'Before we bury Malthus and all his modern disciples, we need to understand what made them so nervous, for it may be that they saw a few realities that we are in danger of forgetting...Whether right or not, the scarcity prophets were not irrational to question the gospel of progress. They pointed out the heavy costs and risks in our headlong rush to growth. Linner tells the story of their great doubt, and it is one of the most important stories of the twentieth century.' Donald Worster, University of Kansas
'This book is a must-read for anyone wishing to understand the historical context for today's global debates and all those who worry about the future of the planet.' Carolyn Merchant, University of California, Berkeley
'This pioneering venture fills a genuine gap in the literature on post-war environmentalism...a commendably judicious treatment of a tendentious subject.' Peter Coates, University of Bristol
'Linnér chronicles the rise and fall of neo-Malthusians with great skill and clarity. His great achievement is to place their ideas within a larger frame, explaining why scarcity economics resonated in a world fraught with the fear of nuclear war.' Mark Cioc, University of California, Santa Cruz
'Nicely blending theory and empirical data... will appeal to anyone interested in international relations, science, or the environment.' Kurk Dorsey, University of New Hampshire
'...solidly contextualised in global political events and conservation history, and written with vision and imagination... Borgström's neo-Malthusianism was at the core of the project of Westernisation of the world. In order to become modern, the developing countries had first of all to stop increasing their numbers - whilst the West could maintain its levels of consumption. Linnér's is a timely study of how food and environmental scarcity became a key dimension of today's world order.' Sverker Sörlin, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm
Björn-Ola Linnér is an environmental historian and associate professor at the Department of Water and Environmental Studies at Linköping University, Sweden. His research on post-war international environmental issues specialises in global food security and sustainable development policy.
September 2003, 320pp.
ISBN 1-874267-51-0 (HB) £40.00
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