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Hear Prof. Alon Tal Discuss His New Book

Hear Prof. Alon Tal Discuss His New Book

August 30, 2016

Social Sciences & Humanities

TLV1 — Prof. Alon Tal of BGU’s Bona Terra Department of Man in the Desert discussed his new book The Land Is Full: Addressing Overpopulation in Israel in a recent TLV1 podcast.

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Prof. Alon Tal

In the interview, Prof. Tal elaborates on his view that Israel’s rapid population growth is a detriment to the Jewish State. Drawing on his decades of experience in studying environmental sustainability, he concludes that the small country cannot accommodate many more people despite the government’s policies of promoting immigration and high birthrates.

“We’ll never be able to control greenhouse gases, have water for our streams or protect our fragile habitats if our country continues to expand at such an astonishing rate,” says Prof. Tal.

What’s more, it’s not just the environment that suffers from the effects of overpopulation.

“Worst of all, poverty will never be solved without stabilizing the country’s population. One in three Israeli children live below the poverty line. This is a national disgrace,” Prof. Tal continues.

However, the topic is not without controversy, as creating more Jews is an important religious and societal tenet to many Israelis who find it unthinkable to put a cap on Israeli population growth post-Holocaust.

“If you’re going to read a book about Israel this decade, this is the one to read,” says the interviewer.

Listen to the full interview on the TVL1 website >>