sprawl provokes awkward conditions that affect the natural process of draining and favors land erosion. Furthermore, the disposal of waste over the land and seas is contaminating water supplies. Likewise, the emission of toxic gases that pollute the air and provoke climate changes affects the ecology.
Population growth aggravated by less available resources and an exhausted environment causes social conflicts, including job and housing shortages. In many parts of the world, the unemployment rate is increasingly high, which leads to homelessness and poverty. In these environments, infectious diseases such as the HIV/AIDS epidemic flourish rapidly.
Brown et al., state in their conclusion that education will play a key factor in helping to curb the crisis of overpopulation. Efforts to increase literacy rates and international family planning can help control the global birth rate.
This book was definitively an eye opener to me. In my opinion, the idea of promoting child limits seems quite harsh, but maybe it will have to become a reality (even in the U.S. and Europe, often known as free countries) in order to help ease the effects of overpopulation. Yet, I think that this could be categorized as a reference book, vs. a leisure-reading book, since the dimensions are presented without correlations or transitions among them.

Rating:
Summary: Population Explosion
Review: Population Explosion

Beyond Malthus, written by Lester R. Brown, Gary Gardner, and Brian Halweil focuses on the problems that we are going to have to deal with as the human population continues to grow. Brown, Gardner, and Halweil break down the problem of population growth and how it relates to the industrialized and the developing world. The authors of the book all work for the Worldwatch Institute. The Worldwatch Institute is a nonprofit organization that focuses on environmental sustainability.
Brown, Gardner, and Halweil identify many problems that we are facing and are going to face as the world's population increases. They identify many problems throughout the book by dedicating chapters to the problems. They identify problems ranging from issues related to agriculture and food production, environmental issues such as water problems, forestry issues and climate change, and issues including health, housing, economy, and education. The main idea behind these problems is to realize that all of these problems are connected.
During each of the chapters Brown, Gardner, and Halweil illustrate how industrialized countries and developing countries are affected by these problems. The developing countries are the places that are seeing the most population growth; therefore, they are experiencing more difficulties. Industrialized countries are not seeing the population growth that the developing countries are experiencing, in fact some industrialized nations are seeing stabilized or declining populations. These trends are a result of education and technology levels. This does not mean that industrialized nations are exempt from the problems of population growth. Industrial nations consume more resources than developing nations so they are often the ones that are depleting the world's resources. The main point is that every country has a responsibility to control its consumption.
I thought that this was book was informational. The authors clearly identify and explain the problems of over population very well. I liked how they broke the issues into there own individual chapters. I also liked how each chapter explained how the problem related to industrialized nations and developing nations and then connected them to show how it's all related. The book also contains many graphs and charts, which are very useful to understanding the problems and puts them into scale. Another feature of the book that I thought was useful to identifying and understanding the problems was that each chapter had examples how the problem is already affecting us. Even though I think the book was well written and explained the facts very well after a few chapters I was having trouble keeping interest. The book identifies so many problems in the same format that it gets repetitive.

Rating:
Summary: A Critique of Beyond Malthus
Review: Recently, the U.N. predicted that another three billion people will be added to our already existing population by the year 2050. We have to wonder if our earth has the resources to support this many people and if it does, what problems will result from increased population. These questions among others are answered in the book Beyond Malthus: Nineteen Dimensions of the Population Challenge, by Lester R. Brown atal. In this book, Brown evaluates 19 different problems with the environment and society that are the result of overpopulation. The book describes how our growing population affects our natural resources as well as our economic stability. Things such as fish, grain, water, forest, and fossil fuels are being consumed in greater amounts per person and their rate of production and availability are diminishing. Brown illustrates how so many of our world's problems are the result of our growing population and he presents a solution that will require an all out effort by every country.
In one chapter, Brown explains how farmers struggle with the lack of cropland and decreasing amounts of irrigation water to help reverse the decline of grain production. This illustrates how many problems are linked to one another. It takes water to produce grain; therefore if there is a water scarcity, there is a food scarcity. The diminishing cropland, lack of water, and lack of grain production can all be traced back to overpopulation and over consumption.
Not only are our natural resources depleting due to overpopulation, but our social and economical needs are also at risk. As the population grows, the need for education, housing, and jobs grows. In many countries there are not enough jobs to support everyone in society, leaving many homeless and unemployed. Poverty is therefore linked to population growth. In many overpopulated countries, farmland was once a key source for jobs, but the decline in farmland has virtually eliminated this solution.
In his conclusion, Brown says that the problems from population growth are showing up right now. Problems that used to be routinely managed by the government are now considered crises. He goes on to describe three stages of demographic transition. Stage one is when the birth and death rates of a country cancel each other out. Stage two is when death rates go down as countries become more industrialized and birth rates stay high. Stage three is when birth rates and death rates balance, but at low levels. Brown claims that most countries are in stages two or three; Stage three being demographic stability. Brown suggests that countries in stage two take efforts to lower fertility rates so that they can reach stage three. If no, they will fall back into stage one and have to face many environmental and economical problems. In order to do this there are two things that must be done. First, national carrying capacities must be assessed to show governments the magnitude of the problem. Governments then need to emphasize the empowerment of women, strengthening of health care, and importance of family planning. Government must also take to account the carrying capacity of their natural resources. Secondly, we must form a backbone of a national population policy by offering the means to reduce fertility rates and stabilize population. This means working to increase availability and awareness of contraception and improve the literacy rates among other things.
I think that Brown's solution to the problem of increasing population is very good. People need to understand that if they cannot afford to have children then they shouldn't be having them. People in poor countries often have children simply so they can work and raise more money for the family. This should not be the reason that women are having children. I think that improved education would help this situation and ultimately help the family as a whole by increasing quality of life. I also believe that contraception should be heavily emphasized by not only the government, but also in existing households. This would reduce the amount of unwanted pregnancies thus decreasing the population. Brown's book opened my eyes to the connection between many of our world's problems and made me realize that our increasing population is to blame for most of them. It made me second-guess my intensions of having more than one child in the future.

