Some scholars have suggested diverting scarce resources from education,health,and industrialization into various forms of birth control,including,if necessary forced sterilization.These observers regard the presumed alternatives - poverty,famine,war,ethnic violence,and the growth of huge filthy cities - as too horrible to contemplate.However,these observers fail to see:

A) how measures that lower social inequality helps to control overpopulation
B) how measures that raise social inequality are tied to limited economic development
C) how natural disasters lead to overpopulation and its consequences
D) the relevance of the theories of Malthus to the present
E) the irrelevance of demographic transition theory to the current population crisis

Lowering social inequality through education and improved healthcare actually leads to a decrease in population growth rates by empowering women and reducing infant mortality rates. Diverting resources from education, health, and industrialization may exacerbate poverty and limit economic development, thus perpetuating population growth. Natural disasters may temporarily affect population levels, but they are not a direct cause of overpopulation. While Malthus's theories may have some relevance to the present, they are limited and do not provide a comprehensive understanding of the complex factors contributing to population growth. Demographic transition theory is still relevant to understanding the factors influencing population growth and decline.