Changes

The environmental alarm ringers incorporated a Neo-Malthusian model into their theses. [[Garrett Hardin]] epitomizes Neo-Malthusianism in the context of environmentalism in “The Tragedy of the Commons,” (1968). His famous parable of the 'tragedy' compares the human decision of having a child to that of a herdsman deciding whether to place another head of livestock onto a town common. As each herdsman in turn acts in self-interest, the commons becomes overburdened to the point of complete destruction. Hardin echoed Malthus in arguing that the world has limits to food productivity and humans have the reproductive capacity to stretch those limits past the brink. He concluded, "A finite world can support only a finite population; therefore, population growth must eventually equal zero."

The environmental alarm ringers incorporated a Neo-Malthusian model into their theses. [[Garrett Hardin]] epitomizes Neo-Malthusianism in the context of environmentalism in “The Tragedy of the Commons,” (1968). His famous parable of the 'tragedy' compares the human decision of having a child to that of a herdsman deciding whether to place another head of livestock onto a town common. As each herdsman in turn acts in self-interest, the commons becomes overburdened to the point of complete destruction. Hardin echoed Malthus in arguing that the world has limits to food productivity and humans have the reproductive capacity to stretch those limits past the brink. He concluded, "A finite world can support only a finite population; therefore, population growth must eventually equal zero."

[[Paul Ehlrich]] in 1970 warned the "death of the world is imminent":

[[Paul Ehrlich]] in 1970 warned the "death of the world is imminent":

:Because the human population of the planet is about five times too large, and we're managing to support all these people--at today's level of misery--only by spending our capital, burning our fossil fuels and turning out fresh water into salt water.  We have not only overpopulated but overstretched our environment. We are poisoning the ecological systems of the earth....

:Because the human population of the planet is about five times too large, and we're managing to support all these people--at today's level of misery--only by spending our capital, burning our fossil fuels and turning out fresh water into salt water.  We have not only overpopulated but overstretched our environment. We are poisoning the ecological systems of the earth....