New Delhi, July 11 -- Thomas Malthus, the 18th century English cleric, painted a dire picture of the consequences of population growth. In his 1798 bookAn Essay on the Principle of Population, he predicted a bleak future for humankind: "The power of population is indefinitely greater than the power in the earth to produce subsistence for man." Technological advancement since then has disproven Malthus.

Today, our planet is home to about 8 billion people-eight for each one alive in his times. Yet, it's no exaggeration to say that for the vast majority of us, if not everyone, our quality of life is far superior to anything seen in previous centuries. Far from being a bane, population is now seen as a vital enabler of greater prosperity. In...