Paul+Ehrlich

Paul Ralph Ehrlich
Paul R Ehrlich

__Background__

- Renowned American entomologist, specializing in the study of butterflies - Researcher and author on the subject of human overpopulation - Professor of Population Studies at Stanford University - Most well known for his book __The Population Bomb__ - Currently working on “countryside biogeography”, the study of making areas disturbed by humans open to biodiversity - Also researches endangered species, cultural evolution, environmental ethics, and preservation of genetic resources - Other writings include: __Biology and Society__ __Population, Resources, Environments: Issues in Human Ecology__ __The Population Explosion__

__Beliefs__
 * Was renowned for his claims that the world would experience severe famines throughout the 70s and 80s as a result of overpopulation, which he feared would deplete vital resources. The following graph illustrates his predictions for world population increase:
 * Founder of the group //Zero Population Growth//, now known as //Population Connection// in 1968 - An organization founded alongside other researchers, all whom believe that overpopulation threatens quality of life for everyone, young people must be educated about over population, and population must be stabilized at a level that the Earth's resources can sustain.


 * Was on the board of advisors of the //Federation for American Immigration Reform// (//FAIR//) until 2003. It is an organization whose beliefs revolve around the need to reform the United States' immigration policy in order to significantly decrease the number of immigrants entering the US. Ehrlich believes this is another precaution that must be taken in order to control population.

__Quotes__

"Before 1985, mankind will enter a genuine age of scarcity . . . in which the accessible supplies of many key minerals will be facing depletion."

"In ten years all important animal life in the sea will be extinct. Large areas of coastline will have to be evacuated because of the stench of dead fish."

"We've already had too much economic growth in the United States. Economic growth in rich countries like ours is the disease, not the cure."

"By 1985 enough millions will have died to reduce the earth's population to some acceptable level, like 1.5 billion people."

__False Predictions__ Price of the 5 Metals from 1950-2000
 * An Ehrlich once had a wager with Julian Simon. They chose 5 metals (copper, chromium, nickel, tin, and tungsten), Ehrlich predicted that their prices would increase while Simon predicted that their prices would decrease. Simon won the bet.


 * His claims made about severe famine and the death of millions in the 70s and 80s did not occur. Neither did his claim that India could not feed 200 million more people by 1980. In his second book, __The Population Explosion__, Ehrlich was much more careful and less extreme with the claims he made.

__True Predictions__
 * His predictions regarding the spread of disease and its effects as well as those about climate change were fairly accurate, however these are his only claims which were actually somewhat correct.

__Bibliography__ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Population_Connection http://www.populationconnection.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=398&Itemid=20 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon-Ehrlich_wager http://www.census.gov/ipc/www/img/worldpop.gif http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_R._Ehrlich http://www.fairus.org/site/PageServer?pagename=about_aboutlist1ce5 http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2002/may8/gifs/Mammals_Ehrlich-180.jpg