An aging population can present serious economic and social problems. The U.K. has an a minor 'aging population' problem partly as a result of the post WWII baby boom and partly due to increased longevity, and has had to make social and economic adjustments that affect quality of life and standard of living; but that's not even a pale shadow of the kind of adjustments and hardships that could arise from global population reduction. In the extremely overpopulated and poor third world regions, where it would be most required, the result of reducing the population, rather than merely slowing/stopping growth, could be catastrophic.
It looks to me like the one and only way to achieve a 50% reduction within a hundred years (short of armageddon)is through enforced birth control.
Conclusion: it can be done.
Is there a feasable alternative? I think so. Given enough time, there should be no 'third world' regions. It's in the interests of all nations that this happens as soon as possible. As a result of the process, growth rates should fall sharply.
Canuck said: "So - how do we get the world's population to develop a global conscience? We could probably start by giving them the tools so they no longer needed to scratch out a life. Development to the rescue......Plus you get the added bonus of a greatly reduced birthrate!"
- Exactly my thinking.
We have the DNA that allows positive and constructive action. We also have brains which, evidently, DNA has found advantageous, so the least we can do is try to use them.
