Patrick Leahy: “over the past years I have spoken often on the subject of population growth and the many problems it poses. Even in my…”

“over the past years I have spoken often on the subject of population growth and the many problems it poses. Even in my own State of Vermont, one of the most rural states, it is impossible to escape the fact that human population can leave a heavy footprint. In the past 50 years the world's population has doubled in size. The implications of this exponential growth are impossible to fully grasp or predict. We do know however, that over 95 percent of new births are occurring in developing countries, many of which are unable to feed or care for their people today. From sub-Saharan Africa to much of Asia, hundreds of thousands of children are born each day without adequate food, medical care or shelter. In fact, of the 4.8 billion people living in developing countries, it is estimated that nearly 60 percent lack basic sanitation. Almost a third do not have access to clean water. A quarter do not have adequate housing, and a fifth, over 1 billion people, have no access to modern health services. In addition, we have all seen the burden the Earth's swelling population places on the environment. The world's rapidly growing population has resulted in severe water shortages, shrinking forests, soil degradation, air and water pollution and the daily loss of animal and plant life. However, there has been progress. Because of the availability of education and modern contraceptives, the average number of births per woman has declined from 6 to 3.”