Rating:
Summary: A Critique of Beyond Malthus
Review: Recently, the U.N. predicted that another three billion people will be added to our already existing population by the year 2050. We have to wonder if our earth has the resources to support this many people and if it does, what problems will result from increased population. These questions among others are answered in the book Beyond Malthus: Nineteen Dimensions of the Population Challenge, by Lester R. Brown atal. In this book, Brown evaluates 19 different problems with the environment and society that are the result of overpopulation. The book describes how our growing population affects our natural resources as well as our economic stability. Things such as fish, grain, water, forest, and fossil fuels are being consumed in greater amounts per person and their rate of production and availability are diminishing. Brown illustrates how so many of our world's problems are the result of our growing population and he presents a solution that will require an all out effort by every country.
In one chapter, Brown explains how farmers struggle with the lack of cropland and decreasing amounts of irrigation water to help reverse the decline of grain production. This illustrates how many problems are linked to one another. It takes water to produce grain; therefore if there is a water scarcity, there is a food scarcity. The diminishing cropland, lack of water, and lack of grain production can all be traced back to overpopulation and over consumption.
Not only are our natural resources depleting due to overpopulation, but our social and economical needs are also at risk. As the population grows, the need for education, housing, and jobs grows. In many countries there are not enough jobs to support everyone in society, leaving many homeless and unemployed. Poverty is therefore linked to population growth. In many overpopulated countries, farmland was once a key source for jobs, but the decline in farmland has virtually eliminated this solution.
In his conclusion, Brown says that the problems from population growth are showing up right now. Problems that used to be routinely managed by the government are now considered crises. He goes on to describe three stages of demographic transition. Stage one is when the birth and death rates of a country cancel each other out. Stage two is when death rates go down as countries become more industrialized and birth rates stay high. Stage three is when birth rates and death rates balance, but at low levels. Brown claims that most countries are in stages two or three; Stage three being demographic stability. Brown suggests that countries in stage two take efforts to lower fertility rates so that they can reach stage three. If no, they will fall back into stage one and have to face many environmental and economical problems. In order to do this there are two things that must be done. First, national carrying capacities must be assessed to show governments the magnitude of the problem. Governments then need to emphasize the empowerment of women, strengthening of health care, and importance of family planning. Government must also take to account the carrying capacity of their natural resources. Secondly, we must form a backbone of a national population policy by offering the means to reduce fertility rates and stabilize population. This means working to increase availability and awareness of contraception and improve the literacy rates among other things.
I think that Brown's solution to the problem of increasing population is very good. People need to understand that if they cannot afford to have children then they shouldn't be having them. People in poor countries often have children simply so they can work and raise more money for the family. This should not be the reason that women are having children. I think that improved education would help this situation and ultimately help the family as a whole by increasing quality of life. I also believe that contraception should be heavily emphasized by not only the government, but also in existing households. This would reduce the amount of unwanted pregnancies thus decreasing the population. Brown's book opened my eyes to the connection between many of our world's problems and made me realize that our increasing population is to blame for most of them. It made me second-guess my intensions of having more than one child in the future.

Rating:
Summary: My review of Malthus
Review: The descriptions of overpopulation in this book are great. Malthus has excellent suggestions for solving problems like these. He also talks about climate control, poverty, and famine because of overpopulation. I believe that Malthus is an extraordinary philosopher. I suggest this book for anyone interested in worldly affairs that could be problems in the future.

