In fact, giving society cheap, abundant energy at this point would be the moral equivalent of giving an idiot child a machine gun. With cheap, abundant energy, the attempt clearly would be made to pave, develop, industrialize, and exploit every last bit of the planet—a trend that would inevitably lead to a collapse of the life-support systems upon which civilization depends.

More quotes by Paul R. Ehrlich

Paul Ehrlich: 'Collapse of civilisation is a near certainty within decades' The Guardian (2018)

Paul Ehrlich: 'Collapse of civilisation is a near certainty within decades' The Guardian (2018)

The Population Explosion (1990)

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