Albert Bartlett
Albert Allen Bartlett (born 1923 in Shanghai)[1] is an emeritus Professor of Physics at the University of Colorado at Boulder, USA. As of July 2001[update] Professor Bartlett had lectured over 1,600 times since September, 1969 on Arithmetic, Population, and Energy.[2][3] Bartlett regards sustainable growth as a contradiction, since modest annual percentage population increases will inevitably equate to huge exponential growth over sustained periods of time. He therefore regards human overpopulation as "The Greatest Challenge" facing humanity.
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[edit] Career
Bartlett joined the faculty of the University of Colorado in Boulder in September 1950. He has a B.A. degree in physics from Colgate University (1944), and M.A. (1948) and Ph.D. (1951) degrees in physics from Harvard University. In 1978 he was national president of the American Association of Physics Teachers. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In 1969 and 1970 he served two terms as the elected Chair of the four-campus Faculty Council of the University of Colorado.
[edit] Views on population growth
Professor Bartlett often explains how sustainable growth is a contradiction. His view is based on the fact that a modest percentage growth can equate to huge escalations over relatively short periods of time.[4]
Bartlett argues that, over time, compound growth can yield enormous increases. For example, an investor earning a constant annual 7% return on their investment would find their capital doubling within 10 years. But the same exponential power, so advantageous to patient investors, may be potentially calamitous when applied to human population. A population of 10,000 individuals, if it were to grow at a constant rate of 7% per annum, would reach a population size of 10 million after 100 years.[5]
Bartlett regards overpopulation as "The Greatest Challenge" facing humanity, and promotes sustainable living. He opposes the cornucopian school of thought (as advocated by people such as Julian Lincoln Simon), and refers to it as "The New Flat Earth Society"[6]
J. B. Calvert (1999) has proposed that Bartlett's law [7] will result in the exhaustion of petrochemical resources due to the exponential growth of the world population in line with the Malthusian Growth Model).
Bartlett has made two notable statements relating to sustainability:
"The greatest shortcoming of the human race is our inability to understand the exponential function."
and his Great Challenge:
"Can you think of any problem in any area of human endeavor on any scale, from microscopic to global, whose long-term solution is in any demonstrable way aided, assisted, or advanced by further increases in population, locally, nationally, or globally?"
[edit] Books
- The Essential Exponential For the Future of Our Planet a collection of essays by Professor Bartlett (2004). Center for Science, Mathematics and Computer Education, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. ISBN 0-9758973-0-6 [8]
[edit] See also
- Exponential growth
- Thomas Robert Malthus - the originator of the Malthusian catastrophe argument
- Peak oil
- M. King Hubbert, author of the Hubbert Curve.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Audio interview of Al Bartlett by George Kenney at Electric Politics Retrieved July 2011
- ^ Arithmetic, Population and Energy — a talk by Al Bartlett Retrieved July 2011
- ^ Albert A. Bartlett (1994). Arithmetic, Population, and Energy (The Forgotten Fundamentals of the Energy Crisis). Academic Media Services, University of Colorado. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4364780292633368976. Retrieved December 16, 2011.
- ^ Arithmetic, Population & Energy, Part I, at youtube Retrieved July 2011
- ^ Professor talks at an exponential rate Energy Bulletin article by Todd Neff. Retrieved July 2011
- ^ Bartlett at www.hubberpeak.com Retrieved July 2011
- ^ Bartlett at www.du.edu Retrieved July 2011
- ^ More information and how to order Retrieved July 2011
[edit] References
- Professor talks at an exponential rate Energy Bulletin article by Todd Neff. Retrieved July 2011
[edit] External links
- Professor Bartlett's website contains background, articles, book "The Essential Exponential", and links to his talk, "Arithmetic, Population, and Energy". Retrieved July 2011
- Professor Bartlett's page at Colorado University Retrieved July 2011
- Biography of Dr Bartlett Retrieved July 2011
- "Arithmetic, Population, and Energy" by Professor Albert Bartlett Free audio and video 57 minute lecture. Retrieved July 2011
- "Arithmetic, Population, and Energy" by Professor Albert Bartlett Text of lecture (extracts). Retrieved July 2011
- Analysis of Bartlett's "Arithmetic, Population, and Energy" presentation - Exponentialist website. Retrieved July 2011
- Is There a Population Problem? Ecofuture website. Retrieved July 2011
- The Massive Movement to Marginalise the Modern Malthusian Message article by Professor Bartlett. Retrieved July 2011
- Thoughts on Long-term Energy Supplies - Scientists and the Silent Lie article on energy and population in Physics Today (2004). Retrieved July 2011
- Clean Coal Technology Speech by Andrew McNamara MP on clean coal and report by Professor Bartlett
- Arithmetic, Population & Energy, Part I @YouTube.com (Part 1 of 8), (parts 2-4 are linked). Retrieved July 2011
- Arithmetic, Population & Energy, Part II @YouTube.com (Part 5 of 8), (parts 6-8 are linked). Retrieved July 2011
- Arithmetic, Population & Energy @Google (entire video). Retrieved July 2011
- Lecture by Professor Bartlett about the exponential function @Vimeo. Retrieved July 2011
- BLIND SPOT, Documentary, Population & Energy. Retrieved July 2011
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