Can our planet support the demands of the ten billion people anticipated to be the world's population by the middle of this century? This book explores the contexts, costs, and benefits of a burgeoning population on our economic, social, and environmental systems.

Ian Goldin is the Director of the Oxford Martin School and Professor of Globalisation and Development at Oxford University. From 2001 to 2006 he was at the World Bank, first as Director of Policy and then as Vice President. Previously, he was advisor to President Mandela and Chief Executive of the Development Bank of Southern Africa. He has been knighted by the French Government. Professor Goldin has published over fifty articles and eighteen books, including Exceptional People: How Migration Shaped our World and Will Define our Future (Princeton University Press, 2011), Globalization for Development: Meeting New Challenges (Oxford University Press, 2012) and Divided Nations: Why global governance is failing and what we can do about it (Oxford University Press, 2013).

• 1: Ian Goldin: Introduction


• 2: Anthony B. Atkinson: Optimum Population, Welfare Economics, and Inequality


• 3: Toby Ord: Overpopulation or Underpopulation?


• 4: Sarah Harper: Demographic and Environmental Transitions


• 5: Ian Johnson: Towards a Contemporary Understanding of the Limits to Growth


• 6: H. Charles J. Godfray: How can 9-10 Billion People be Fed Sustainably and Equitably by 2050?


• 7: Mark New: Water Scarcity on a Blue Planet


• 8: Yadvinder Malhi: The Metabolism of a Human-Dominated Planet


• 9: Robyn Norton: Safe, Effective, and Affordable Health Care for a Bulging Population


• 10: Anthony Hartwell: Sourcing Mineral Resources: Problems and Solutions


• 11: Ian Goldin: Governance Matters Most