EARTH

Asimov's approach to population education is to lead readers step by painstaking step through a series of demographic figures showing world population in toro and per square kilometer. . . comparative density and present and projected growth rates in different parts of the world. . .how man has multiplied since the time of pre-human hominids and how long it will take to reach various estimated maximums. . .how "jumps" in available energy lead to population explosions and how we will soon use up our fossil fuels, landing a newly nonindustrial world with a population it can't support. . .finally, how "we simply will not avoid disaster within a few decades if population keeps going up and up." What to do? Asimov hopes to avoid the "natural way" of population control — that is, an increase in the death rate — by educating the nonindustrial world to limit its birth rate (though you can't stop people from "mating," something we suspect Asimov regrets) and the developed countries to "give up some of their wealth and share some of their energy." Well, if there's nothing but straws to dutch we night as well grab them, and Asimov's argument is worth trying on those cerebrally-oriented kids who are most easily convinced by figures and reason.