STUCK ON STUPID:

Our Uncrowded Planet: Imminent doom has been declared again. But don’t worry, neo-Malthusian predictions of overpopulation are wrong. (Ronald Bailey, October 1, 2009, The American)

Every so often, the overpopulation meme erupts into public discourse and imminent doom is declared again. A particularly overwrought example of the overpopulation meme and its alleged problems appeared recently in the Wall Street Journal’s MarketWatch in a piece by regular financial columnist Paul B. Farrell.

Farrell asserts that overpopulation is “the biggest time-bomb for Obama, America, capitalism, the world.” Bigger than global warming, poverty, or peak oil. Overpopulation will end capitalism and maybe even destroy modern civilization. As evidence, Farrell cites what he calls neo-Malthusian biologist Jared Diamond's 12-factor equation of population doom.

It turns out that Farrell is wrong or misleading about the environmental and human effects of all 12 factors he cites.

Forget his reliance on Malthusianism, does the Journal really employ a guy who thinks declining demand is good for market economies and declining populations produce civilizations?

Posted by Orrin Judd at October 1, 2009 7:38 AM