FOR the past million years, the world’s human population has grown almost
continuously. But demographers have identified three great population surges,
each following technological revolutions that dramatically increased the number
of people that the world could sustain.
The first revolution was the invention of tool making, which occurred
gradually around the world between a million and 100 000 years ago. The second
revolution was the invention of farming. This began at the end of the last ice
age 10 000 years ago and spread from core areas such as the Middle East.
Agriculture helped the world’s population rise from…
