The "patron saint of demography"

Thomas Malthus would have called 31st October, 2011 a demographical catastrophe. That is the day the world population is supposed to hit 7 Billion according to a UNFPA report.Malthus argued that population if left unchecked would lead to starvation. At his time, Malthus ideas were viewed as controversial and benign as the world was witnessing the industrial revolution and food was in abundance.However his views could be more popular now more than ever when the world is unable to feed itself due to diminishing resources and high population growth.Unlike Malthus who saw disasters such as famine, earthquakes, war and diseases as necessary in preventing population boom, Lester R. Brown a Neo-Malthusian theorist offers a softer solution like birth controls as a way to reduce over population. The Malthusian catastrophe could be a reality and not a fallacy as many saw it. Regardless how absurd his ideas were or how extreme it was regarding the 'positive' and 'negative' checks as well as giving birth to social-Darwinism theory that is known to have justified racism and propelled imperialism in the past. Malthus could be right.Of the projected 7 billion population 1 Billion is hungry according to a FAO report this is the fraction of population whom Paul Collier calls the 'Bottom Billion'. In addition I Billion of the population lives in the slums while 3 Billion continue to stay in urban settlements. It has been projected that 70 percent of the world population will be urban by 2050, and that most urban growth will occur in less developed countries. We should be wary of population explosion especially developing countries that are still faced with developmental crisis of sanitation, hygiene and unemployment. In a world of global warming, food shortages, and fuel crisis a 7 Billion + population could be a catastrophe!!

I believe that it is the intention of the Creator that the earth should be replenished; but certainly with a healthy, virtuous and happy population, not an unhealthy, vicious and miserable one

Thomas Malthus