Lester R. Brown and Brian Halweil

Sometime around 1999 or 2000, India’s population passed the one billion mark (the United Nations designated August 15, 1999—the fifty-second anniversary of India’s independence from Great Britain—as the day of this milestone). In the following viewpoint, Lester R. Brown and Brian Halweil argue that surpassing one billion people is no reason for India to celebrate. Such population growth exacerbates several serious problems India faces, including poverty, illiteracy, and natural resource depletion. Because India’s government chose to spend resources for military purposes rather than education and family planning, the nation faces severe problems in its future, they conclude. Brown is the founder and former president of the Worldwatch Institute, an environmental policy research organization. Brian Halweil is a Worldwatch research associate.

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