ABSTRACT
The interrelation between population and resources is a difficult subject. For this there seem to be several reasons. First, the two interacting sets of phenomena (resources and population) come from different universes of discourse. This chapter briefly examines four concepts that have been used in the field of population and resources. These are the search for scientific "laws" linking population and resources, the idea of "carrying capacity," the related notion of "limits to growth," and the concept of the "demographic transition." In speculating about the future world population, one should examine carefully those countries that appear to have recently completed the transition. A special group of nations, mostly Asian, demonstrate how rapidly a country can advance through the demographic transition despite adverse conditions. The idea of limits to growth knowable in advance is promising, but it requires more research than anyone now seems ready to undertake.
