http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11545564/?GT1=7756

I thought we were almost at 7 already  ???

I thought it felt pretty crowded in here. :P

there's a movie called "lathe of heaven" made in 1979, i forget when it's set, 2015 or something, but it has this nightmare vision of the future where the world is being choked by overcrowding and the figure it gives for the population is 6 million.

kinda makes you think, yeah? we're living the doom-and-gloom scenario of a movie made only 27 years ago.

there's a movie called "lathe of heaven" made in 1979, i forget when it's set, 2015 or something, but it has this nightmare vision of the future where the world is being choked by overcrowding and the figure it gives for the population is 6 million.

kinda makes you think, yeah? we're living the doom-and-gloom scenario of a movie made only 27 years ago.


Maybe the future IS now.  I mean really, we have hand-held movie devices.  That's pretty futuristic.

Let the culling begin.

Odd. I too had heard a higher figure previously. I heard 6.7 billion. Oh well.

I think its supposed to get up to 12 or 13 billion by 2060 or something like that, and then its supposed to start leveling back off. They think it might eventually stabilize at about 5 billion, if I'm remembering these figures right.

Odd. I too had heard a higher figure previously. I heard 6.7 billion. Oh well.

I think its supposed to get up to 12 or 13 billion by 2060 or something like that, and then its supposed to start leveling back off. They think it might eventually stabilize at about 5 billion, if I'm remembering these figures right.


Why on earth would it level off?

Do the math. The more people there are, the more breeding will go on, the faster the birth rate will accelerate. We need a mass die off, I'm kinda wishing this Bird Flu wipes out a billion or so, that would be usefull.

http://www.vhemt.org/colorvisualize.jpg

not a movement that's gotten much momentum, i'm guessing. but they have an adorable logo, for being as disconcertingly nihilistic as it is. plus, i love me a good cult.

http://www.vhemt.org/aboutvhemt.htm

http://www.vhemt.org/colorvisualize.jpg

not a movement that's gotten much momentum, i'm guessing. but they have an adorable logo, for being as disconcertingly nihilistic as it is. plus, i love me a good cult.

http://www.vhemt.org/aboutvhemt.htm


Which is silly, we just need to eliminate the undesirables.

Feh. Our population isn't going to grow too much without some massive disease hitting Asia or Africa-again. That's what happens every time a population grows too fast. What upsets me is population decline in S. Europe, Germany, and Japan, that could destroy their societies unless they start procreating.

population rates decline whenever you have industrial agricture, cuz you don't need to squeeze out lots of extra rugrodents to drag plows for subsistence farming and such. i think the dropoff of population in western europe is just fine.

Why on earth would it level off?

Do the math. The more people there are, the more breeding will go on, the faster the birth rate will accelerate. We need a mass die off, I'm kinda wishing this Bird Flu wipes out a billion or so, that would be usefull.


Because of declining birth rates in Industrialized nations. When today's middle-aged westerners start dieing off in large numbers the West's population will begin to fall because there won't be enough births replacing the deaths.

Also, as developing countries become more developed they will begin having less children.

China's population for example is expected to reach 1.8 billion and then level off. In their case because of the one-child policy. Once the people from the pre-one child policy days start dieing, their populating will begin a decline.

Which is silly, we just need to eliminate the undesirables.
you mean like vacuum-cleaner salesmen? avon ladies? members of congress? character actors?

t.v. repairmen? you notice no one ever gets their t.v. repaired anymore.

morse code telegraphers?

I would like it if the whole world's population just became replacement rate on average. It's pretty damn catastrophic in Italy, though, they're instituting birthrate-raising programs now focusing on having better childcare. People in Italy want to provide for their children as well as they only can with a two-income family, and yet it's impossible to find childcare, so they can only have one, because that's all they can support with a one-income family. But this is more N. Italy, still plenty of rugrats in Sicily.

The birthrate is actually rising rapidly in countries like France and those of Scandinavia, the Low Countries, etc. Even the UK, Canada, and the US have pretty high birthrates.

population rates decline whenever you have industrial agricture, cuz you don't need to squeeze out lots of extra rugrodents to drag plows for subsistence farming and such. i think the dropoff of population in western europe is just fine.


Thats absolutely right. My great grandfather was a farmer and he had 11 kids.  :o

In their eyes they aren't producing kids, they're producing farm hands.

The low Italian birthrate, however, is made up for by the high birthrate of New Jersey  ;) .

Because of declining birth rates in Industrialized nations. When today's middle-aged westerners start dieing off in large numbers the West's population will begin to fall because there won't be enough births replacing the deaths.

Also, as developing countries become more developed they will begin having less children.

China's population for example is expected to reach 1.8 billion and then level off. In their case because of the one-child policy. Once the people from the pre-one child policy days start dieing, their populating will begin a decline.

You make a good point, but your assumeing that all of these developing countries will develope. I'm not so convinced of that (not so sure it would be a good idea)