April 24, 2010 8:26AM 

# A Reality Check for Neo-Malthusians 

By Indur M. Goklany 

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[Neo-Malthusians bemoan](https://www.cato.org/2010/04/23/return-of-the-neo-malthusians/) population growth and view economic, technological, and fossil fuel development as inventions of the Devil. Yet between 1750 and 2007, despite an octupling of global population, and increases in affluence by an order of magnitude and CO2 emissions by three orders of magnitude, the average global life expectancy at birth — the single most important indicator for human well-being — more than doubled from 26 years to 69 years.

Not only are we living longer, we are also living healthier.

Read more [here](http://www.masterresource.org/2010/04/population-consumption-carbon-emissions-and-human-well-being-in-the-age-of-industrialization-part-ii-a-reality-check-of-the-neo-malthusian-worldview/).

##### Related Tags 

[Energy and Environment](https://www.cato.org/research/energy-environment) 

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