World Population

World Population Growth and the Policy of Nations:

Overview and Analysis

Charlie Ellis

Global Environmental Change

(2010-06ENS314OL010)

Abstract

This paper explores four scholarly articles which examine the issues of population growth, overpopulation, and population control measures. Focus is first given to scientific issues and complications with rapid population expansion worldwide. This is followed by attention to proposed solutions and the ethical concerns involved with any government intervention in controlling the growth of the worldwide population.

An important but controversial area that many nations worldwide are now facing is the ever increasing prospect of rapid population growth with related issues such as resource depletion, water shortages, and poverty to name a few. This is a complex issue which involves privacy concerns, science concerns, and ethical concerns. This paper will first examine the technical issues with the science behind the issue of population control. Following that, I will elaborate more extensively by examining four separate studies on the subject and the arguments that each study presents.

The debate over population growth control deals largely on the question if the potential benefits of preserving our environment; preventing poverty; and preventing slow economic development outweighs the problems posed by government trying to correct these issues with intervention. By government trying to intervene, it is not certain in predictability or effectiveness of all their policies. In addition, fertility is a very personal issue to most all individuals and attempts to justify government intervention on that basis alone presents a problem.

One of the important science issues with overpopulation is that of water shortage as brought out in a study by Fredrickson (2009). South Asia is a good example of a large water crisis...