Stork & the Plow

Global population growth (``the stork'') is overtaking agricultural production (``the plow'') and jeopardizing Earth's ecosystems, according to the Ehrlichs (The Population Explosion) and Daily, a Stanford Univ. policy analyst. To create a sustainable economy with greater equality between rich and poor, they urge, developed nations should sharply curtail consumption to alleviate pressures on resources and the environment. In the author's blueprint, couples should have a maximum of two children, preferably one; diets should shift toward vegetarianism, away from intensive grain-feeding of animals; wasteful military spending should be reallocated to social needs. Surveying countries from Haiti to China, the authors prescribe ``globalization from below'' through citizens' movements that would provide employment, give people control over local resources and return power to the grass roots. They also advocate worldwide educational campaigns, readily available contraception and overhaul of world trade to increase equity between industrialized and developing nations. This ambitious, enlightened handbook is a cornucopia of strategies and ideas for concerned citizens and policymakers. (Sept.)