Abstract
The Coming Age of Scarcity is a collection of essays examining the relationship between population growth and resource depletion and genocide (and the collapse of our civilization!). The authors immediately jump into a fatalistic doomsday scenario. The Foreword, by John K. Roth, has the essence of strong anticapitalism bias. For example, Roth states “the great transformation from agricultural to . . . industrial societies has always been on the back of peasants” (4), refers to Eastern Europe as “once a highly selfsufficient economic and political system” (13), and states “markets, if left to themselves, cannot factor in long-term scarcity” (14). My objections are to the use of “always,” to the incorrect reference to Eastern Europe as self-sufficient, and to the fact that we’ve never left markets truly to themselves to determine whether or not they can, in fact, factor in long-term scarcity. Chapter One, the introduction written by the editors, includes such statements as “(T)he genocides of the twentieth century have unveiled the true heart of humanity” (16). I have greater faith in my fellow humans than do the editors (and many of their contributors).
Recommended Citation
Lowry, Jr, James D.
(2003)
"The Coming Age of Scarcity: Preventing Mass Death and Genocide in the Twenty first Century. By Michael N. Dobkowski and Isidor Wallimann (Eds.),"
The Geographical Bulletin: Vol. 45:
Iss.
2, Article 9.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/thegeographicalbulletin/vol45/iss2/9