In many developing countries slowing population growth is an important way to protect the environment and preserve natural resources. 1 Supporting family planning programs helps to slow population growth. As more couples plan births, fertility falls and population growth slows, thus easing human pressures on the environment. 2 Slowing population growth relieves pressures on many natural resources. In any country population size helps determine demand for resources and levels of pollution.
Industrialized countries consume far more resources per capita than developing countries.
Almost all future population growth, however, will occur in developing countries. In developing countries family planning programs have played an important role in slowing population growth. Without access to modern contraception most people are unable to space or limit their births effectively. Two basic ways of easing humanity's impact on the environment are to use resources more efficiently and to slow population growth. The amount of freshwater on earth is finite.