Before reading this book, I had a basic understanding of population. Having studied a module on the topic during my Geography A level, I knew that the world population was growing and more people were moving into cities. Further, through analysis of the demographic transition model, I knew that there existed a strong link between economic development, and the average amount of children per couple.
This all said, whilst my A Level provided me with a strong grounding on how population was changing, the more I learnt about how the world works, the more I realised the limitations to my understanding. Given many people in the world are hungry at the moment, how can we afford to feed billions more mouths? Given the crisis of climate change, how can the world cope with more people?
In 'Population 10 Billion', Dorling tackles the complex population debate in a well informed, level headed manner. Rejecting the views of the 'pessimists' (who believe that population increases will result in catastrophic consequences), as well as the 'optimists' (who think there is little to worry about), Dorling emphasises a practical 'possibilist' future: 10 billion people can happily share the planet as long as each of those people have a considerably lower carbon footprint than the average westerner today.
If you are at all interested in finding out more about the 'coming demographic crisis and how to survive it', or simply want an enjoyable and informative read, this is the book for you!
Danny Dorling will be speaking alongside Sally Tomlinson at Malvern Festival of Ideas 2019 on Saturday 2nd March. The is session is entitled: How the legacy of the British Empire led to the Brexit attempt and what it tells us about ourselves.
Advanced booking for this event is highly recommended. To get yourself a ticket for this event (and others) please call 01684 565708 or head to our eventbrite page: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/malvern-festival-of-ideas-2019-tickets-52443048570
For see the entire 2019 programme, please visit the Official Malvern Festival of Ideas website: http://www.malvernfestivalofideas.org.uk/