Anne H. Ehrlich

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 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.… (more)

The authors are concerned about overpopulation, and this book is a look at the problem of whether the agriculture industry can keep up with the exploding populations around the world. Overall, it's a decent look at the problem, though some of the things they were optimistic about in the 1990s have either failed to work out or have not been pursued in the decade since, partially because of political and social resistance to the idea that there could possibly be too many people. The main downside is that the authors, like many others, seem to buy into the idea of the noble savage, and seem to think that all progress has been negative, reducing all who do not farm to the role of "stealing" food. This is, I think, quite a bit too simplistic, and renders all human activity outside of food gathering suspect and worthless. Other than that, the book is well written and frank, and I encourage peopel who are interested in the issue to consider it, with the awareness that some of the information is now out of date; since the issues remain the same, and only the statistics have changed, that probably isn't too serious a downside.… (more)