Thomas Malthus wrote about population 200 years ago, and his writings were quite well known. It says something about the human propensity to take the short-term view that so few took Malthus seriously until Paul Ehrlich....

Most of the major problems we face...both personally and as a species... have elements of ignoring obvious issues until they are right on the verge of being out of control. (gaining weight, drilling for oil, overfishing, building in flood plains, playing music too loud, adding poorly tested 'stuff' to foods, not bothering to exercise, collecting too much stuff in our homes until we can't move, building bigger weapons....etc..)