By Teddy Byrd, Ben Elgin, Dan Moran, and Jascha Swisher

This page is the product of a Biology project for Harvey Mudd College, a small science and engineering school in Southern California. Our interest in human population growth was sparked by the numerous articles we uncovered on the subject as well as our innate interest in the future of humanity. We hope you find the following information useful and accessible. Enjoy!

Current Population

Before perusing this page we would like to ask that you just take a look at the world's current population as projected by the U.S. Census Bureau. Think about what the population was 350 years ago: about 500 million. What sorts of things could cause such a great increase? And if this continues, how high could the population rise? Can the Earth support these levels of population?

What's Going on Now?

Currently the world's popultion is increasing at an almost exponential rate. This has lead to a heightened interest in the feilds of demographics and population dynamics; we have compiled some relevant statistics for your perusal.

What's the History?

One must wonder what brought about this sudden increase. By exploring the historical events which led to the population explosion we gain some insight into where it's going and what can be done about it.

Where are we Going?

There are several factors which may limit the increase of human population. In the 18th century, the Reverend Thomas Malthus examined many of these factors. Since that time, we have learned even more about the possible future of the human population.

For Further Information

• Zero Population Growth is an organization dedicated to bringing about a stable global population through education and the empowerment of women.

• The Population Research Institute at Pennsylvania State University has collected a large supply of data on the population crisis.

• A large list of demographic facts maintained by the Australian National University.

• The US Census Bureau home page.

• The Population Council is a nonproit, nongovernmental research institute based in New York searching for humane ways to curtail our population.

• Penultimately, a brief page with some thought provoking comments on world population.

• And finally, for some shining exaples of the human population, you can check out the homepages of Ben Elgin, Dan Moran, Inertia Suite, and Harvey Mudd College.

Last Modified 4/18/96 by the authors.
Mail comments to Ben Elgin

The total world population increased by at least 50,000 people while these web pages were being constructed.