Persuading Women to Have Fewer Babies Would Help in Some Places - Assignment Example

In the book of Ehrlich under the title, ‘Population bomb’ reference is made to five metals, the price of which was expected to increase in the following ten years because of the increase of population globally; a bet has been set between Ehrlich and Simon who opposed the above argument, noting that no such increase would take place, a view that was verified up to 1990s (Economist 2011). According to the article, if the above issue were reviewed now, a different result would be revealed.

Indeed, if the views of these scientists were compared today, Ehrlich would have won the bet (Economist 2011). In other words, the article aims to highlight the different effects of the growth of the global population, as reported through the decades. It is noted that in the past, the effects of the increase in population globally would be less negative for the environment compared to today; this view is based mostly on the argument of the World Bank that global food production would have to increase by about 70% by 2050, so that the food needs of the global population, estimated to 9 million in 2050, to be covered (Economist 2011).

However, it has been proved that areas with a stable population, like Europe and USA (Economist 2011) tend to affect the global climate, compared to countries where the level of population is unstable. Under these terms, it is suggested that the control of the rate of growth of the population should be developed both at the state and at the family level. 2nd version The rate of increase of population globally has been often considered as related to the economy of countries worldwide. At the same time, the effects of the increase in population on global climate seem to be important.

However, these views have not been standardized through the decades. For example, according to the book ‘The Population Bomb’ by Ehrlich, the increase in global population between 1980 and 1990 could lead to the increase in the price of five metals: ‘copper, chromium, nickel, tin, and tungsten’ (Economist 2011). By 1990, no such increase occurred, a fact that was already highlighted by Ehrlich's opponent, Julian Simon (Economist 2011). In the years that followed, a different trend appeared: it was made clear that the increase in the global population could lead to the increase of food required for covering people’s daily food needs, an issue highlighted by the World Bank (Economist 2011).

In addition, it was proved that the increase in the global population could negatively affect the environment. It seems though that the economic and environmental effects of the increase in global population are more intensive in rich countries, like USA and China. Introducing a birth-control policy, as in China, would minimize such risks. Still, the article notes that the control of the global population should be rather based on appropriate family planning and less on the intervention of the state, which can lead to severe demographic and economic turbulences, as in the case of China.

In the above country, the one-child policy promoted by the government has helped to control the excessive increase of population, which would have adverse effects on the country’s economy and climate, but this policy is expected to lead to a radical decrease in the country’s working population shortly (Economist 2011).