Document Type

Article

Disciplines

International Law

Abstract

Deforestation, soil degradation, species loss, reduced biodiversity, desertification, tropical forest destruction; climate change, stratospheric ozone depletion and acidification; freshwater depletion, coral reef destruction, coastal zone threats and overfishing; unprecedented waste production, chemical and pesticide damage, toxic contamination, loss of habitat and species mutation, are some descriptions of the known consequences of increased industrial production and global population expansion over the last century. While each adversely affects the delicate balance of the biosphere, both the scale of damage and its long-term consequences have yet to be fully fathomed.

That existing human populations are causing environmental degradation which will compromise the ability of future generations to meet their own needs must be underscored by the fact that forthcoming generations will be far more numerous than at any previous time in history. To assure that an ecologically-balanced environment is available for all generations, global population stabilization is as essential a longterm objective as achieving sustainable consumption is vital in the shortterm.

This article will explore how reproductive rights evolved in the context of approaches undertaken toward the problem of overpopulation. In addition to demographics, it is also the relationship between people and resources, how resources are consumed and how wealth and opportunity are distributed, which together describe any given population.2 Consequently, a vision which allows for concerted local and global cooperation is critical if resource demands, let alone basic needs, are to be met. Furthermore, the attainment of these objectives needs to be pursued with a minimum impact on carrying capacities,3 both in the coming decades and in the distant future.

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