Back in action

I have spent the past two weeks or so taking a break and thinking about future plans. More on the latter when the arrangements are firmer but my immediate priority is my debate in Birmingham on Tuesday evening. In the meantime there follows some interesting references I have stumbled across in the past few days:

* The Malthusian cover story of the January 2011 issue of National Geographic bemoaning the fact that the earth’s population will shortly reach seven billion.

* Thomas Homer-Dixon, probably Canada’s most prominent growth sceptic, attacking economic growth in the January / February issue of Foreign Policy.

* A book by Dickson Despommier, a Columbia university professor, on vertical farms – urban skyscrapers that could help feed the world.

* A review of several of the key economics books of 2010 by Sean Collins on spiked.