ABSTRACT
The chapter traces the intellectual legacies that originated with Thomas Malthus (1866–1934) and later contributed to influential social and environmental movements. The various Malthusian and neo-Malthusian schools of thought are unified by the belief in biophysical limits to economic growth. Such limits, depending on the brand of Malthusian thought, arise principally from overpopulation, overconsumption (affluence), inappropriate use of technologies, and/or a failure to account for ecological realities in the design of human economic activities. According to the Malthusian world view, ignoring such limits have dire consequences including mass starvation and irreversible ecological damages on a global scale. However, global disasters can be avoided by the implementation and enforcement of farsighted policies that primarily focuses on population control, use of appropriate production technologies, closed-loop material cycling, avoidance of toxic pollution, and full transition to renewable energy resources. The yet to materialize (but yet difficult to discredit) dismal predictions of the Malthusians remind us of the possible consequences of pursuing economic growth at any cost.
