Population and Poverty

By the year 2000 when the population of the world who currently make up the 'have-nots' of our planet will be very nearly 90 per cent of the world's population. In such circumstances there can be no hope for global peace and stability.

"The deep poverty of two men out of three in this immensely rich world remains our basic problem. I believe the nations have perhaps only ten years left to solve these problems or perish."

- U Thant former UN General Secretary

The root cause of the population problem is poverty. Poor parents tend to have many children because their kids provide an insurance policy for the future. Children are seen by their parents as their only means of support in old age. Children, too, are useful when they are young because they can do all sorts of work. But in the rich countries children are no longer wanted for economic reasons and in fact cost their parents a lot more.

"Earth provdes enough to satisfy every man's need but not for every man's greed."

— Gandhi