Government Action on Population Control and China's One Child Policy One of the most extreme measures taken in an attempt to control the population was China's one child policy. Public advocate Garet Hardin suggests that the rest of the world adopt similar policies. This article will show a country's government acting on the theories Hardin is popular for and the ethical and environmental effects this has had on people and the earth. Hardin fails to see the ethical problems posed by governments that suppress people's thoughts and beliefs. Hardin says that for most of history there was no need to worry about population control. Nature would come with epidemic diseases and take care of the matter for us. In the past, diseases were the main controller of the population. Since widespread disease and famine no longer exist, we must find other means to stop population growth (Spencer 1992, pp.61-2). “Mutual, mutually agreed-upon coercion” is a misnomer since Hardin routinely supports the actions of authoritarian governments. who rarely seek consensus for their actions. When asked about the one-child policy, Hardin said the Chinese government had not gone far enough. He gave credit to the Chinese for having officially recognized their problem and having had the courage to propose the one-child program... according to him the failure was due to the fact of not having made the directive universal throughout the country. The one-child policy is only enforced in congested urban areas. People in rural regions continue to have too many children, so the Chinese have not solved their problems at all. (Spencer 1992, p.60). Before 1950, there was an ancient Stalinist custom in China of rewarding "heroic mothers" who gave birth to the largest... middle of paper... so poor? From an economic point of view they mirror those of third world countries. But do they lead poor lives if they are allowed to act on their wealth? Hardin fails to admit the ethical problem the government poses to their people. Its focus appears to be lack of belonging in urban areas or lack of control of those areas. He does not admit that part of the failure was because the policy was not a belief shared by the Chinese. It was imposed from above and with many contradicting and disrespecting the ethics of many generations. Bibliography: Resources:· People's mouths. The environment in China. · Asia. Keep China off the rocks. The Economist, February 10, 1996.-Easterbrook Gregg. Inconceivable, The New Republic. November 23, 1998. Spencer, Cathy. "Interview: Garrett Hardin." Omni, vol. 14, n.9, June 1992, pp.54-63.·