CorrespondenceAuthor(s): Colin BertramSource: The Geographical Journal, Vol. 156, No. 2 (Jul., 1990), p. 244Published by: The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers)Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/635372 .

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From G. C. L. Bertram

At a meeting of the Society forty-four years ago I presented a paper (GeogrlJ., 1946) which produced a deal of favourable acclaim: 'Population trends and the world's resources'. It was then shortly after World War II, shortly after the Bengal famine, shortly after the seminal population forecasts of Sir A. V. Hill and Sir John Megaw for India. That paper has proved extraordinarily and sadly prophetic. So much was already clear in the realms of rapid population increase, under-nourishment of myriads, widespread soil erosion, excessive deforestation and over-fishing. Realization of needed conservation was already far ahead of sensible practice.

How do we now stand? Foremost, world popula- tion has more than doubled in these post-war years, from about 2500 million to over 5000 million, and it is still increasing at around a million every four days. A fifth of the world's people is said still to be undernourished. The educated begin-but oh so slowly-to understand; the 'Greens' vociferate with righteous hearts but often flawed perspective. The United Kingdom has become, ethnically, a plural society, but has ceased to be the world's greatest importer of foodstuffs. Genetic advances in agricul- ture have increased food production vastly more than

previously expected. The International Planned Parenthood Foundation (founded in 1952) has had substantial impact expecially in island circumstances (e.g. Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong etc.) but its task remains daunting in many lands in the darkness of certain religious attitudes. Disease and epidemic control have extended widely; smallpox has been extinguished but AIDS has arrived. The quality of life for the generality of humanity, and for individuals, is checked by this proliferation of our total. And quality of life includes intellectual and spiritual freedom, tolerance and education, not only standards of availability and provision, and a safe environment.

The reality of man-induced climatic and sea-level change through pollution at last begins to frighten national governments. Likewise, the problems of over-fishing, destruction of rainforests, faunal deple- tion etc., are all in positive proportion to human numbers. Ameliorative measures will achieve little unless the basic cause in ever-increasing human numbers is decisively checked.

Ricardo's Graffham Petworth Sussex GU28 OPU

COLIN BERTRAM

Correspondence

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