Peoplequake: Mass Migration, Ageing Nations and the Coming Population Crash

Pearce manages to write in such a way that will, for the most part, hold your interest, but his propensity for case studies and circumstantial, anecdotal evidence weakens the arguments he puts forward. The conclusions he draws often seem unfounded in the evidence he discusses, and his evident, closed-minded disapproval of eugenics narrows his debate somewhat, if indeed he's offering a debate at all, which I don't think he is. He suggests the population bomb is already defused and that we therefore don't need to worry about it any longer. In a chapter entitled "Silver Lining" he writes: "What will it be like to live in societies that are much older than any we have ever known or imagined?... It looks fit, frugal and just fine".As interesting as this book is, and it is interesting, I feel it's written from a very narrow, possibly naive stand point. If you want a book that covers all of the issues from a broad and balanced perspective, I wouldn't recommend this one.

Fred Pearce has written a book that contributes to the discussion about the number of people the planet can sustainably support. In doing so the book is split in to seven sections that cover all the demographic hot topics, namely Malthus, population control, population decline, reproduction, migration, carrying capacity and ageing.As said by other reviewers, this book is inherently optimistic in its assessment of our demographic future( even when managing to shy away from confronting energy as an issue), but this is what the author sets out to do and gives cogent examples to reinforce what is being outlined. Whether you agree with him or not is up to you. However, beware.This is a popular science book, which being just shy of 300 pages, affords a whistle-stop tour rather than an all-encompassing academic review. It does however, give plenty of references to the academic tombs that it is based upon and lots of web resources that are easily accessible topic-by-topic if one particularly interests you.Overall, an optimistic read that takes you on a whistle stop tour of a complex, contentious subject matter.

We live on a finite planet so there must be a limit to the population that Mother Earth can support. But there are ways .... and ways of curtailing population growth ...and some are unpalatable. The author is naive and fails to evidence many of his assertions to a level that will withstand a robust peer review ... but his narrative will certainly provoke though amongst those readers intlligent enough to understand the thrust and challenge of his arguments/assetions.

This is an engaging and easy-to-read take on the current state of world population.As someone who would describe myself as an environmentalist, I read a lot of very depressing books and articles, and it is certainly true that we are facing some really difficult problems. However, we have made progress on some of the most frightening issues of my childhood, the population explosion being one (nuclear weapons being another), and I was becoming frustrated that these achievements are not being more widely publicised. I've lent this book to several friends who sounded despairing about the state of things. If we are going to improve this world, our worst enemies are complacency and despair; this book avoids both.

A fascinating and informative book. The conclusion appears to be that we have passed/or just reached "peak" population and falling live birth statistics ensure a shrinking future. Enough meat to chew on.

Great book for geography students or anyone interested in demographics!

good book

Excellent reading and a really good extension to 'A2' Geography