Malthusianism is a demographic, economic, and sociopolitical theory developed by Thomas Robert Malthus in the late 18th century that raises concerns about population growth and resource availability. Although Malthus lived in a very different time than today, his ideas are still relevant in the debate about the balance between world population and natural resources.
Thomas Malthus, a British economist and clergyman, published his most influential work, “An Essay on the Principle of Population,” in 1798. In this essay, Malthus argued that the human population had a natural tendency to grow exponentially, while Production of food and other resources increased only linearly. Consequently, he maintained that, inevitably, the population would exceed the Earth’s capacity to support it, leading to food shortages and human suffering as a result of disease and war, going so far as to propose measures such as birth control. and the restriction of assistance to the poor, to avoid population growth.
Malthusianism had a significant impact on economic and political thought during the 19th century. As urban populations grew rapidly and living conditions worsened in industrial cities, Malthus’s ideas influenced discussions of birth control and social welfare policies.
However, as the 20th century progressed, Malthusian predictions of mass famine failed to materialize thanks to technological and agricultural advances, such as the Green Revolution, which significantly increased food production. This led critics to argue that Malthus had been wrong in his prediction of an imminent catastrophe.
Concern about the population and its reproduction is not something new in history, Plato already showed concern about the excess or deficiency of the reproduction of the population with respect to limits considered adequate, however in premodern societies the concept was unthinkable. current population and much less the reference to address human beings through a number that included them all, reaching this concept with the appearance of liberalism in the 17th century, based on the idea that all men are free. and equal, with the same political, social and economic rights and powers.
The new meaning given to population in the modern era made it possible to determine quantity as the main dimension from which to treat demography, and in particular its growth, exposing quantity as the indication from which it could constitute a future problem, which was crudely exposed in Robert Malthus’s approach at the end of the 18th century, which based on two main questions, What factor determines the level of growth and the rate of population increase? and what are its consequences?
Malthus, based on the two previous questions, arrives at the conviction that the growth capacity of the human population is much higher than the growth capacity of material resources to provide food and guarantee the economic and social reproduction of said population, establishing a geometric growth of population and an arithmetic growth of food and resources.
Malthus stipulated the existence of various brakes, moral or preventive, establishing however that the last brake on the increase in population would be produced by the lack of food and resources. Malthus analyzed the problem of overpopulation, seeking the evolution of humanity towards happiness, his concern being the amount of population that could prevent evolution in achieving the proposed objective.
In the 20th century, different authors such as Thompson or Coale, take up Malthus’ approach, conceptualizing demographic change and the different components that influence demographic growth, such as birth and death rates, related to social, economic and war changes. Establishing geographical modernity as the transition from a society with high levels of fertility and birth rates to a society marked by controlled and relatively low levels of birth rates.
However, contemporary authors establish a relationship between modernization and the population, establishing modernization as the basis on which the regulatory frameworks that will affect the population will be established.
Although Malthus’s apocalyptic prediction did not come true in its original form, concerns about population growth and the sustainability of natural resources remain relevant today. One of the most prominent aspects of modern Malthusianism is the debate over climate change and the limitation of non-renewable resources.
The growing global population and increasing demand for energy and natural resources raise questions about the Earth’s ability to meet these needs sustainably. Discussions about environmental conservation, resource management, sustainable agriculture, and energy efficiency relate directly to Malthusian concerns.
One response to Malthusian concerns has been the promotion of birth control and family planning as a strategy for managing population growth. Many countries have implemented family planning policies as part of their efforts to achieve sustainable development and reduce pressure on natural resources.
However, contrary to what might be expected, the birth rate in developed countries has experienced a constant decline in recent decades, where the birth rate has been reduced by half, motivated by the pace of life, the full incorporation of women into the labor market and changes in social values and attitudes. This decline has also been observed, although in a more moderate way, in developing and underdeveloped countries.
The aging of the population has been increasing in recent decades in most countries of the world, given the increase in life expectancy and the decrease in birth rates, this trend is expected to continue increasing in the next 20 years, especially in developed countries, it is estimated that in 2040 17% of the world’s population will be over 65 years of age, estimates that if met, will contribute, along with technological solutions and policies, to address the challenges related to population growth, such as the transition towards renewable energy sources, the promotion of sustainable agricultural practices and the proper management of water resources to solve or delay the problems posed by Malthusianism.
