The document discusses Thomas Malthus' Malthusian theory of population growth. Malthus observed that while resources grew arithmetically, populations grew exponentially. He warned that unchecked population growth would eventually outpace food production, leading to a "Malthusian catastrophe" of famine, disease, and war. Malthus proposed two checks on population growth: preventative checks like abstinence and sterilization, and positive checks like famine that naturally limit population when it exceeds resources. While food production has since increased faster than population, overpopulation remains a threat combined with issues like global warming.

1. Amit Z Chaudhari
The Malthusian
theory

2. T h e M a l t h u s i a n t h e o r y
The Malthusian Theory_ AZC_2017_Environmental Studies _ B. Pharm. 2
- In his 1798 work, An Essay on “ the Principle of Population”, Malthus
examined the relationship between population growth and resources
and developed the Malthusian theory of population growth.
Observation:
- While resources tended to grow arithmetically, populations
exhibit exponential growth.

3. The Malthusian Theory_ AZC_2017_Environmental Studies _ B. Pharm. 3
the dangers of excessive population growth:
- human population would continue to grow until they would become
too large to be supported by the food grown on available agricultural
land.
- The local carrying capacity, the capacity of ecosystems or societies to
support the local population will disturbed.
Solutions : there are two types of 'checks' that can reduce a population's growth rate.
- Preventive checks / "moral restraint. "
- people must practice abstinence before marriage
- forced sterilization where necessary,
- institute criminal punishments for unprepared parents who had
more children than they could support.
- Even in his time, this solution was controversial.
T h e M a l t h u s i a n t h e o r y

4. The Malthusian Theory_ AZC_2017_Environmental Studies _ B. Pharm. 4
- " Positive checks " / " Malthusian catastrophe "
- If human population crosses the local carrying capacity.
- that may shorten the average lifespan by naturally occurring
checks such as disease, warfare, famine, and poor living and
working environments.
- This phenomenon is called as Malthusian catastrophe (Malthusian
crisis) , which is a forced return of a population to basic survival.
T h e M a l t h u s i a n t h e o r y

5. The Malthusian Theory_ AZC_2017_Environmental Studies _ B. Pharm. 5
" famine - Malthusian catastrophe "
- is one of the globally observed crisis, however, food production has
grown faster than population due to transformational advances in
agricultural technology.
but
- agricultural technology food production, combined with threats to
other aspects of the earth's habitat such as global warming, make
overpopulation a still more serious threat in the future.
T h e M a l t h u s i a n t h e o r y

6. End of topic
Reference:
https://www.boundless.com/sociology/t
extbooks/boundless-sociology-textbook/population-and-
urbanization-17/population-growth-122/malthus-theory-of-
population-growth-689-9631/
http://study.com/academy/lesson/malthusian-
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