The Population Explosion Genesis 1:28 “God Blessed them and said to them, be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it…” To understand how population expansion effects all inhabitants of Earth.

Thomas Malthus 18 th century philosopher that posed a serious problem with population expansion

Thomas Malthus 18 th century philosopher that posed a serious problem with population expansion While food production grows arithmetically, 2+2=4, 4+2=6, 6+2=8

Thomas Malthus 18 th century philosopher that posed a serious problem with population expansion While food production grows arithmetically, 2+2=4, 4+2=6, 6+2=8 Population grows geometrically, 2, 4, 6, 8, 16, 256, 65,536

Malthusian Theory Do you realize that it took nearly all of human history before our population doubled?

Malthusian Theory Do you realize that it took nearly all of human history before our population doubled? Since around 1500, we have doubled in size 2x, and that in the next 50 years alone we will double in size again

Malthusian Theory At some point, we will run out of food

Malthusian Theory At some point, we will run out of food Famine, War, plaques were all “natural” ways to control the population

Malthusian Theory At some point, we will run out of food Famine, War, plaques were all “natural” ways to control the population Malthus does not advocate the use of abortion, but does suggest “moral restraint”

Malthusian Theory The Earth is only able to sustain a certain number of people (maximum occupancy)

Malthusian Theory The Earth is only able to sustain a certain number of people (maximum occupancy) Malthus predicted that in his lifetime, or possibly the next, we would see the effects of over-population

Malthusian Theory The Earth is only able to sustain a certain number of people (maximum occupancy) Malthus predicted that in his lifetime, or possibly the next, we would see the effects of over-population However, we haven’t. the question is why?

Reasons We Haven’t Hit the Wall (Yet) 1) Industrialization has effectively decreased the size of the avg. family

Reasons We Haven’t Hit the Wall (Yet) 1) Industrialization has effectively decreased the size of the avg. family In the US and Europe, our birth rate is below our death rate

Reasons We Haven’t Hit the Wall (Yet) 1) Industrialization has effectively decreased the size of the avg. family In the US and Europe, our birth rate is below our death rate More people dying that being born

Reasons We Haven’t Hit the Wall (Yet) 1) Industrialization has effectively decreased the size of the avg. family In the US and Europe, our birth rate is below our death rate More people dying that being born However, our population has grown due to immigration

Reasons We Haven’t Hit the Wall (Yet) 2) Women have left the matriarchal role and entered the work place (less children)

Reasons We Haven’t Hit the Wall (Yet) 2) Women have left the matriarchal role and entered the work place (less children) 3) The Green Revolution has advanced food production beyond the arithmetic rate

Reasons We Haven’t Hit the Wall (Yet) 2) Women have left the matriarchal role and entered the work place (less children) 3) The Green Revolution has advanced food production beyond the arithmetic rate 4) However, it does not mean Malthus was wrong, just that his time frame was off

What does this have to do with Economics? 1) What does it matter, I wanted to talk about it!!!

What does this have to do with Economics? 1) What does it matter, I wanted to talk about it!!! 2) WE supply aid to over-populated countries

What does this have to do with Economics? 1) What does it matter, I wanted to talk about it!!! 2) WE supply aid to over-populated countries 3) Over-populated countries have dismal GDPs and economies (China)

Population Note The world's population doubled between 1950 and 1990, from billion people then to billion in Of the billion increase, only 13.4 percent was in developed countries, with 86.6 percent in less developed countries (LDCs). The main reasons for this growth were fertility and age distribution in developed countries and both higher life expectancies and high birthrates in less developed countries. Life expectancy in developed countries rose from 65.7 years in 1950 to 1954, to 74.0 years in For LDCs, life expectancy rose from only 41.0 years in 1950 to 1954, to 62.0 years in Over that same time the number of births per woman fell from 2.84 to 1.9 in developed countries. In LDCs the rate fell from 6.18 births per woman to 3.9. But birthrates in LDCs are still high enough to contribute substantially to population growth.