Paul Ehrlich on The Population Bomb, 50 Years Later

Climate One May 3, 2018
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Paul Ehrlich on The Population Bomb, 50 Years Later Giving Compass

Giving Compass’ Take:

• Paul Ehrlich discusses The Population Bomb 50 years after its original publication, sharing why he believes the population situation is even more dire today.

• What are the most effective ways to sow population growth without infringing on personal freedoms? How can food supplies be more equitably distributed? 

• Learn about the importance of sustainable farming in feeding the global population. 

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Paul and Anne Ehrlich’s seminal best-seller, The Population Bomb. The book warned of the dangers of overpopulation, including mass starvation, societal upheaval, and environmental ruin.

Greg Dalton:  And one of the critiques of the book is often that it is overly dark it’s doomsday and what would you say that today?

Paul Ehrlich:  It’s much darker today.  And you can prove it. In other words, there’s no — after all, we were worried then about the problems of feeding human society when there was 3 1/2 billion people on the planet.  Since then, something on the order of 200 to 500 million people have starved to death or died of nutrition-related illness. Now we’ve got way over 7 billion people. We have something on the order of 800 million that’s more than double the population of United States, hungry and starving and another billion or two who are micronutrient malnourished. And people will say well, we don’t have any food problem.  Well, the people saying that, of course, usually don’t.

Greg Dalton:  Some organizations, Oxfam included, say that the world produces enough calories.  It’s a matter of distribution, getting them to the right place. Is that your view?

Paul Ehrlich:  At the moment that’s probably true.  That is if we did everything right and distributed things fairly, then everybody can have a decent diet.  Of course, what do we distribute fairly? In places where there’s a lot of hunger the food isn’t distributed fairly because the father has to get more than the kids or everybody starves.

Read the full article about The Population Bomb at Climate One.

If you are looking for more articles and resources for Food and Nutrition, take a look at these Giving Compass selections related to impact giving and Food and Nutrition.

  • This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators.
    Click here for more.
    High Impact Opportunity: Emergency Food Provision

    Even with improvements in unemployment rates and the economy over the past few years, the rates of hunger in America remain pervasively high. Some 12.7 percent of people living in the U.S. (42 million Americans) are food insecure meaning they do not always have enough nutritious food for an adequate diet. Food banks and other organizations that can leverage national and local partnerships across the supply chain can secure food at costs well below retail prices. Feeding America is a group that provides emergency food more cost-effectively than conventional food drives. As a nationwide network of 200 food banks and 60,000 pantries and meal programs, Feeding America secures donations from national grocery manufacturers, retailers, shippers, packers, and growers as well as government agencies. It then moves donated groceries to member food banks that in turn distribute the items through pantries and meal programs that serve families, children, seniors, and others at risk of hunger. Through its network of food banks, Feeding America can help provide meals for a family of four for as little as $11 to $30 per week. The USDA estimates the retail cost of feeding that family at $128 to $294—or more for a week of healthy meals, depending on the mix of items purchased. Feeding America’s Ways to Give web page has a monthly giving program, plus fundraising ideas. Read our full profile of Feeding America at the Center for High Impact Philanthropy.  For more high impact opportunities like this, see our full High Impact Giving Guide.

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