Sustainable Development

Paper Summary:

This paper argues that concerns about warming, resource depletion, global poverty and starvation are generally self-correcting and a natural part of progress. It suggests that the world is naturally stable, and there is little that we can do to enhance stability regardless of which policies we pursue. The paper discusses the earlier predictions of the Club of Rome in 1972 and those of Thomas Malthus (1766-1834). It also briefly looks at the economic thought of two economists, Karl Marx (1818-1883) and Milton Friedman (1912-2006).

Table of Contents:
Introduction
Malthusians and Marxists: Commonalities of Thought
Gaps in Malthus and Marxist Ideology
Modern Malthusians and Marxists: The Club of Rome
The Reality: Resources are Expanding
What about sustainability?
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"Simply put, the Club of Rome was wrong. Since 1972, population has indeed carried on rapid growth, but per-capita incomes have risen even faster. From 1972, when China and India could not feed their populations, both have become food exporters. The Club of Rome made the same mistake as their "limited world" predecessors, Malthus and Marx. They thought of people as reactive automatons, unable to change their behavior or their consumption. The Club of Rome should have known better. The "Green Revolution," which increased the world's production per acre of grains by a factor of five, had started in the 1960's. The Chinese peasant, allowed to farm 1/2 acre and sell his produce since 1965, had increased overall Chinese food production by 30% by 1972."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Duchesne, R. "On the Rise of the West: Researching Kenneth Pomeranz's Great Divergence." Review of Radical Political Economics, 2004: 52-81.
• Economist. "This week in comparative advantage." Economist, 2007: n.p.
• Hollander, S. "Two Hundred Years of Say's Law: Essays on Economic Theory's Most Controversial Principle." History of Political Economy, 2005: 382-385.
• Malthus, TR. An Essay on the Principle of Population. London: J. Johnson, 1798.
• Meadows, DH, Meadows, DL, Randers, J and Behrens, WW. The Limits to Growth. New York: Universe Books, 1972.

More papers on Sustainable Development:

• Research Paper # 55743 : "Sustainable Development: A Global Challenge"
• Essay # 67867 : "The WTO and Sustainable Development"
• Descriptive Essay # 132018 : "Sustainable Development Project in India"
• Term Paper # 138590 : "Sustainable Development"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: