Posted on 07/27/2007 10:29:58 PM PDT by minn7rules
Liberal Larry, that entry on google that you referred to is a massive CIA report. Specifically what part are you referring to? I glanced at it and found this quote:
“The world in 2015 will be populated by some 7.2 billion people, up from 6.1 billion in the year 2000. The rate of world population growth, however, will have diminished from 1.7 percent annually in 1985, to 1.3 percent today, to approximately 1 percent in 2015”
Secondly you claim “I said I don’t believe the demographers because what they are claiming contradicts what I see and what my friends see...in California and many other places.” Anecdotal evidence is exactly that - and does not trump actual CIA, UN, or Census Bureau projections.
It all says the same thing: recent drops in fertility levels do not free us from Malthusian nightmares.
As for the value of "anecdotal" evidence: neglect your personal observations at your own peril. If they contradict what others are telling you then there are serious problems somewhere...and actually some of the supposed contradictions do not exist. The CIA report "Global Trends 2015" specifically cites California as one of the places where overpopulation is a real problem.
Well Liberal Larry I think we can agree on most points:
1 - There are some areas of the globe where overpopulation is in fact a legitimate concern. I have never contended that assertion. Indeed, in the article itself it says that population increases are in areas that can least afford it. It is possible that California is one of these places, although I’m not certain of that. I think the advanced US economy will not allow famine or starvation. But we can agree to disagree on that point.
2 - One of the areas where the ‘population explosion’ clearly is NOT a problem is in the developed world - Europe, North America, and East Asia. This is the main focus of the article in question. It talks about raising fertility in Europe, where the population is indeed quickly graying and decreasing - presenting major problems for those societies.
I don’t really see what the controversy is here. What are we arguing about? Population is increasing in the developing world, which may be a problem. The article in question does not dispute that. It is NOT an issue in the developed world. Something needs to be done to correct this imbalance. Issue solved, I believe?
Yes.
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