opulation Growth, Economic Development and Environmental Regulation
Population growth shares an inversely proportional relationship with
economic development in most instance, though there are exceptions such as
the higher tendency toward longer life expectancy in developed nations.
However, population growth generally occurs at a faster rate in developing
nations, where education or accessibility of contraception is low and where
culture dictates higher birth rate tendencies.
This creates a great strain on many of such nations. This is
foretold in an article by Easterlin (1967) which invoked the concern of
population experts of the time regarding such proliferating trends.
Easterlin denotes that "some theoretical analyses argue that high
population growth creates pressures on limited natural resources, reduces
private and public capital formation, and diverts additions to capital
resources to maintaining rather than increasing the stock of capital per
worker." (Easterlin, 98)
To this perception, there is a distinct threat to already existing
environmental problems in developing nations where low public resource
results in improper waste disposal, private degrading of natural ecosystems
and high population density in slum-like conditions.
A United Nations convention on the subject in 1993 would predict some
of the patterns of globalization, noting that the contradictory
relationship between certain health indicator. The convention "drew on
growing concern about the acceleration of population growth in developing
countries (that resulted from rapid decline in mortality while fertility
remained high), occurring at a time when these countries were also
beginning efforts to raise living standards." (POPIN, 2) To this extent,
there is a need to control or slow population growth to allow national
resources, environmental regulations and infrastructural stability to catch
up to population needs.

Works Cited:

Easterlin, R.A. (1967). Effects of Population Growth on the Economic
Development of Developing Countries, 369(1), 98.

United Nations Population Information Network (POPIN). (1993). Statement
on Population Growth and Economic Development. United Nations Population
Fund. Online at http://www.un.org/popin/unfpa/pubs/econmeet/sect7.html