Britain's Royal Society has launched a major study into human population growth and how it may affect social and economic development in coming decades. It is led by Nobel laureate Sir John Sulston of the famous Human Genome Project. <br/><br/>The world's population has risen from two billion in 1930 to 6.8 billion now, with nine billion projected by 2050. The burgeoning human population is acknowledged as one of the underlying causes of environmental issues such as climate change, deforestation, depletion of water resources and loss of biodiversity. <br/><br/>The working group includes experts on the environment, agriculture, economics, law and theology drawn from a mix of rich and poor countries including the UK, China, Brazil and the US. Launched on World Population Day, the Royal Society's study is expected to conclude in early 2012.