“We are dealing with two opposing forces, the scientific power of food production and the biologic power of human reproduction. Not earth’s climate! There can be no permanent progress in the battle against hunger until the agencies that fight for increased food production and those that fight for population control unite in a common effort.” .These comments by Norman Borlaug brings to mind the equally exasperated comment by Harvard biologist Edward O. Wilson when he wrote…“The raging monster upon the land is population growth. In its presence, sustainability is a fragile theoretical concept.”

Unfortunately that definition becomes more nebulous the closer you look at it – especially when we start talking about the planetary carrying capacity for humans. Ecologists claim that our numbers have already surpassed the carrying capacity of the planet, while others (politicians) claim we are nowhere near it yet!

Historical Population

Politics has nothing to offer this situation. The biophysical driver of fossil fuel energy transcends all political boundaries and philosophies. Fossil fuels have supplied 89% of the total primary energy used throughout the world over the last 55 years, and supply 87% of the energy used today, according to BP Statistical Review 2011).  Agriculture started the ball rolling about 8,000 years ago, and got our population to 1.8 billion in 1900 without fossil fuels. But the logistical curve didn’t take off until the serious use of fossil fuels began in about 1900. Without fossil fuels we’d have seen some additional growth, but nothing like what we’ve seen in the last 100 years.