Until about two years ago, I had never thought about the population issue. It simply wasn’t in my realm of thinking. However, one thing which gives me a little bit of solace is that most of my friends were the same.

In September 2009, my youngest daughter, Jenny, phoned me and said, “dad, they are all talking about human induced climate change, and they’re all going off to Copenhagen. Why don’t they talk about the ‘elephant in the room’”. I said, “Jenny, what’s that?”. She said, “population!”.

The instant she said the word, it was almost as if a light was turned on in my head. Within seconds I realised how stupid I had been. Here we were talking about problems which are facing our planet, but people weren’t talking about the most obvious problem – too many people. I knew that we had something like 6.7 billion people in the world, and this was predicted to go to over 9 billion by 2050. But I’d never actually linked that with a great many of the problems we have in our world. continue reading

CLICK HERE to buy “Dick Smith’s Population Crisis” directly from us .

In 2011 the world’s population will exceed 7 billion. Each year we add nearly 80 million people, and by mid-century we will require twice as much food and double the energy we use today.  Australia will be deeply affected by these trends—we have the fastest-growing population of any developed nation.

These are the staggering facts that confronted Dick Smith. They set him on his crusade to alert us to the dangers of unsustainable growth. They are the facts that have convinced him that if we are to ensure the survival of our civilisation and the health of the planet then we must put a stop to population growth—now.

As our cities continue their unrestrained growth, as we battle daily on crowded public transport and clogged freeways, and as we confront the reality of water and power shortages, Dick challenges the long-held myth that growth is good for us. But more importantly he offers ways for us to re-invent our economy, to reassess the way we live and to at least slow down that ticking clock. This is a provocative, powerful and urgent call to arms.

DICK SMITH LAUNCHES HIS BOOK, “POPULATION CRISIS” AND

CALLS FOR RUPERT MURDOCH TO RETURN TO AUSTRALIA

On 30 May this year, Bindi Irwin launched my new book, “Dick Smith’s Population Crisis” at Dymocks great store in George Street, Sydney. 

The launch was a tremendous success.  Bindi, who represents the present generation and our future, launched my book in front of numerous radio and television media.  In her speech, Bindi used some simple metaphors to illustrate what can happen if we lurch blindly ahead with no clear plan on population. 

Here’s Bindi delivering her fantastic speech ….

Following Bindi’s speech, I gave my address to the media where I called for Rupert Murdoch to return to Australia.

And, for some great post-launch comments from Bob Carr, Professor Garry Egger, Peter FitzSimons, Dr. Anthony Kidman and Mark O’Connor, watch this …..

In December 2011, Dick received news from Professor Paul Ehrlich at Stanford University in California that he had been appointed to the position of Consulting Professor in the Center for Conservation Biology at Stanford University. In Professor Ehrlich’s letter, he advised that Dick’s appointment

“recognizes [Dick's] great contributions in teaching the public and students about the issues of overpopulation, consumption, and economic growth“

Attached is a copy of the letter confirming Dick’s appointment from the Office of the Dean of the School of Humanities and Sciences at Stanford.

Dick Smith Letter of Appointment as Consulting Professor at Stanford University