[William Sommerwerck]

comments on overpopulation

The problem, Frank, is that humans are not /doing/ anything, overall, to
control their population. People in wealthy countries are having fewer
children, yes, but this is more than made up for by people in poorer
countries continuing to have "too many". This has the side effect of
encouraging the latter to migrate to the wealthier countries to take menial
jobs.

The Earth's population cannot continue to increase indefinitely. Once we
reach the limit -- and there /is/ a limit -- there will likely be a
"catastrophe" (in the mathematical sense) with an abrupt collapse of
agricultural and economic systems.

One cause of overpopulation is that the developed countries, with perfectly
good intentions, have spread death control throughout the world, without
simultaneously FORCING its recipients to practice birth control. You cannot
have the former without the latter.

At some point, all governments will have to FORCE their citizens to have
fewer children, whether or not they like it.