Rating:
Summary: Population Explosion
Review: The purpose of this book can easily be inferred from the series to which it is a member of. This series, The Worldwatch Environmental Alert Series, clearly states that the book will be a warning of future environmental issues. Beyond Malthus does just that; it clearly describes the problem then breaks down some of the possible repercussions in several environmental, economic, and social areas. While this book does describe the problem as well as the desired solution, it leaves the best means for that solution for the reader to decide.
Beyond Malthus is divided into three parts. The first part introduces the general problem of population growth as the Worldwatch group sees it. It also states the projections that the book is basing its numbers on, as well as possible objections to these numbers. The second part entitled, "Population Growth and..." breaks down nineteen different areas and describes on the problem can affect such areas as fresh water, jobs, infectious disease, as well as conflict. The third part, "The Conclusion", evaluates the trends to se just how possible the UN projections are.
The projections used are the moderate projections from the 1998 United Nations population projections. These projections were the first to incorporate HIV/AIDS virus on mortality. These projections however do not take into consideration environmental or social limits. So admittedly not all of the projections are possible. The example give was the desert country of Yemen is projected to reach populations of 59 million, which seems to be pushing its limits in 1998 at 18 million. Although these numbers maybe misleading it does not discredit the problem.
The Second part illustrates the impact of population growth on individual areas. Most of these problems reflect the idea of diminishing rates of return. That the relative availability of resources such as, water, jobs, housing, and food, will greatly shrink as the numbers drawing from this pool is growing. Other problems discussed were those associated with overcrowding such as the spreading of disease and other problems of hygiene.
"The Conclusion" introduces the idea of different stages of industrialization and the effects on the population. It discusses that the key for stabilizing the population is first stabilizing the fertility and mortality rates at relatively lower levels. However, it warns that the progress towards this goal can easily be halted and actually reversed.
Beyond Malthus does very well to illustrate the problem of population growth. Its constant use of the last fifty years, and the fact that the earth's population doubled, makes the idea that the problem is a future problem, which will be taken care of by nature harder to believe. If induction holds true, that the future will resemble the past, then left as is over-population can be seen as a very real threat. It also gives reasons to counteract the charges of exaggeration and pessimism.
The book has a basic issue, which is highly intuitive, the more people there are, then the less of something, that is held constant, each person will get. The only downfall of this book is that it will disappoint the reader that expects a possible plan to achieve this goal to be given. Beyond Malthus does well to back up its population theory with examples and facts. This however, can leave the reader distracted by the numbers and not the thought behind them.

Rating:
Summary: Beyond Malthus: A Much Needed Warning
Review: The purpose of this book can easily be inferred from the series to which it is a member of. This series, The Worldwatch Environmental Alert Series, clearly states that the book will be a warning of future environmental issues. Beyond Malthus does just that; it clearly describes the problem then breaks down some of the possible repercussions in several environmental, economic, and social areas. While this book does describe the problem as well as the desired solution, it leaves the best means for that solution for the reader to decide.
Beyond Malthus is divided into three parts. The first part introduces the general problem of population growth as the Worldwatch group sees it. It also states the projections that the book is basing its numbers on, as well as possible objections to these numbers. The second part entitled, "Population Growth and..." breaks down nineteen different areas and describes on the problem can affect such areas as fresh water, jobs, infectious disease, as well as conflict. The third part, "The Conclusion", evaluates the trends to se just how possible the UN projections are.
The projections used are the moderate projections from the 1998 United Nations population projections. These projections were the first to incorporate HIV/AIDS virus on mortality. These projections however do not take into consideration environmental or social limits. So admittedly not all of the projections are possible. The example give was the desert country of Yemen is projected to reach populations of 59 million, which seems to be pushing its limits in 1998 at 18 million. Although these numbers maybe misleading it does not discredit the problem.
The Second part illustrates the impact of population growth on individual areas. Most of these problems reflect the idea of diminishing rates of return. That the relative availability of resources such as, water, jobs, housing, and food, will greatly shrink as the numbers drawing from this pool is growing. Other problems discussed were those associated with overcrowding such as the spreading of disease and other problems of hygiene.
"The Conclusion" introduces the idea of different stages of industrialization and the effects on the population. It discusses that the key for stabilizing the population is first stabilizing the fertility and mortality rates at relatively lower levels. However, it warns that the progress towards this goal can easily be halted and actually reversed.
Beyond Malthus does very well to illustrate the problem of population growth. Its constant use of the last fifty years, and the fact that the earth's population doubled, makes the idea that the problem is a future problem, which will be taken care of by nature harder to believe. If induction holds true, that the future will resemble the past, then left as is over-population can be seen as a very real threat. It also gives reasons to counteract the charges of exaggeration and pessimism.
The book has a basic issue, which is highly intuitive, the more people there are, then the less of something, that is held constant, each person will get. The only downfall of this book is that it will disappoint the reader that expects a possible plan to achieve this goal to be given. Beyond Malthus does well to back up its population theory with examples and facts. This however, can leave the reader distracted by the numbers and not the thought behind them.