Sustainability, public policies, socio-environmental, development, natural resources, cultures
The Persistence of Neo-Malthusianism in Modern Environmentalism
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Keywords

environment
growth
ideology
limits
neo-Malthusianism

How to Cite

González Cantero, F. (2025). The Persistence of Neo-Malthusianism in Modern Environmentalism. Sociedad Y Ambiente (Society & Environment), 2025(28), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.31840/sya.v2025i28.3033

Abstract

The emergence of modern environmentalism can be identified with the debates promoted during the Stockholm Summit (1972). The environmental institutionalizing issue process at the international level gives that year a founding milestone. During that period, a school of thought established itself as a benchmark within environmentalism: neo-Malthusianism. Fifty years later, its influence remains significant, mainly because it is not recognized as such but adopted as a tacit agreement among multiple trends within environmentalism that we can observe in various aspects, among which we will discuss the following: i) the dissociation between humanity and nature, ii) the physical-natural character of the "limits" of nature, and iii) the methodologies and instruments for environmental analysis. This essay draws on secondary sources, such as texts by some leading environmentalists, official documents, and public statements by environmental organizations (associated with the topics analyzed). These sources highlight the influence that neo-Malthusian ideology still has on environmental thought.

https://doi.org/10.31840/sya.v2025i28.3033
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Copyright (c) 2025 Fernando González Cantero

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