Paul R. Ehrlich (1932–2026)

I hate to admit this, but until I read "The Population Explosion" I did not believe humans were causing the global climate change. Assuming it was a natural phenomena, how could humans alter the outcome? And don’t scientists have a tendency to exaggerate the trend using simulated computer graphs that have been known to produce erroneous data? In some ways that cynical feeling persists, although it is now obvious that change is occurring in the eco-system, and perhaps it can be altered but show more it will be a long, hard battle.

This is a worthwhile read. It looks beyond the controversial political arena and explains from a scientific perspective the evolution of the eco-system over millions of years. Citing population statistics - going from 3.5 billion people on earth in 1968 to 5.3 billion in 1990 (the year this book was published). And since then there have been an addition of 2.1 billion totaling 8 billion today. It is a proven fact that depleting resources on earth will not continue to sustain the growing population. There is barely enough today to serve all mankind.

Topics include in depth inspection of global food and water supplies, soil erosion, pollution, weather and climate, disease, and environmental disasters. Persistent attempts are being made to slow down the crisis - including the use of solar energy, fertilizers, and genetically engineered crops - none of which are ideal or widely effective.

So what is the solution? The topic no one wants to address - population control that mostly applies to under developed countries. The highly developed countries are better at population control but are the biggest consumers of resources and energy so they must bear responsibility. Suggestions are made for improving the situation; plant trees, use more efficient appliances, eat less beef, use less paper.

The author’s credentials are impressive. They both have published books and numerous articles in their fields. And they both have accumulated honors of recognition. They know of what they speak. They both ended up at Stanford - Paul as a Professor and Anne as a Senior Research Associate. The book cites 41 pages of sources used in the research of the material presented.

The question remains - what can we do? Maybe we need to give up our dish washers. Or start hanging our laundry outside to dry on wash lines like our ancestors did. Anyone interested? I know I don’t plan on eating less beef. I won’t get an electric car. I don’t want a windmill in my back yard. And I am a poor candidate for promoting less use of paper. I refuse to read e-books and I’m still adding (real) books to by library. Maybe I could plant a tree - or 2 - in the spring. Maybe. "The Population Explosion" was informative, but understanding the threat is only half the problem. solving the problem is something entirely different.

Rated 4 Stars January 2025 show less

The earth is in crisis from overpopulation but people don’t seem to care. Too many deny it. This book debunks arguments and lays out the facts. It is not a pleasant read. Much of it is not new, or is self-evident. Some of it is technical. But it makes its case well. The population problem is all-encompassing in its effects and this book is comprehensive in its coverage. Have you heard about the garbage crisis?

Published in 1991, this book is not always up to date, but its premise is valid show more and more relevant than ever. Things have only gotten worse—the planet has added a billion and a half more people since then. Have the authors’ predictions come true? They are in progress.

The population explosion was “the most important, astounding, and far-reaching event of the twentieth century,” say the Ehrlichs. It threatens the very habitability of the planet. Why has there been so little discussion of it? They call for a mass movement to forestall global catastrophe, and discuss in detail what needs to be done.

Highly recommended to anyone who still thinks that population is not a problem. show less

One of the odder things about me is that I used to believe that dinosaurs still roamed the earth.

As in RIGHT NOW. And that there was a vast scientific conspiracy to keep this irrefutable fact under wraps.

This belief was essentially the outcome of two factors in my childhood/adolescence: 1) I was an extremely fundamentalist Christian. 2) I also had a burning interest in science. I wanted to know why things were the way they were.

These two factors aren't really mutually exclusive. In fact, I show more came upon many people in my congregation, and in similar congregations, who also nurtured an interest in science. A popular activity at church campouts were astronomy courses. Biology -- minus evolution, of course -- was a popular major choice among my churchgoing friends.

But, the fact is that "mainstream" or "secular" science doesn't really jibe with the literalist Christian worldview: astronomists eventually must deal with the Big Bang and biologists inevitably bump into Darwin.

Enter the various science workshops for fundamentalists, aimed at addressing those issues in a way that fits in with a literal-Biblical worldview. It was in one of these workshops that a "respected" scientist explained away dinosaur fossils and carbon-dating by telling us that there was scientific proof that dinosaurs still existed. In Sri Lanka.

By my sophomore year in college, though, I began to have doubts about my worldview. I was reading more than Christian fiction. I was taking biology courses from professors who were unapologetic about evolution -- unlike the biology teachers in high school, whose teachings on the subject were regulated. I couldn't study an "alternate" form of species biology any longer, and brought face to face with Darwin, I was finally convinced.

So began my fascination with evolution in general and human evolution in particular. I've become quite a connoisseur of the genre. Paul Ehrlich's Human Natures: Genes, Cultures & The Human Prospect is so far my favorite book on this topic.

Ehrlich's book covers the standard genetic evolution of our species, but he does so while simultaneously examining our "cultural evolution": the distinctly human behaviors that also have affected our current biological and behavioral selves.

The result is a book that tells us humanity is not the sum result of its genes; instead, the decisions we make about how we relate to one another, how we organize ourselves, and how we go about living our lives have much more influence on the future of the species.

Ehrlich's book is very accessible for the novice scientist, without sacrificing hard facts and references. His interdisciplinary approach seems to me a far more accurate rendering of human nature than the many reductionist human evolution tomes out there -- and I've read and enjoyed plenty of those.

Ehrlich's theory is also so appealing for the optimistic view it has on humanity's future -- though we have made mistakes in the past, we are not beholden to these behaviors. We are not bound to pettiness, violence and waste because of unalterable genetics. Instead, we can make decisions to alter our future course.

Among the many human evolution primers out there, Ehrlich's narrative of humanity's journey is exceptionally written and researched, leaving the reader with the unshakable feeling that Ehrlich is certainly on to something. show less

I would like to thank Dr. Ehrlich
For digging deep asking the tough questions and purposing the hard choices. He did a fine job of explaining the sources of angst among humanity, the dire threats to human-kind and the impending suffering that looms for us all if no actions are taken to ensure a brighter future for the coming generations.
Yet, with all the graphic descriptions of the poisons, pesticides, plagues and prophecies, this scholarly gentleman, who obviously believes in the Most-High, show more Lord, God, Jehovah, has failed to target the genuine, root cause of all the calamity – which is not over-population, but the greed of the 1% who desire world domination at the expense of Billions of lives.
When Jehovah mandated that we “Go forth and multiply,” He knew what He was doing. Hunger is not the result of too many mouths to feed, but of a system that deems most of humanity unworthy of wealth, prosperity, comfort and/or joy.
Consider the many technologies that have the power to suppress suffering, propel mankind into unlimited knowledge and harmony: Clean-renewable, FREE energy, vast organic nutrition, applications that desalinate sea water and systems to share information on massive scales.
Instead, our world is monopolized by a monstrous few who use propaganda, fear and pharmacology to keep the masses stressed, weak and oppressed. Their tools are the media, controls of currency and inferior educational standards. These are the true weapons of mass destruction.
Dr. Ehrlich knows the truth; he states it emphatically! show less