<P> A number of scientists have argued that the current global population expansion and accompanying increase in resource consumption threatens the world's ecosystem . The InterAcademy Panel Statement on Population Growth, which was ratified by 58 member national academies in 1994, states that "unprecedented" population growth aggravates many environmental problems, including rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, global warming, and pollution . Indeed, some analysts claim that overpopulation's most serious impact is its effect on the environment . The situation has continued to worsen, as at the time of the 1994 IAP statement, the world population stood at 5.5 billion and lower - bound scenarios predicted a peak of 7.8 billion by 2050, a number that current estimates state will be reached in the late 2020s . </P> <P> Scientists contend that human overpopulation, continued human population growth and overconsumption, particularly by the wealthy, are the primary drivers of mass species extinction . By 2050 population growth, along with profligate consumption, could result in oceans containing more plastic than fish by weight . In November 2017, a statement by 15,364 scientists from 184 countries asserted that rapid human population growth is the "primary driver behind many ecological and even societal threats ." </P> <P> A July 2017 study published in Environmental Research Letters argued that the most significant way individuals could mitigate their own carbon footprint is to have fewer children, followed by living without a vehicle, forgoing air travel and adopting a plant - based diet . </P> <P> Human population control is the practice of intervening to alter the rate of population growth . Historically, human population control has been implemented by limiting a region's birth rate, by voluntary contraception or by government mandate . It has been undertaken as a response to factors including high or increasing levels of poverty, environmental concerns, and religious reasons . The use of abortion in some population control strategies has caused controversy, with religious organizations such as the Roman Catholic Church explicitly opposing any intervention in the human reproductive process . </P>

Presently the highest rates of natural increase in population are found in which region of the world