China's One-child Policy to Save the World?

Zhao Baige, vice minister of China's National Population and Family Planning Commission, linked China's one-child policy to emissions reduction at the recent UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen.

Zhao stated that "the [Chinese] policy on family planning proves to be a great success; it not only contributes to reduction of global emission, but also provides experiences for other countries - developing countries in particular - in their pursuit for coordinated and sustainable development."

Zhao's statement is not without merits.

The intelligence behind this is the following:

-If only one child per female was born as of now, the world's population would drop from its current 6.5 billion to 5.5 billion by 2050, according to a study done for scientific academy Vienna Institute of Demography.

-By 2075, there would be 3.43 billion humans on the planet. This would have immediate positive effects on the world's forests, other species, the oceans, atmospheric quality and living standards.

-Doing nothing, by contrast, will result in an unsustainable population of nine billion by 2050.

Less people mean less resources being used up and as a result, less global emission. Moreover, the cost of implementing a one-child policy is drastically less than the cost to develop new technologies to curb the emission and global warming problem.

However, should people forgo a basic individual right to alleviate the current global warming issue? After all, the basic definition of life is the ability to reproduce.

Critics of the one-child policy say "it not only deprives individuals the right to choose how many children they want, but also gives rise to an array of human rights abuses including forced abortion and sterilization, infanticide, sex-selective abortions and the levying of punitive fines or loss of jobs for policy violators."

What's your take on this issue? Do you think population control will be an effective method to combat environmental degradation?