Skip to content
Skip to main content

About this free course

Become an OU student

Download this course

Share this free course

Lottery of birth
Lottery of birth

Start this free course now. Just create an account and sign in. Enrol and complete the course for a free statement of participation or digital badge if available.

4.2 Thinking point: optimism or pessimism

Hans Rosling’s opinions are quite controversial and there has been lots of debate over whether his figures and forecasts are valid. The next activity will give you an opportunity to reflect on his comments and consider your own views on population change.

Described image
Figure 11

Activity 1

Having listened to the views of Hans Rosling, what do you think?

  • Do you agree that we don’t actually have to worry about population growth?
  • Why? Because of individual decisions people can and do make or because of the trends within the countries they live in – or both?
  • How important do you think it is to simultaneously address other big issues such as gender inequality, inequality more widely, or perhaps there is something else that we should be more concerned about, such as climate change?

Write a paragraph explaining your views.

To use this interactive functionality a free OU account is required. Sign in or register.
Interactive feature not available in single page view (see it in standard view).

In the next section, you will think about choices in relation to reproduction.