Geo 2026: Population and resources

Thomas Malthus (1798), a pessimist: population grows faster than resources such as food. Eventually there will be shortages, and famine, disease and war will reduce the population until it can be supported again.
Ester Boserup (1965), an optimist: however much population grows, people will find new ways to increase resources. Necessity is the mother of invention: new technology such as irrigation, fertilisers and new crops keeps resources going.

The Club of Rome's report The Limits to Growth (1972) argued that limits to global growth would be reached within about 100 years if growth continued at the 1970s rate.
But it also said that if population growth was regulated, a sustainable balance between population, development and resources could be reached, and modern technology could help.

Optimum population: population and resources are in balance, so the population is sustainable.
Overpopulation: not enough resources for the population.
Underpopulation: more resources than are needed for the population.
How to achieve balance: control population growth (contraception, family-planning education, incentives for smaller families); reduce resource use (less energy, less food waste); use technology to find new resources (renewable energy such as wind and solar); and base development on more than natural resources.

Malthus and Boserup look at the same problem, more people needing more food, but predict opposite outcomes.
Malthus (1798): he argued population grows faster than food supply. Imagine a line on a graph for population rising steeply and a line for food rising slowly. Eventually population overtakes food. At that point there is a crisis: famine, disease and war reduce the population until food can support it again. He was a pessimist.
Boserup (1965): she argued that when food runs short, people are forced to invent ways to grow more, such as irrigation, fertilisers and new crops. Her phrase is 'necessity is the mother of invention'. Food supply rises to keep up with population. She was an optimist.
Club of Rome (1972): it warned of limits within about 100 years if 1970s growth continued, but said managed population growth and technology could create a sustainable balance.
In an exam, explain each view, then say which is more convincing and why.

Swapping the theorists: remember Malthus is the earlier (1798) pessimist; Boserup (1965) is the optimist.
Saying Malthus wanted war or famine: he predicted them as checks on population; he did not recommend them.
Describing a graph without naming the crisis point: on a Malthus graph, point out where population overtakes resources.
Forgetting all three views focus on food: link your answers to food supply.
Mixing up over- and underpopulation: over means too few resources for the people; under means more resources than needed.

Your notes start this topic with a key idea: the size of the population determines the demand for resources, and as a country gets richer it tends to use more technology and resources. So resource use depends on both population growth and development.
Your notes call the Club of Rome 'pessimist/both'. It was pessimistic because it warned that limits to global growth would be reached within about 100 years if development continued at the 1970s rate. It was also hopeful, because it said that if population growth was regulated, a sustainable triangular balance between population, development and resources could be reached, and modern technology could help.
Picture a triangle with population, development and resources at the corners: if one corner grows too fast, the triangle becomes unbalanced.