Dr. Jeffrey Sachs, director of The Earth Institute at Columbia University, gave this interview in 2011 as world population approached 7 billion. He lists population stabilization as one of the two necessary steps to achieve a world worth inheriting for future generations.

“So the arrival of the 7 billionth person is cause for profound global concern. It carries a challenge: What will it take to maintain a planet in which each person has a chance for a full, productive and prosperous life, and in which the planet’s resources are sustained for future generations? How, in short, can we enjoy “sustainable development” on a very crowded planet?”