Felly sgrifennodd Ian :
One aspect I don't often hear mentioned is the enormous increase in the
world's human population: in the early 1950s it was around two and a quarter
billion; a few years ago it was said to be almost 7 billion.

You're absolutely right, and this is in my opinion the biggest threat to
the world, in terms of both our environment and world peace.

Unfortunately politicians seem unwilling to try to tackle this problem,
maybe because on an individual country basis it is generally in their
interest to increase their population.

I heard someone on the radio fairly recently from some political party
advocating a reduction in the world's population to 10% of its present
level. He was treated as an extremist. Unfortunately, for the sake of
the world, he's probably on the right lines. Getting there would be
difficult and painful (think pensions for example, not to mention political
and religious problems), but unless we're prepared to live with the
consequences of our present affluence, necessary.

If we don't try to do this now by reducing births, environmental change
might reduce the population to such levels through more unpleasant means.

Adrian
--
Adrian Shaw ais@
Adran Cyfrifiadureg, Prifysgol Cymru, aber.
Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, Cymru ac.
http://users.aber.ac.uk/ais/weather/ uk