The conditions in the biosphere, with its extremely thin skin around the Earth, have changed in geological times, allowing different forms of life and exterminating some of these forms is later periods.

Humans must avoid being themselves the cause of alterations in conditions in the biosphere that will make present forms of life impossible.

Humanists accept the full responsibility for their own life style and the influence they have on their environment, including fellow humans and other forms of life, now and for the future.

The International Humanist & Ethical Union, assembled at its 8th World Congress in Hanover, Federal Republic of Germany, August 1-5, 1982, is of the opinion that the continuously growing number of births is a fundamental cause for hunger and mass-suffering on earth.

World-wide birth control by means of immediate and effectual action is necessary to fight the hunger in this world. The unrestrained growth of the world population may be the end of mankind. In countries with a high birth rate more instruction, material encouragement and easily accessible methods of contraception are very necessary. This has to be pursued in spite of religious or ideological opposition.

A major cause of oppression and rigidity of human organisation, of the exhaustion of valuable mineral resources and of fossil fuel in particular, of the destruction of the natural environment and pollution of the air, water and land without time to recover, is the excess of population. The growth of population so as to use up such resources as are available frustrates many potential opportunities for humankind. This congress declares that limitation of population is a prime necessity for the creation of a civilised way of life.

Whereas the goal of the population activities of the United Nations and its specialised agencies is to improve the quality of life and whereas representations of the nations of the world will be gathering at Bucharest August 19 to 30 to deliberate on the problems posed by a population growth which outstrips the resources and capabilities of the world and

This spring the Vatican has started a campaign to propagate its viewpoint on birth control. Thus it takes an overt stand against the 1974 World Population year, proclaimed by the UN. According to The Times newspaper in London the Vatican resists all efforts to develop a system of world population control. It rejects contraceptives, sterilisation and abortion.

In view of this startling campaign I cannot but repeat the statement I gave at the Brussels meeting with the Vatican Secretariat for Unbelievers on October 1,2 and 3, 1970: "The official Catholic policy influences through Catholic political power to a high degree the policy of nations even if the Catholics represent a minority of the population.

A liveable world is and remains one of the great goals of the world community. As a condition of its achievement, the people of the world must give continued and serious attention to creating and preserving a humane environment. Among the requirements for securing such an environment is the development of decent living conditions on the globe, the limitation of population (in this connection we call attention to the IHEU resolution of August 1972 in favour of effective birth control, voluntary sterilisation and the right to legal abortion) so that we do not crowd ourselves off the planet or force ourselves into conditions of scarcity of resources. The relationship between problems of population and pollution is, by now, very clear. Therefore, the IHEU welcomes the forthcoming World Population Conference to be held in 1974.

The IHEU considers that continued expansion of the world's population will lead to famine, to destruction of the environment on an unimaginable scale and eventually to war.

When discussing common responsibilities in the present situation ethical humanists cannot refrain from bringing up the issue of birth-control. We know that a complex problem is involved. From a prosperity point of view population increase is necessary in certain areas.

The International Humanist & Ethical Union views with alarm the continuing increase in world population and recognises this as one of the most urgent problems facing mankind. Malnutrition, starvation, poverty, lack of medical and educational services, pollution of the environment, underdevelopment, conflict and war are already, and will continue to be aggravated by excessive numbers of people.

The IHEU, in working to build a world where each child born should have an environment in which it may grow to reach its full human potential, and realising the impossibility of this if present population trends continue, calls on international agencies, national governments, humanist organisations and people of goodwill everywhere to co-operate in order to limit population growth.

The Board of Directors of IHEU, recognising that population pressures in many parts of the world constitute an increasing threat to human dignity and welfare, urges member organisations to encourage study and discussion on different aspects of the population problem and to take a leading part in community education in this field, particularly with reference to the relation of this problem to ethical and democratic values.