Citing uncertainties in the research linking carbon dioxide release into the atmosphere with global warming trends, faculty members advocated a closer look at new ways to reduce the "greenhouse effect."

Efforts to combat global warming have taken center stage at the conference, with many preliminary treaties already hammered out. But the professors said that simply reducing carbon dioxide emission levels may not be sufficient.

The conclusions of current re- search on the subject on the subject aretentative at best, said Jacob, and may even provewrong.

"The primary focus should be trying to controlpopulation," he said. "Tropical countries areheaded for a catastrophe in terms ofdemographics."

"I think that for global warming you have todeal with the resources used per person as well asthe number of people using resources," Reich said.

An interesting trend, said Jacob, is that aswomen develop more professional roles, there hasbeen a drop in birth rates. Combined with a moreaggressive U.S. foreign aid policy, he said, thistrend may help to limit the population explosion.

While scientists would in general like to seehuman populations stabilize, many would also liketo see the diversity of other species remainconstant, rather than continue to decrease as moreand more species become extinct.

Wilson, who has authored a number of books onbiodiversity, said that he was not very hopefulthat the conference would make important stridesin this direction.

Center Stage

But he called "an important development" thefact that "the conference has, for the first time,moved biodiversity to the center stage ofenvironmental concerns."

Cook said habitat protection, another focus ofthe conference, could help maintain biodiversity.

"The greatest cause of the loss of species isthe loss of habitat," he said. "Efforts topreserve habitat are going to have the side effectof preserving species.