Is the planet full?

Abstract

What are the impacts of population growth? Can our planet support the demands of the ten billion people anticipated to be the world’s population by the middle of this century? Might there be unexplored benefits of increasing population? How can we harness potential benefits brought by a healthier, wealthier and larger population? Could more people mean more scientists, inventors, thinkers, and skilled people to solve world problems? Leading academics with expertise in demography, philosophy, biology, climate science, economics, and environmental sustainability explore the contexts, costs and benefits of a burgeoning population.