unit1

Influenced by Thomas Malthus:
- The human population grows more rapidly than the food supply, leading to famines, wars, or diseases that eventually reduce population.
Definition: Self-extinction premise refers to a society sowing the seeds of its own destruction.
Key Concept:
- Population growth may exceed the carrying capacity of land occupied by a society.
- Carrying Capacity: The maximum number of individuals an ecosystem can sustain without environmental degradation.
- Consequence: A society eventually fails to produce enough food and risks extinction.
Question to Consider: According to Malthusian theory, population grows:
- a. Geometrically
- b. Slower than food production
- c. At the same rate as food production
- d. Negatively

Greenhouse Gases: Essential for trapping energy, maintaining life but excessive amounts pose risks.
Vulnerability: Humans and ecosystems are increasingly susceptible to adverse effects, with examples including recent heatwaves and the spread of diseases like Lyme disease.

Arable land per person is decreasing due to:
- Population growth.
- Land degradation.
Relevant Example: Podcast “Africa, Land and Economic Development” highlights that Africa, despite appearing to have ample land, faces significant constraints if assessed by quality and availability.
Key Issues:
- Difficulty in expanding arable land through inheritance.
- Increase in conflict and instability over land resources (Holden et al 2010).

Water Distribution:
- 70% of the Earth is water, but only 3% is freshwater.
- Majority of freshwater is sequestered in glaciers.
Current Accessibility Issues:
- 1.1 million people lack water access.
- 2.4 million lack adequate sanitation—by 2025, two-thirds of global population may face water shortages.
Challenges:
- Water systems are under stress.
- Disappearance of wetlands and excessive water use in agriculture creates waste.

Effects:
- Climate change impacts transcend geographic and generational lines.
- Policies need to account for obligations to future generations.
Coordination Needed:
- Global efforts required to reduce emissions, but cost and benefits are inequitably shared between nations and organizations.

Positive Feedback Loops:
- Secondary effects reinforce the main trend. Example: investment leading to environmental degradation.
Negative Feedback Loops:
- Secondary effects counteract the primary trend (e.g., macroeconomic stabilizers).

Economics investigates:
- Human responses to incentives.
- Business reactions to changing conditions.
- Effective allocation of scarce resources.
Economic Models:
- Simplifications of reality that can still provide useful policy insights.

Authored An Essay on the Principle of Population.
Beliefs:
- The population's power surpasses Earth's ability to produce food, leading to inevitable premature deaths.

Authored The Conditions of Agricultural Growth.
Key Insight:
- “Necessity is the mother of invention;” suggests that agricultural advancements follow population trends.

Period: 1930s-1960s marked by:
- High-yield varieties and hybrid seeds.
- Extensive use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.
- Improved irrigation and modern management.
Norman Borlaug:
- Known as the “Father of the Green Revolution” and Nobel Peace Prize winner, credited with saving billions from famine.

According to FAO (2018):
- 822 million people undernourished, 10.8% of the population.
- Higher percentages are noted in Africa (19.9%) and Asia (11.3%).
Food Waste:
- Approximately 1/3 of food produced globally is wasted, amounting to 1.3 billion tons annually.
In developing countries, food waste arises from poor supply chains and storage.
In developed countries, consumer habits lead to significant waste.

Participants should reflect on which viewpoint they find more compelling: Malthus (pessimistic) or Boserup (optimistic).