Paul R. Ehrlich: Population Bomb Theory

Biography:

Paul Ralph Ehrlich was born in Philadelphia on May 29, 1932. He is currently the professor of population studies in the department of biological sciences at Stanford University and president of the Centre of Conservation Biology. He is the researcher and author of the book “The Population Bomb” in 1968. He has a B.A, M.A., and Ph.D.

Theory:

• Ehrlich’s theory is that there will be a disaster for humanity due to overpopulation.
• 10 million people will be starving during each of the years in the 1970s.
• “The battle to feed all of humanity is over. In the 1970s and
  1980s hundreds of millions of people will starve to death in spite of any crash
  programs embarked upon now. At this late date, nothing can prevent a substantial
  increase in the world death rate…”
• “a minimum of ten million people, most of them children,
  will starve to death during each year of the 1970s. But this is a mere handful
  compared to the numbers that will be starving before the end of the century”
• In 2001 roughly around two million people would die due to famine-related causes.
• Ehrlich believed that the United States can only support the population of 150 million. He proposed “luxury taxes could be placed on layettes, cribs,
  diapers, diaper services, [and] expensive toys…” and suggested giving
  “responsibility prizes” to couples who went at least five years without
  having children or to men who got vasectomies.”

Proof:

• “Compare the end of the 20th century with the end of the 19th century. Twenty
  to twenty-five million people died of famine-related causes from 1875 to 1901,
  in a world whose population was only one-half to one-third as large. If the
  world had remained at 19th-century levels incomparable food production, Ehrlich’s prediction would have come true. Unfortunately for Ehrlich (but not for the world), humanity learned a little about agriculture and other resources in the
  intervening 100 years.”
• United States population is more than double the 150 million that Ehrlich proposed.

Pro:

• Paul Ehrlich was successful in creating awareness to the world about his issue and thanks to him the world was able to cut down the number of people that die to famine-related causes. He created awareness around the world.

Con:

• Paul Ehrlich’s idea about giving financial benefits to those who did not have kids would have been costly because the money has to come from somewhere and that somewhere would have been from taxes which would have lead to a lot of angry citizens.