In 2011 the world's population exceeded 7 billion. Each year we add nearly 80 million people and by mid-century we will require twice as much food and double the energy we use today. Australia will be deeply affected by these trends - we have the fastest growing population of any developed nation.
These are the staggering facts that confronted Dick Smith. They set him on his crusade to alert us to the dangers of unsustainable growth. They are the facts that have convinced him that if we are to ensure the survival of our civilisation and the health of the planet then we must put a stop to population growth, now.
As our cities continue their unrestrained growth, as we battle daily on crowded public transport and clogged freeways, and as we confront the reality of water and power shortages, Dick challenges the long-held myth that growth is good for us. But more importantly he offers ways for us to re-invent our economy, to reassess the way we live and to at least slow down that ticking clock. This is a provocative, powerful and urgent call to arms.
By:
Dick Smith
Imprint: Allen & Unwin
Country of Publication: Australia
Dimensions:
Height: 198mm,
Width: 128mm,
Spine: 18mm
Weight: 222g
ISBN: 9781742376578
ISBN 10: 1742376576
Pages: 240
Publication Date: 01 June 2011
Recommended Age: From
Audience:
General/trade
,
College/higher education
,
ELT Advanced
,
Primary
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Introduction: The People Problem-How a Growing Population Makes Everything Harder, for Australia and the World 1. Welcome to the World of Exponential Growth 2. The Wide Brown Land has Finite Limits 3. Mouths to Feed-Will We Have Enough Food and Water or be Killed Off First by Obesity? 4. Dying for a Drink 5. The Future is Blowin' in the Wind 6. Fewer Fish, Bigger People 7. People and Power-Population Increase and Dwindling Energy Supplies 8. Preparing Ourselves for the Age of Scarcity-the N2N Path from Natural Gas to Nuclear 9. Risky Business-Climate Change and Population Increase 10. Overshoot-Too Many People and Too Much Stuff 11. Our Addiction to Exponential Growth 12. The Search for Solutions-The Girl Effect 13. The Search for Solutions-Sharing the Wealth 14. The Search for Solutions-Curing the Growth Addiction 15. Summing It Up-The State of the World Today Appendix: There is an Alternative to Runaway Population-Kelvin Thomson's 14-point Plan for Population Reform Acknowledgements Notes
