THE THREAT OF OVERPOPULATION 197 



most parts of the world, due to religious and social tradition, 

 the problem does not even exist. 



And yet all the while we talk of it or remain indifferent, 

 the global disaster foreseen so long ago by Malthus is at 

 hand. R. C. Cook, in his book Hmnaji Fertility, The Mod- 

 ern Dilemma, reviews the present situation and finds little 

 or no reassurance in the claims of technologists who would 

 feed the world with synthetic additions to an increased basic 

 agriculture. Even if such synthetic substitutes for our beef- 

 steaks and pies were now available in the laboratory (and 

 of course they are not), the "mouths to consume" not only 

 the present natural agricultural production but also any 

 foreseeable additions through synthetics already exist. By 

 most conservative estimates the 2,500,000,000 people of our 

 day will be 4,600,000,000 in 2020; 9,200,000,000 in 2090; 

 and 18,400,000,000 in 2160; and although it is conceivable 

 that technology may solve the problem temporarily, it will 

 eventually be smothered and defeated by the sheer weight 

 of peoples. Students of the world situation point out that 

 all combined sources of food at present are inadequate to 

 meet the demands of the nearly 2,000,000,000 hungry, or 

 seriously malnourished, or starving peoples. 



Cook makes it clear that a population that is outstripping 

 its food supply brings on many evils. iVIarginal lands are 

 forced into production at a costly loss of money and en- 

 ergy; and more and more humans must devote their hungry 

 lives to the food problem. The standard of living goes down 

 to remain at subsistence levels in most of the areas of the 

 world and at declining levels even in the wealthiest regions. 

 Good lands are overexploited and erosion becomes an in- 

 creasing problem, a problem that is even now world-wide. 

 Under the pressure of excessive population, where scarcity 

 of food and raw materials is certain to be felt, war is in- 

 evitable. Liberal forms of government are not possible when 

 huge masses of people are milling about in want. 



