World population reaches seven billion: predictions of doom are nothing new

In 1798, an English clergyman, the Rev Thomas Malthus, predicted that one day the population of the world would outstrip the globe’s ability to feed it. He based this on a simple and, on the face of it, unarguable premise: population grows exponentially – increasing by a set percentage per year – while food production grows arithmetically, by a set quantity per year. Even the smallest exponential progression will, given enough time, outstrip any arithmetical one.

Read Full Story>>