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these situations there is often a large gap between rich and
poor, with hoarding of renewable resources by the elite.
Half of the world's population live in such societies.
The
author disputes the mantra of economists that are no limits
to growth. A contributing factor is the lag time between
when a problem is first noticed and when something can be
done. First-world countries are more likely to have
resources and the ability to make needed changes:
third-world countries do not. This is what the author refers
to as “the ingenuity gap.” The author doesn't believe
this ingenuity, or more even distribution of resources in
third world countries, will keep up with population
increases. He describes water scarcity in China and India, a
serious problem affecting huge populations. In Chiapas,
Mexico, revolutionary violence occurred when elites hoarded
the available arable land. These stressed populations often
migrate.
This
book is a monumental 911 call urging that we must find
solutions to growing populations and decreasing renewable
resources or face massive problems with conflict (more
United States and United Nations intervention, and huge
populations of refugees?). It is a disturbing picture of
what is happening and why.
The
author is an associate professor at the University of
Toronto and is Director of the Peace and Conflict Studies
Program there. He has authored other books including
Environmental Scarcity and Global Security, and written for
many scholarly journals.
—
by Carol Joyal
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