Letter to the Economist re: World Population at 7 Billion
Published on October 26th, 2011
Editor:
Your paper gave short shrift to the problems caused by continuing population growth, even as the world faces severe pressures on resources and food supplies, and suffers a tremendous loss of biodiversity ("A tale of three islands," October 22nd.)
Perhaps it is due to your unique take on story problems. You wrote that there “is little new farmland available…, water shortages are chronic and fertilisers are over-used,” but the “problems are to do with supply, not demand.”
I think I am beginning to understand. If there were 10 people and only 8 apples, that would be a demand problem. On the other hand, if there were only 8 apples and 10 people, that would be a supply problem.
Ric Oberlink
Californians for Population Stabilization
Santa Barbara, California