World
      Population
     
     
      Continued
      from
      page
      4
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      been
      working
      for
      more
      than
     
     
      30
      years
      on
      broad-based
     
     
      population
      control
      pro-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      contrast,
      consume
      1.3
     
    

    
     
      percent
      of
      all
      goods
      and
     
    

    
     
      services
      and
      produce
      3
     
    

    
     
      percent
      of
      carbon
      dioxide
     
    

    
     
      emissions.
     
    

    
     
      And
      although
      the
     
     
      world’s
      food
      supply
     
     
      is
      enough
      to
      feed
      all
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      six
      billion
      of
      us,
      there
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Disappearing
      are
      841
      million
     
     
      ah
      fore
      st
      s,
      people
      suffering
      from
     
     
      Gt
      ete
      malnutrition.
     
     
      soil
      erosion
      ...are
      The
      gap
      in
     
     
      oi
      iN
      wealth
      and
      quality
      of
     
     
      a
      a
      result
      of
      life
      between
      the
     
     
      ae
      .
      countries
      of
      the
      north
     
     
      overpopulation...
      |
      and
      south
      means
     
     
      —
      a
      death
      for
      millions
      of
     
     
      grams.
      people
      in
      sPaant
      fag
     
     
      Phe-doal
      af
      these
      countries
      every
      year
      from
     
    
   
   
    
     
      programs
      is
      to
      reduce
     
     
      population
      growth
      and
      to
     
     
      increase
      quality
      of
      life.
     
     
      Much
      stands
      in
      their
      way,
     
     
      most
      notably
      gender
      ineq-
     
     
      uity,
      AIDS,
      poverty,
      re-
     
     
      source
      scarcity
      and
      environ-
     
     
      mental
      pollution.
     
    

    
     
      While
      it
      is
      developing
     
     
      countries
      that
      contribute
     
     
      most
      to
      population
      growth
      -
     
     
      98
      per
      cent
      -
      industrialized
     
     
      nations
      are
      responsible
      for
     
     
      the
      majority
      of
      consump-
     
     
      tion,
      waste
      and
      environ-
     
     
      mental
      degradation.
     
    

    
     
      The
      average
      Canadian
     
     
      consumes
      60
      times
      as
      much
     
     
      energy
      as
      the
      average
     
     
      Cambodian.
     
    

    
     
      The
      wealthiest
      20
      per
     
     
      cent
      of
      the
      world
      consume
     
     
      86
      per
      cent
      of
      all
      goods
      and
     
     
      Services
      and
      create
      53
     
     
      percent
      of
      global
      carbon
     
     
      dioxide
      emissions.
      The
     
     
      Poorest
      20
      per
      cent,
      in
     
    
   
   
    
     
      curable
      diseases
      and
      starva-
     
     
      tion.
     
    

    
     
      Disappearing
      forests,
     
     
      soil
      erosion,
      carbon
      dioxide
     
     
      emissions
      and
      pollution
     
     
      from
      hazardous
      waste
      are
     
     
      examples
      of
      dangerous
     
     
      environmental
      trends
      that
     
     
      are
      a
      result
      of
      overpopula-
     
     
      tion
      and
      over
      consumption.
     
    

    
     
      Five
      to
      seven
      million
     
    
   
   
    
     
      and
      unsustainable
      farming
     
     
      practices.
      Oxygen-rich
     
     
      tropical
      forests
      are
      being
     
     
      burned
      and
      razed
      to
      grow
     
     
      crops.
      Rising
      ocean
      tem-
     
     
      peratures
      resulting
      from
     
     
      carbon
      dioxide
      emissions
     
     
      have
      killed
      85
      per
      cent
      of
     
     
      the
      Indian
      Ocean’s
      coral
     
     
      reefs,
     
    

    
     
      We
      are
      left
      with
      less
     
     
      and
      lower
      quality
      space
      for
     
     
      growing
      food,
      and
      ecosys-
     
     
      tems
      are
      losing
      the
      diversity
     
     
      they
      need
      in
      order
      to
      cope
     
    
   
   
    
     
      in
      all
      industrialized
      coun-
     
     
      tries
      has
      remained
      under
     
     
      one
      per
      cent.
     
    

    
     
      AIDS
      is
      currently
      the
     
     
      leading
      cause
      of
      death
      in
     
     
      Africa,
      with
      two
      out
      of
      the
     
     
      2.5
      million
      deaths
      world-
     
     
      wide
      from
      the
      disease
      in
     
     
      1998
      happening
      in
      Africa.
     
     
      Last
      year
      there
      were
      5.8
     
     
      million
      new
      HIV
      infections
     
     
      worldwide.
     
