Ehrlich's response to critics Ehrlich has argued that humanity has simply deferred the disaster by the use of more intensive agricultural techniques, such as those introduced during the Green Revolution. Ehrlich claims that increasing populations & affluence are increasingly stressing the global environment, due to such factors as loss of biodiversity, overfishing, global warming, urbanization, chemical pollution & competition for raw materials. He maintains that due to growing global incomes, reducing consumption & human population is critical to protecting the environment & maintaining living standards, & that current rates of growth are still too great for a sustainable future.