Population explosion is unstoppable: study

Melbourne: There is no quick fix for the 'population time-bomb' and even a world-wide one-child policy like China's or catastrophic mortality events may still result in 5-10 billion people by 2100, according to a new study. Ecologists say that the "virtually locked-in" population growth means the world must focus on policies and technologies that reverse rising consumption of natural resources and enhance recycling, for more immediate sustainability gains.

Fertility reduction efforts, however, through increased family-planning assistance and education, should still be pursued, as this will lead to hundreds of millions fewer people to feed by mid-century, researchers said. "Global population has risen so fast over the past century that roughly 14 per cent of all the human beings that have ever existed are still alive today - that's a sobering statistic," said Professor Corey Bradshaw from the University of Adelaide's Environment Institute.