    

    
     
      In
      addition
      to
      the
     
     
      massive
      personal
      tragedy
      of
     
    
   
   
    
     
      caused
      some
      well-deserved
     
     
      controversy.
      The
      Vatican
     
     
      calls
      the
      west’s
      initiatives
     
     
      towards
      population
      control
     
     
      in
      developing
      countries
      a
     
     
      form
      of
      biological
      colonial-
     
     
      ism.
     
    

    
     
      Certainly,
      motives
      for
     
     
      population
      control
      must
      be
     
     
      searched
      for
      classism
      and
     
     
      racism,
      especially
      since
      it
      is
     
     
      in
      poor
      nations
      populated
     
     
      by
      people
      of
      colour
      where
     
     
      these
      programs
      are
      most
     
    

    
     
      often
      being
      called
      for.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      with
      environmental
     
     
      change.
     
    

    
     
      And
      then
      there
      is
      the
     
     
      problem
      of
      diseases
      such
     
     
      as
      AIDS.
     
    

    
     
      In
      countries
      like
     
     
      Botswana,
      Namibia,
     
     
      Zimbabwe
      and
      South
     
     
      Africa,
      over
      20
      per
      cent
     
     
      of
      the
      adult
      population
      is
     
     
      currently
      HIV
      positive.
     
    

    
     
      Botswana’s
      adult
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      There
      is
      also
     
     
      profit
      to
      be
      made
      from
     
     
      birth
      control,
      and
     
     
      Western-based
      contra-
     
     
      ceptive
      companies
     
     
      have
      used
      women
      in
     
     
      developing
      countries
     
     
      as
      guinea
     
     
      pigs
      for
      drugs
      not
     
     
      approved
      for
      use
      in
     
     
      Europe
      and
      North
     
     
      America.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      HIV
      infection
      rate
      is
      the
     
     
      highest
      at
      26
      percent,
      and
     
     
      their
      life
      expectancy
      has
     
     
      plummeted
      from
      62
      in
      1990
     
     
      to
      44
      today.
     
     
      In
      Zimba-
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      bwe,
      half
      of
     
     
      the
      country’s
     
     
      health
      care
     
     
      spending
      is
     
     
      dedicated
      to
     
     
      AIDS
      pa-
     
     
      tients.
     
    

    
     
      Some
     
     
      hospitals
      in
     
     
      South
      Africa
     
     
      report
      that
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      70
      per
      cent
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      acres
      of
      farmland
      are
      lost
     
     
      annually
      to
      urbanization
     
    
   
   
    
     
      of
      hospital
     
     
      beds
      are
      occupied
      by
      AIDS
     
     
      victims.
      The
      infection
      rate
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
      millions
      of
      AIDS
     
     
      deaths,
      they
      are
      leaving
     
     
      millions
      of
      orphans
      behind
     
     
      and
      huge
      holes
      in
      employ-
     
     
      ment
      and
      social
      structures.
     
     
      In
      Africa,
      infection
     
     
      rates
      are
      highest
      among
      the
     
     
      more
      educated
      and
      socially
     
     
      mobile,
      and
      there
      is
      neither
     
     
      a
      sufficient
      volume
      of
     
     
      workers
      nor
      a
      pool
      of
     
     
      teachers
      to
      replace
      those
     
     
      who
      die.
      Also,
      the
      tremen-
     
     
      dous
      financial
      responsibility
     
     
      of
      caring
      for
      AIDS
      victims
     
     
      means
      that
      health
      care
     
     
      access
      is
      reduced
      for
      all
     
     
      people
      in
      AIDS
      crisis
      areas.
     
     
      The
      global
      focus
      on
     
     
      population
      control
      has
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      profit
      motive
     
     
      must
      be
      recognized
     
     
      and
      not
      allowed
      to
      super-
     
     
      sede
      the
      real
      needs
      for
     
     
      contraception
      and
      family
     
     
      planning
      education.
     
    

    
     
      Certainly,
      there
      is
      still
     
     
      hope,
      there
      is
      still
      good
     
     
      news
      to
      come.
      Although
     
     
      the
      threat
      of
      population
     
     
      momentum
      looms
      inces-
     
     
      sant,
      we
      know
      what
      works,
     
     
      and
      we
      know
      what
      has
      to
      be
     
     
      done.
     
    

    
     
      And
      if
      the
      world
     
     
      commits
      itself
      to
      the
      health
     
     
      and
      prosperity
      of
      its
     
     
      every
      citizen,
      and
      every
     
     
      species,
      the
      six
      billionth
     
     
      baby
      may
      have
      a
      chance
     
     
      after
      all.
      END
      ©