Commentary: How to reach a sustainable human population

In this Jan. 19, 2019, photo, a nurse checks on the new-born babies under intensive care at a hospital in Fuyang in central China's Anhui province. China's population rose by 15.23 million people in 2018, marking a continued decrease in the growth rate of the world's most populous nation. (Chinatopix via AP) This scripture was written around the sixth century BCE, when an estimated 150 million people inhabited Earth. The current global population is approaching 7.7 billion. It is imperative that we reconsider the human population burden and our role as stewards of the Earth.

Homo sapiens originated approximately 200,000 years ago, but it was not until 1800 CE that the population reached one…