Zero Population Growth

The term zero population growth (ZPG) refers to the level of reproduction that maintains population at a steady state. On local levels, ZPG describes the demographic situation when the annual number of babies born in the country and legal immigrants balance the annual number of dead citizens and emigrants in such a way that total amount of country's residents remains the same. This concept was firstly introduced by American demographer and sociologist Kingsley Davis.

Specialists agreed that ZPG is actually an ideal and very desirable situation for our society, both on national and global levels. It is known that currently world population rapidly increases and puts our planet in danger of overpopulation, consuming all natural resources and natural cataclysms. The absence of population growth can minimize the risks of overpopulation. Moreover, ZPG can become a great solution for achieving a long-term economic and environmental stability.

Therefore, form the point of view of the people who support such controversial idea, human beings must only reproduce themselves as a replacement and there must be no more than two children in the family. For those, who want to bring up more than two children in the family the best alternative can be adoption of other children.

Undoubtedly, it is extremely difficult to achieve ZPG in real life due to some economic and cultural factors. And even if it is ever achieved, then some considerable demographic upheavals, which can cause different positive or negative economic, social and cultural effects, will be inevitable.

References:

• Zero Population Growth. (n.d.). Adoption.com. Adoption Media Ltd. Retrieved June 16, 2007, from: http://encyclopedia.adoption.com/entry/zero-population-growth/377/1.html .