(no subject)

[andrewducker]

Stolen entirely from Heron:

The United Nations divides the world into two groups, less developed countries and more developed countries. The most surprising news comes from the poorer countries. In the late 1960's, these countries had an average fertility rate of 6.0 children per woman. Today it is 2.9 — and still falling. Huge and continuing declines have been seen in countries like Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Turkey and (of great importance to the United States) Mexico.

The more developed countries, in contrast, have seen their fertility rates fall from low to unsustainable. Every developed nation is now below replacement level. In the early 1960's, Europe's fertility rate was 2.6. Today the rate is 1.4, and has been sinking for half a century. In Japan the rate is 1.3.

[[snip]]

The environmental future, however, looks better. Past research on global warming was based on a long-term United Nations projection, issued in the early 1990's, of 11.6 billion people in 2200, far more people than we're ever likely to see. The new projections show the global population rising from just over six billion now to just under nine billion in 2050, followed by a decline, moving downward in a geometric progression.

More here

Comments

[tisme.livejournal.com]

THat actually cheers me up though. The bent of the first bit seemed to be 'oh shit', but that's good news to me, because of the last bit. I've actually decided not to have children because I believe that there's just too many in the world. Perhaps people will start adopting more and realising you don't have to squeeze one out your uretha to be a parent.