Population is the single most important set of events ever to occur in human history. It has changed and continues to alter the way of life in even the most remote corners of the earth. The number of people added to the world each day is unprecedented in history and unparalleled in its consequences. We now live in a world crowded not only with people but with contradiction. There are more highly educated people than ever before yet also more illiterates; more rich people but also poorer; more well-fed children and also more hunger-ravaged babies whose images haunt us. We have better control over the environment than ever before, but we are damaging our living space in ways we are afraid to imagine.
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