How will we survive when the population hits 10 billion? | Charles C. Mann | TED Talk

The TED Talk “How will we survive when the population hits 10 billion?” by Charles C. Mann discusses how the world’s population is growing exponentially and will reach nearly 10 billion by the year 2050. Mann uses the analogy of protozoa in a petri dish to explain how humans are an “outbreak species” that will hit the edge of the petri dish, which is Earth. He then introduces two interesting perspectives on how to deal with this impending sustainability crisis: wizards and prophets. Wizards believe that science and technology can provide solutions to the challenges of a growing population, while prophets believe in reducing consumption and returning to a more agrarian way of life.