What are the approaches to the world population problem?
(the problem is how to attain an optimal world population of one billion). The approach involving the reduction of world population by 75% in order to achieve a high standard of living for everyone. The approach involving the stabilization of world populationor to allow it to continue to growbut to allocate food and other resources evenly so that everyone will have a low standard of living To count on the development of abundant cheap energy (as for example by fusion, should it prove technically feasible and inexpensive). If this were to happen, and if the problems of pollution from power plants, transportation, food processing, and so forth could be dealt with, and if unhealthy crowded areas can be reduced without destroying too much of the remainder of the earth, a world population as high as it is now could be supported at a high standard of living. The present approacheach sovereign state looks to its own self-interest and uses as much of the earths resources as it can obtain (this
