Return of Malthus

Björn-Ola Linnér is a Swedish climate policy scholar and professor at Linköping University. He is program director of Mistra Geopolitics, a research programme that critically examines and explores the interplay between the dynamics of geopolitics, human security, and global environmental change.

‘This pioneering venture fills a genuine gap in the literature on post-war environmentalism … a commendably judicious treatment of a tendentious subject.’ Professor Peter Coates, University of Bristol; ‘Linnér chronicles the rise and fall of neo-Malthusians with great skill and clarity. His great achievement is to place their ideas within a larger frame, explaining why scarcity economics resonated in a world fraught with the fear of nuclear war.’Professor Mark Cioc, University of California, Santa Cruz; ‘This book is a must-read for anyone wishing to understand the historical context for today’s global debates and all those who worry about the future of the planet.’Professor Carolyn Merchant, University of California, Berkeley; ‘Nicely blending theory and empirical data, Linnér examines the roots and uses of neo-Malthusianism … The Return of Malthus will appeal to anyone interested in international relations, science, or the environment.’ Professor Kurk Dorsey, University of New Hampshire; ‘This is an important, novel and detailed account of fears about a global population and resource crisis that emerged after World War II. This crisis was linked to postwar pessimism about human survival in a world of rapidly expanding population, limited resources and possible nuclear conflict with the Soviet Union.’Horace Herring, Organisation & Environment; ‘Within the confusion surrounding the population-scarcity crisis, some perspective and context is necessary. Björn-Ola Linnér provides both in his excellent book’ Michael Egan, H-Environment

• 1. Crises of Population and Resources2. A New World Order3. Conservation and Containment4. Neo-Malthusianism in Harvest Time5. A New Conservation Ideology6. On the Outskirts of Babel7. Green Revolutions8. The Return of Neo-Malthusianism9. Crisis? What Crisis?