The Population Bomb, 50 Years Later: A Conversation with Paul Ehrlich

Climate One

Social Sciences, Earth Sciences, Science, News Commentary, News

4.7 • 583 Ratings

🗓️ 27 April 2018

⏱️ 53 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In 1968, the best-seller “The Population Bomb,” written by Paul and Anne Ehrlich (but credited solely to Paul) warned of the perils of overpopulation: mass starvation, societal upheaval, environmental deterioration. The book was criticized at the time for painting an overly dark picture of the future. But while not all of the Ehrlich’s dire predictions have come to pass, the world’s population has doubled since then, to over seven billion, straining the planet’s resources and heating up our climate. Can the earth continue to support an ever-increasing number of humans? On its 50th anniversary, we revisit “The Population Bomb” with Paul Ehrlich. Guest: Paul R. Ehrlich, President, Center for Conservation Biology, Bing Professor of Population Studies, Stanford University; co-author, “The Population Bomb” (Ballantine, 1968) This program was recorded at Stanford University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is Climate One, changing the conversation about energy, economy, and the environment.
0:10.5	In 1968, Paul Ehrlich's book, The Population Bomb, warned that the number of people on Earth was spiraling out of control.
0:17.6	We were worried then about the problems of feeding human society when there was three
0:23.5	and a half billion people on the planet.
0:26.0	Now we've got way over seven billion people.
0:29.7	The problem today isn't that there's not enough to go around, says Erlich.
0:33.4	The problem is that it's not going around to everyone.
0:36.7	Many people like us consume too much,
0:39.3	and then there's a several billion who don't get to consume enough.
0:43.2	And that's one of the huge problems that's not normally discussed in those terms.
0:48.5	The population bomb.
0:49.9	Up next on Climate One.
1:01.0	Thank you. Up next on Climate One. Sponsorship for the Climate One podcast comes in part from Villanova University.
1:05.9	Passionate about sustainability, Villanova University offers graduate degrees in sustainable engineering.
1:11.9	The master's and the Ph.D. can be completed as a full-time or part-time student, online or on campus,
1:18.0	and are available for engineers and non-engineers alike.
1:21.4	Villanova's interdisciplinary program explores the full environmental, social, and economic aspects of sustainable engineering.
1:28.8	VU Sustainable Engineering.com
1:31.3	The world's population is on the rise. How much is too much? Welcome to Climate One.
1:46.0	This year marks the 50th anniversary of Paul and Anne Ahrlich's seminal bestseller,
1:50.6	The Population Bomb.
1:55.6	The book warned of the dangers of overpopulation, including mass starvation, societal upheaval, and environmental ruin.
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