Population - Can we reach a steady state?

The ever rising population is creating several long term social, economical as well as environmental problems. There must be an end to this situation if we want the future generations to live happily.

The population is growing at an alarming rate even in this so-called modern and well-educated world. Nobody can deny that most of the problems faced by us have their root cause in the rising population. Despite efforts by governments as well as NGOs world over the growth rate has not fallen as expexted. We need to be more specific to solve this problem by taking a more rational view of what best can be done in near future besides what is being done at present. Does a rational and still more realiastic approach exist?

The population dynamics as applied to all organisms, not just humans, indicate that the number of all organisms has a tendency of increasing upto the capacity of the environment (habitat) to support their sustenance. The balance between the reproduction rate and the rate of mortality determines the rate of their increase. The population profile of most organisms has made it clear that adults of any organism tend to replace themselves by a greater number of progeny. Thus, if factors bringing higher mortality are absent, then the potential of the increase in their numbers becomes dominant. For example, if organisms of a species can double their number in a year, there will be a thousand-fold increase in ten years. If this continues further, it leads to shortage of resources and space in a habitat and the net mortality rate shoots up establishing an equilibrium resulting in no further increase in numbers.

Advanced medical facilities, increase in food production and better understanding of hygiene has resulted in lower death-rate for humans in recent times. Because of this the human population is increasing quite rapidly. The human population, however, has not reached the equilibrium stage and the numbers are increasing despite several efforts on the front of controlling population. This does not mean that the human population is not subject to regulatory factors similar to those that control the population of other organisms. We cannot afford, however, to wait for the equilibrium to establish naturally. We have reached a stage where it has become need of the time to control population growth as early as possible so that the equilibrium is reached far in advance.

 This is possible, too, if we limit the size of families. Ideally, each pair of parents must be prepared to reproduce not more than two children. If this self-imposed practice continues globally, human population will automatically reach the much awaited equilibrium at an early stage. Efforts have been made in the past to promote this concept, particularly in India during 1970s and 1980s by spreading the message through a slogan ‘WE TWO, OUR TWO’ as a part of the Family Planning Programme. It failed, much due to reasons like low literacy level among rural and tribal people, ignorance, superstition, and above all, the lack of political will. However, the time has changed a lot now and if properly executed this concept is bound to bring about good results. If it is not followed voluntarily, it has to be made mandatory by enforcement of law and declaration of special benefits to the citizens having not more than two children. A strong political will and rational thinking on the part of people are must  to make ‘WE TWO, OUR TWO’ a magically successful concept.