1. Answer in 60 words or more, list reference.
Two centuries ago Thomas Malthus declared that worldwide famine was inevitable as human population growth outpaced food production. At a conference in 1972 a group of academics predicted much the same thing for the last part of the twentieth century. Yet worldwide famine has not occurred and food supplies in the U.S. are excellent in both quantity and quality. Why have we been able to supply ourselves so well?
2. Answer in 60 words or more, list reference.
Home owner and golf courses often use large amounts of pesticide and fertilizer to produce lawns that are of exceptional quality. The products are needed as the lawn is a monoculture of grass and so not a naturally stable ecosystem. Some municipalities are enacting laws to limit the amounts and types of pesticide and fertilizer that can be applied to lawns.
The home owners and golf courses see this as an infringement on their civil rights. What reasons could a municipality give to explain why they should have the right to limit the actions of a group of people on their own property?