From the dustjacket:

A population problem exists not only in some of the less-developed countries but right here in the United States. This fact has become most apparent in our overcrowded cities, where traffic, pollution, and social pressures-- to name a few problems--are producing concern. President Nixon called for the establishment of a Commission on Population Growth and the American Future, thus recognizing the importance of the problem at the highest governmental level. The Commission went into operation in March 1970 under the Chairmanship of John D. Rockefeller III, and will deliver its report and policy recommendations in 1972.

But before policies can be fully developed, it is necessary to study and discuss the goals more completely. Is there an optimum level of population for the United States, for example? What do we mean by "optimum" and how does it depend not only on the level of population but also on concentration of people and rates of growth? Traditionally, food has been considered the important limiting factor to population growth, but there are other limiting factors which may be more relevant in a particular situation. It is important to understand the relationship between a given factor, such as environmental quality or health services, and the demographic parameters taht describe the population. It is important also to develop a methodology that allows one to make predictions and to model what will happen. We need to understand also the interaction between various factors. Out of such discussions and studies comes a better understanding of the implications of population growth for the quality of life, and, therefore, an important body of information that can form the basis for setting policies for governmental and private actions.

To explore some of these important questions, particularly the impact of population growth on natural resources and on the quality of the environment, S. Fred Singer, at that time Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Interior, organized a Symposium in December 1969 under the auspices of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Nearly thirty outstanding participants, including physical and biological scientists, engineers, economists, sociologists, psychologists, philosophers, and demographers, gathered in Boston to discuss the topic "Is There an Optimum Level of Population?"

This volume incorporates not only the papers presented at the Symposium, but also summaries of the agreements and disagreements, as well as considered comments on a topic that is crucial to the future of the United States and the future of the world.

S. Fred Singer is Professor of Environmental Sciences at the University of Virginia. He received a Ph.D. from Princeton and an honorary D.Sc. from Ohio State University. A geophysicist, he has alternated between university and government positions. His most recent post, as noted above, was as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Scientific Programs in the Department of the Interior. Prior to that he was Dean of the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of Miami.

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