Abstract
Because of continuing acceleration in number of births, in resource use and in many aspects of environmental rundown, including growing destruction of the ecosystem, and encouraged by an exploitive economic system and misuse of technology, the planet's carrying capacity has long been exceeded and any immediate prospect of sustainability has faded. Nearly half the population of the world is below breeding age and, although growth rates are falling in some regions, they are constant in others. Family planning has only been effective in limited areas of the world. Any prospect of demographic transition to lower fertility is uncertain and yet to be realized. The momentum of population growth will continue at present rates for at least another twenty years.
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McLaren, D.J. Population growth — Should we be worried?. Popul Environ 17, 243–259 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02208491
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02208491