Assignment

In 1979, China enacted a drastic policy that limited the number of children that families could have, despite the fact that China's Total Fertility Rate had been declining rapidly for close to a decade. The effects of this policy are still felt today, particularly for those who were born shortly before or after the implementation of this policy. At the beginning of 2016, China relaxed this policy in the wake of outrage over brutal enforcement tactics, skewed gender ratios, and an increasingly growing elderly population. But, according to many experts, the damage has already been done.

Below you will find links to three articles, all written in late 2015, each discussing the impact the One Child Policy had on the culture and economy of the country. While the topic is the same, each emphasizes a different aspect of the policy.

New York Times: China Will Feel One-Child Policy's Effects for Decades

The New York Times article provides a brief summary of some of the most important impacts on the country.

National Geographic: See How the One-Child Policy Changed China

The National Geographic article provides some context to the history of population growth in China, and has some really groovy interactive graphs to play with.

BBC: Five Numbers that Sum up China's One-Child Policy

The BBC article expands on a number of population demographics we have focused our attentions on this week.

After reading all three, answer the following questions in your forum:

Is attempting to limit our reproductive rate really the best method of minimizing the impact that human population growth has on our planet, or is there a more sustainable way that won't have such a drastic ecological and economic impact on the world?

Thoughtful and logical discussion on this question is encouraged! This is is your opportunity to use some of the vocabulary and concepts you have been studying this week!

What do you believe to the best approach to minimizing the impact of human population growth has on our planet?

The subject title of your post should quickly answer this question, and your post should expand on your idea(s).

To receive full credit, you must:

• Write in complete sentences that are thoughtful, well written, and free of typos.
• Address all parts of the forum topic.
• Use vocabulary presented in the learning materials appropriately.