Norman Borlaug RIP

[Krazy P]

The greatest American of the 20th Century?

Quite possibly.

He saved between 250 million to 1 billion lives.

India, Pakistan, Africa, Mexico - all over the world in developing countries people are mourning this great American's death.

In the U.S. ... not so much.

Salute a great human being. One of the finest of our specie.

[Mozzes]

"Most people still fail to comprehend the magnitude and menace of the 'Population Monster' ... If it continues to increase at the estimated present rate of two percent a year, the world population will reach 6.5 billion by the year 2000. Currently, with each second, or tick of the clock, about 2.2 additional people are added to the world population. The rhythm of increase will accelerate to 2.7, 3.3, and 4.0 for each tick of the clock by 1980, 1990, and 2000, respectively, unless man becomes more realistic and preoccupied about this impending doom. The tick-tock of the clock will continually grow louder and more menacing each decade. Where will it all end?" - Normal Borlaug 1970

A true genius and someone who saw the storm on the horizon. It's a shame more than 40 years ago he identified a dire problem that world leaders seem still unwilling to discuss.

[gestalt]

I do have a question about this. He's a hero right? And was responsible for developing more efficient ways of growing food? Doesn't that in the long-run view of the next 100 years up the anty of acquiring a different energy source for the production of food?

I mean didn't he basically expedite the population bell-curve? And might a lot more people die because of it? A lot of assumptions here, just fishing for response.

[schwartzie]

IDK... there are credible criticisms of the so called Green Revolution. Like fertilizer. Works great so long as you keep it up. but... if you don't, you'll find your soil, which you haven't treated with organic material because of your use of fertilizer, is "dead."

The main criticism of the Green Revolution advocates is that they imagined that tech, all by itself, would fix hunger. They ignored the fact that tech is a tool of those in power.... and when tech is applied to poor countries, it can be--even WILL be-- seized by those in power to the detriment of the poor. You end up with increased production and increased hunger. Idealist?

[Grimstad]

I’m sure it’s just my twisted sense of humor but I find it ironic that a man who wrote about something he called the population “monster” set about to save 250 million to 1 billion lives. In effect, feeding the monster.

[solusomni]

Salute to a great human being indeed.

[RBM]

I’m sure it’s just my twisted sense of humor but I find it ironic that a man who wrote about something he called the population “monster” set about to save 250 million to 1 billion lives. In effect, feeding the monster.

According to Borlaug, "Africa, the former Soviet republics, and the cerrado are the last frontiers. After they are in use, the world will have no additional sizable blocks of arable land left to put into production, unless you are willing to level whole forests, which you should not do. So, future food-production increases will have to come from higher yields. And though I have no doubt yields will keep going up, whether they can go up enough to feed the population monster is another matter. Unless progress with agricultural yields remains very strong, the next century will experience sheer human misery that, on a numerical scale, will exceed the worst of everything that has come before"


I see no direct cause and effect connection of Borlaug's work to human behavior. You seem to have conflated his work to human behavior to make a connection that doesn't exist.

Besides the above quote offers a warning.