5 July 2017
The ethics issue: Should we impose population controls?
Ian Hooton/SPL/Getty
By Daniel Cossins
Fears that we are too many are nothing new. As long ago as 1798, the English writer Thomas Malthus warned that a growing population would eat its way through the planet’s finite resources, condemning millions to die of starvation.
New Scientist ethics cover
We haven’t exhausted our supplies quite yet, but seven billion people later our planet’s ability to support us all comfortably does appear to be under threat. If we all lived like affluent Americans, say, resource consumption and carbon emissions would be at unsustainable levels. Given the clear and present dangers posed by climate change, how can we look after future generations without keeping half of the world’s population in poverty?
https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg23531331-300-the-ethics-issue-should-we-impose-population-controls/
