The Challenge of Population Control

The challenge associated with population control is a major theme in this novel as Langdon and others search for a pathogen they believe is intended to cull the population. Geneticist Bertrand Zobrist argues that a good deal of the problems facing the world, like limited natural resources and depletion of the ozone layer, have been caused by too many people. Sinskey and others do not see the problem as logically as Zobrist. They think that his call to limit the population is insane and criminal.

Through scientific research, Zobrist has come up with a single variable that he believes is the cause of a good deal of the earth’s problems. He argues that natural resources have been decreased because the world is already over populated. With the population growing rapidly, he forecasts that the world will no longer be able to...