Even if the most industrialized nations in the world observe rationalization of food and population control, the fact remains that lesser nations are growing at a rate 15 times faster then the industrialized nation's norm.
This means that in just forty years, the population (Haub and Cornelius 1999) will at least double.
With this increase in population comes new problems.
Several factors contribute to this heightened growth of population in less industrialized nations - perhaps the most prominent being motherhood.
In the least industrialized nations, motherhood is the highest position a woman can achieve, and the number of children she has is reflective of her social status.
Children are a blessing from God, and to have many shows favor in the eyes of a higher power.
Thus, woman in the least industrialized nations have more children.
Secondly, for the poorest in the least industrialized nations, children are economic assets.
When there is no insurance and no one to work when the head of the family is crippled, sick, or dead, children prove to be a viable resource in filling these holes.
The more children you have, the more productive a family can be, and thus the family obtains more resources.
Also, when the family grows old, the children can take care of the elderly, and thus the cycle repeats.
As a result of the desire for many children, Mexico's population will likely double in the next 32 years.
Conversely, Austria's population is growing so slowly that it would take more than 2000 years to double its population.
In today's world, 6% of the entire population is 0-4 year olds, and only 4% is 40-44 year olds.
The world is becoming a younger place.
Overpopulation will lead to a shortage in the world's net resources.
With an exponential increase in humans will come an exponential use of food, minerals, oil, and fresh water.
The increased use of oil will lead to further destruction of the ozone layer, consequently higher world temperatures, the melting of polar ice caps, the rising levels of the ocean, and more intense and frequent hurricanes.
The increased need for food and fresh water will leave people to starve and thirst to death more frequently, and the overuse of croplands will result in infertile and barren lands, which will likely be left to further urbanization.