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Hans Rosling

Director, Gapminder Foundation

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What are your thoughts and questions on "the magic washing machine"?

I will be answering questions on my new TED talk today at 11.30 -1.30 pm EST.
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Topics: Live Conversation energy poverty
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  • Zouhair Saddiki

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    Mar 21 2011: Dear Prof. Rosling,

    One question has always keep me concerned about. The growing world population and increasing demand of food (i.e. emerging economies) in contrast with the availibility of food in the world. We know that the magic number of 7 billion inhabitants of planet earth is doomed up and the recent riots due to increase in the food prices. And also governemnt are preventing competion (agriculture) by pressing the food prices, so that the incentives to produce more food by competiont is neglected. How can the world resolve and overcome this problem? Can we justify that Malthus was right in the end?

    Kind Regards,

    Zouhair Saddiki (erasmus student)
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      Hans Rosling 100+

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      TED Speaker
      Mar 21 2011: Not at all! the number of births in the world stopped growing since 1990, and the number of children have stopped growing since 2005. The additional 2 billions to be added will be adults and old people above 60 like myself. What we need is better education in demography and better innovations in green technology. Agriculture is a challenge but there are many possibilities. At present subsidies in the richest countries must be replaced by a wise global food policy. If Malthus had been right both you and me would be dead!

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