“Assuming then, my postulata as granted, I say, that the power of population is indefinitely greater than the power in the earth to produce subsistence for man.

Population, when unchecked, increases in a geometrical ratio. Subsistence increases only in an arithmetical ratio. A slight acquaintance with numbers will shew the immensity of the first power in comparison of the second.

By that law of our nature which makes food necessary to the life of man, the effects of these two unequal powers must be kept equal.

This implies a strong and constantly operating check on population from the difficulty of subsistence. This difficulty must fall somewhere; and must necessarily be severely felt by a large portion of mankind.”‘

Ok – unfortunately we didn’t check it and we ended with around 7 billion of us or more.

And here some some serious words & findings from Sir John Sulston from the British Royal Society: the 21st century is a critical period for the people and the planet.

1. Continued growth and widespread changes in the world’s the human population

2. Unprecedented and increasing levels of consumption, unequally distributed

3. Profound challenges to the human health and wellbeing and to the natural environment.

Shall we choose to flourish or merely survive?

One of the most interesting lectures I have seen in a long time. Some points he is making:

– The key for our survival is educating 200 million women in emerging countries

– GDP is a ridiculous measure of wealth of nations and driving material resource waste

– we must strive to stabilize world population to 10 billion by 2100

Here the climate report from the UN.