Full House: Reassessing the Earth's Population Carrying Capacity

by Lester R. Brown, Hal Kane

Overview

Originally published in 1995, after decades of steady growth, this book was written at a time when the world’s food supply was no longer keeping up with population increases. This book examines the causes of the imbalance in the food/population equation and suggests ways in which Malthusian checks can be countered. It calls for an international strategy to restore global security, and a budget to implement it, with a massive redirection of the world’s financial resources. On one side of the argument the authors advocate increased expenditure on family planning services, education, and women’s rights. On the other, they stress the environmental importance of reforestation and soil conservation schemes to halt the deterioration of the agricultural resource base.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781000934861
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	10/02/2023
Series:	Routledge Library Editions: Demography , #2
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	266
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Lester Russell Brown is one of the leading experts on environmental science and is the founder and former president the famous Worldwatch Institute, a non-profit research institute devoted to global environmental concerns. He has has been described by the Washington Post as "one of the world’s most influential thinkers". Lester is the author of 54 books that have been translated in more than 40 languages. His principal research areas include food, population, water, climate change, and renewable energy.

Hal Kane has worked on climate and sustainability for more than three decades in roles ranging from executive director, strategic planner, technical analyst, government official, and program manager to researcher and writer -- and on substantive topics including energy, finance, water, agriculture, trade, hunger, and refugees.

Table of Contents

1. Entering a New Era Part 1: Reading the Trends 2. Food Insecurity 3. Ninety Million More 4. Climbing the Food Chain Part 2: The Three Food Systems 5. Overharvesting the Oceans 6. Overgrazing Rangelands 7. Limits of the Plow Part 3: Losing Momentum 8. Spreading Water Scarcity 9. The Fertilizer Falloff 10. Struggling to Raise Yields 11. Environmental Deductions Part 4: Looking Ahead 12. Carrying Capacity: The Big Four 13. Carrying Capacity: The Next Nine 14. The Growing Imbalance Part 5: Taking Charge 15. Reassessing Population Policy 16. Turning the Tide.

Editorial Reviews

Argues that food production will not be able to keep up with expected population growth, and proposes strategies for reducing over-fertility by addressing its underlying causes and protecting the agricultural base by arresting environmental degradation. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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