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Weekend


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September 26, 2003

Strange But True!

  • A weekly column of incidental information, off-the-wall observations and other random facts about the world.
    • By BILL SONES and RICH SONES, Ph.D.
    Special to the Journal

    Q. Gloomy prognosticator Thomas Malthus stated 200 years ago that population tends to outstrip the Earth's food-growing capacity, and so it's just a matter of time before widespread starvation hits. Was he too gloomy?

    A. Malthus would have been surprised at what science and technology have done for food production in the intervening years, say Daniel Botkin et al. in "Environmental Science: Earth As a Living Planet." For instance, population increased 122 percent from 1950 to 1995, but world grain productivity grew 141 percent! Malnutrition and starvation do of course occur today, but these are more problems of distribution, not overall supply.


     
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