1. How many people the earth’s resources can sustainably provide for, is controversial and political?

The question about the amount of population the earth’s resource can hold is inherently controversial. The number of people the earth’s resource can sustain dependents on the distribution of resources in specific regions. Many people who argue on this subject relate it to the amount of resources available in a given area and number of people in those regions.

2. Given that 1 in 9 people on the planet does not get enough food to maintain an active, healthy lifestyle, is it proof already that there are too many people on the earth. Why or why not?

Poor lifestyle and lack of enough food are influenced by several factors and not just demographic factors. The world produces adequate food to sustain its population. However, the problem of hunger is influenced by other factors including uneven distribution of resource across the globe. Therefore, the issue of hunger does not just rely on the quantity of food produced, but depends more on the way resources are distributed across the world.

3. What do you know about Malthusian?

The term “Malthusian” is related to Malthus, an economist who invented a theory indicating that population growth exceeds a means of subsistence unless influenced by moral constraints such as disaster, poverty or inevitable degradation result.

4. What’s behind the projected ongoing increase in the prices of food?

The increase in the price of food is contributed by both the production sector and government programs. In production side, the increased degradation of soil due to high levels of pesticides used, depletion of underground water sources in world major production areas including Midwest of the United States and warmer climate have negatively impacted agriculture yields, particularly in tropical regions. On the other hand, a government program which subsidizes the production of crops such as soybean for use in energy production increases the demand of the products, consume the land that could be used for food production and correspondingly increases the prices of those crops.

5. Why was Malthus’ theory widely embraced and accepted to whose interests did it serve?

Malthus’ theory formed a good antinode to Godwin’s ideas which were seen as a source of political threat, thus making Malthus’ theory famous. Furthermore, the approach was seen as a perfect way to facilitate production of more clothes, food, and shelter in England even though it argued that the result would be rapid population growth that will exhaust the capacity to produce food. The theory was formed during the French Revolution. Thus it generally benefited the entire European nations as well as England.

6. Can we reverse the trend?

The food paradigm can be changed as long as human beings are willing. However, the change relies on how humans interact with the world, how they utilize and organize resources available. Therefore, the gloomy food trend is reversible.