I wasn’t stopped cold at all. I’m very much intrigued with his concept of a “carrying capacity” - it’s a concept applied by conservationists and assorted others concerned with vanishing species all the time, so why shouldn’t it apply to humans?

We’re seeing the effects of climate change, and it seems to be getting worse, if you pay attention. We’re currently at 7 billion humans, and should be closing in on 10 billion in the next few decades. (Scientists recently announced that we’ve entered a new epoch - if that’s the right word - distinguished as the first time man can alter the physical world in a permanent way. I didn’t say that very well, but that was the gist of it.)

I don’t know what the carrying capacity is, but I’m fairly certain it’s considerably less than 7 billion. Assume, for the sake of argument, that it’s 4 billion. The most critical question our children and grandchildren wil face is “Which 3 billion have to go, and how do we make that happen?” My prayer is that we will come to grips with it in time to do it humanely (Negative Population Growth) and consciously over those next few decades - before nature and history conspire to do it dramatically in a catclysmic natural or man-made event.

Please finish that chapter. It will cause you to think about that which must be faced, sooner or later.