CRITICAL MASSES: The Global Population Challenge ...

CRITICAL MASSES: The Global Population Challenge by George D. Moffett (Penguin: $12.95; 353 pp.) Every hour, 11,000 people are born on this planet; without the family planning measures introduced in the 1960s, an additional 412 million would be competing for its finite resources. Almost 90% of that growth occurs in developing countries, with dire economic and environmental repercussions. In this balanced study, George D. Moffett shows how the crucial issue of family planning becomes entangled in political, economic, religious and environmental debates. Family planning programs have proved most effective when linked to the education and economic empowerment of women, which only makes the programs more controversial. Moffett concludes that there is a need to limit population growth, despite opposing rhetoric from conservative theologians and economists; the question is which approach offers the greatest benefit to humanity and the planet.