The Myth of a Population Explosion in America: Implications for the Social Welfare Profession

Authors

Lillian T. Cochran, Drew University
James M. O'Kane, Drew University

Abstract

In the past decade, the concern over a hypothetical "population explosion" has become an increasing preoccupation in growing segments of the American public. Terms such as "standing-room-only-world," "demographic catastrophe,' "future doomsday," etc. have become common, and the work of organizations such as Planned Parenthood, Zero Population Growth, and countless other agencies has centered around this supposed threat to continued human existence. Paul and Anne Ehrlich have set forth the general position on "overpopulation" stating: "The explosive growth of the human population is the most significant event in the past million millenia. . . . Mankind itself may stand on the brink of extinction; in its death throes it could take with it most of the other passengers of Spaceship Earth. No geological event in a billion years * * * has posed a threat to terrestrial life comparable to that of human overpopulation." (Ehrlich and Ehrlich, 1970:cpl)

Recommended Citation

Cochran, Lillian T. and O'Kane, James M. (1974) "The Myth of a Population Explosion in America: Implications for the Social Welfare Profession," The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare: Vol. 2: Iss. 2, Article 7.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15453/0191-5096.1076
Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/jssw/vol2/iss2/7