Dr. Albert Bartlett, In Depth

Dr. Albert Bartlett, professor emeritus of Physics from the University of Colorado at Boulder discusses population growth, peak oil and global warming, solutions and sustainability in great detail with GPM’s Andi Hazelwood. The in depth interview closes with a brief discussion of Australia’s coal reserves and a look at Queensland’s local government reform plan.


In part 1, Dr. Bartlett discusses the history and evolution of his presentation “Arithmetic, Population and Energy” and explains how over the years it has come to be more about peak oil than population growth. After exploring the rising awareness of oil depletion, he explains Jevon’s paradox and considers the lack of serious regard for the issue of overpopulation.

In part 2, Dr. Bartlett discusses family planning, immigration and investment reform programs as possible responses to the population problem. He illustrates how global warming is proof that we’ve overshot the earth’s carrying capacity, and critiques the misuse of the latest buzzword, “sustainable” with his Laws of Sustainability (included in his article Reflections on Sustainability, Population Growth and the Environment).

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