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Human Overpopulation
Rev. Thomas Robert Malthus, an English economist, first recognized that human
population growth over time would exceed food production. In 1798 he first
published, An Essay on the Principle of Population as it Affects the Future
Improvement of Society. He forecast that “war, pestilence and famine” would
limit human numbers.
Currently worldwide every year we add 84 million more new people to the human
population. The carrying capacity, the number of individuals of a species that a
habitat can support indefinitely, for the earth for humans may be as low as 2
billion or as high as 50 billion. The authorities disagree. The number of us now
exceeds 6 billion.
What happens to the foods and resources available for each of us as the
population grows?
To slow population grow we should:
A. Make family planning services widely available and free.
B. Reduce poverty.
C. Elevate the status of women.
In developing countries women with education have on average two less children
than those without education. In the US women high school dropouts have an
average of 3.2 children. High school graduates have 2.7 children. College
graduates have 1.6-2 children.
Human numbers will ultimately either be controlled by birth control or by death
control. Which choice is most humane?
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