The Population Reference Bureau is reporting that just a few weeks after publishing their 2008 World Population Data Sheet, the PRB has uncovered data that shows that fertility rates in countries with declining populations may be actually rising.
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The countries with both negative birth rates and population declines are the ones of the former Communist bloc, which have low life spans (only in the 50′s for instance in Russia) are are not magnets for immigration. On the other hand the countries with negative birth rates but static total population are the once attracting immigrants (like Italy and Austria) and which also have high lifespans (like Japan). Japan most of all, is in really deep demographic trouble if they cannot start either getting immigrants or larger families really soon.
Win barber and I could not be farther apart on negative birth rates. A negative birth rate for this entire planet would be the best news I have ever heard. Alas , I never expect to hear it. Despite our brains we behave very much like bacteria in a Petri dish – reproducing until the means to sustain life are exhausted, followed by a die-off. We are getting close.
World population is now about 6.7 billion. Next year it will be 6.8 billion. Before we started using fossil fuels we were less than one billion. There are now more hungry people on earth than since the dawn of man.
With 6.7 billion and growing all our noble attempts to control the environment and the energy dilemna are doomed to failure. Do the arithmetic. Few do.