Paul Ehrlich and 16 co-authors today posted in Frontiers in Conservation Science (the grisly greenie publication many of them edit) an article titled, “Underestimating the Challenges of Avoiding a Ghastly Future.” The short piece asserts that the world is on the brink of a “sixth mass extinction” because humans have excessively populated to the outer limits of the “planet’s biocapacity.” This is a case of “ecological overshoot.” Therefore, measures must be taken so that humans “lower fertility and consumption.” Put another way, there must be “extreme and unprecedented increases in human mortality.”
Ehrlich is famous for his 1968 book, Population Bomb which predicted mass death from inevitable droughts and other catastrophes due to overpopulation. After decades of such scenario spinning, he is still at it. The article rails against fossil fuels, 11,000 years of agriculture, dams, “carbon-intensive meat,” and the other usual culprits. The loss of biodiversity is a big focus.
In particular, the idea of “perpetual economic growth” must be abolished.
