The explosive growth in the global population could be curbed significantly if teenage girls in the developing world were given the opportunity of completing a secondary school education, says a leading expert in human numbers.
Putting girls in developing countries through secondary school is one of the single most important factors that causes them to have fewer babies in later life, said Joel Cohen, professor of populations at the Rockefeller University in New York. That could cut the expected growth in the human population by as much as three billion by 2050. The present global population is 6.7 billion but would rise to as much as 11.9 billion by then if current trends continue. “Secondary education increases people’s capacity and motivation to reduce their own fertility, improve the survival of their children and care for their own and the families’ health,” Professor Cohen said.
Control Population by Educating Girls
