http://www.overpopulation.org/solutions.html
The most effective method to control the population is through education, more so women. If you look at the female literacy rate of the world, those with a higher literacy rate are more prone to have fewer children than those who have a lower literacy rate. Let me give you some stats:
Australia, 96% literacy: 1.9 children per woman.
USA, 99% literacy: 2.0 children per woman.
UK, 99% literacy: 1.9 children per woman.
Germany, 99% literacy: 1.9 children per woman.
Afghanistan, 13% literacy: 6.5 children per woman.
Niger, 51% literacy: 7 children per woman.
Democratic Republic of Congo, 56% literacy: 5.9 children per family.
In India, more controversial, forced sterilization was a step taken to lower population growth.
"There were reports of police cordoning off villages and virtually dragging the men to surgery."
During 2013–2014, more than 4 million sterilizations were carried out.
WHAT SAY YOU?
In Peru it was the women that were sterilised. I think it is a dreadful idea.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-34855804
This seems to be the general consensus on growth patterns : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographic_transition
This graphic shows that more recently, the demographic transition has accelerated. Hopefully we can reach a peak population with minimal environmental consequence.
Rich countries should pair up with poorer countries, maybe even include them in a trade-bloc.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6d/Years-it-took-Fertility-to-fall-from-6-to-below-3.png/1280px-Years-it-took-Fertility-to-fall-from-6-to-below-3.png)
>minimal environmental consequence
Not a chance. We're on a roll.
Great Barrier Reef can no longer be saved, Australian experts concede
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/great-barrier-reef-dying-coral-bleaching-global-warming-australia-climate-change-a7761351.html
Taking a look at the annual 15-64 population growth should be pretty telling. 2008 wasn't a debt crisis...it was an end of an atypical period of abnormally high growth which so many had assumed was in fact "normal".
I think we are on the verge of birth rates falling hard globally with the new pressures of global warming and coming rise in unemployment. As BoL pointed out, birth rates are already dropping dramatically, but this is just the beginning.
The surprise TO ME is a predicted DECLINE in YUROPE