in developing countries the best way to control population is to reduce poverty and insecurity. In developed countries population growth is already rather low and fears are there that this will harm these societies....

Good morning dear researcher. I encourage you to answer your question because that is an old controversy with new nuances that catches my attention, I respond respecting with absolute sincerity your opinions on the subject and that of other researchers who can share it. The growth of the population is not a factor in the growth of poverty and the decrease of the planet's resources. Many years ago this discussion, from R. Malthus, is pending. Humanity has created enough technological scientific resources to feed two or three times the current population of the planet, today with the advances we have made it is possible to produce healthy food to feed all of us who live here. The problem is not in the population growth, the problem is where and how that growth takes place. If you notice, there is a direct relationship between poverty and population growth. The population of highly industrialized countries does not grow, it is quite the opposite, for them the problem is the population decrease, the low birth rate and the pressures on labor systems introduces this problem. In my personal opinion, the problem is in the way in which wealth is produced and its distribution, it is in the social and economic systems that have created irrational asymmetries that make immensely rich countries scarcely participate in world trade, such is the case of the African countries. There are enough resources there and poverty is the natural way to control the growth of the population, thousands are born and hundreds of thousands die from hunger and malnutrition. I do not see that population growth there is a problem. Separate analysis is the case of China, there are other factors, but the explanation is in the same line of thought. The internal differences of development between the different regions of that immense country are abysmal, finally similar causes are those that produce the asymmetries between those regions of China and that cause unequal growth of the population. Obviously, there the state is controlling that problem and the consequences are very different. To save the environment what we have to do is to have responsible governments that respect the conditions of each region, that do not discriminate against any population group, that guarantee basic services, that assure the participation of its citizens in environmental decision making and that of growth and economic development a guarantee for the protection of its citizens.

Thanks Juan Manuel Montero Peña for sharing your valuable thought.

Thanks Prof. Eberhard Weber for expressing your valuable opinion.

Good day. A number of factors influence the demand for natural resources which include both renewable and non-renewable natural resources. Because I have a mining background I will rather focus on non-renewable resources such as mineral commodities. The increasing demand for minerals raise at least 2 major concerns namely whether there will be enough of it left for future generations (at affordable prices) and its impact on the environment as more of it is mined and at lower grades.

Population is one of a number of factors that affect the demand for minerals - others include increased urbanization,  affluence, consumerism and materialism. This means that certain groups (e.g. the wealthy) and nations use much more natural resources per capita than others (e.g. the poor).

I think it is therefore important to note that restricting population growth is only one of many potential (partial) solutions - many parents do not even agree with this given the number of children they have despite contraceptives been available. So maybe you will have to convince (or educate) them that you are right.

Best wishes with your research.

Thank you professor @ Wilhelm Nel for sharing your valuable thought. I completely agree with you.

Dear all, one idea might be education about birth control for girls and boys at school...

Some states are also giving economic incentives or legal restrictions (single-child families in China)...

But be aware that in western societies birth control is against the free human decision and human freedoms... Even against most constitutions...

Educating our youths about birth control and reducing poverty by providing quality education to students can help. But as an individual we can also educate people around us about the long term bad effects of rapid population growth.

Control birth and improve health and living conditions of the people. In that way, we will have more people around and living longer. There is no point forgetting what is happening and making more babies.