Overpopulation: Mother of all myths, by Jeb Blackwood

The world’s population is declining.

Those are fighting words in most circles but it’s the truth, and it’s occurring right before our eyes.

How can that be when in 2012 the US Census Bureau estimated the world population at 7 billion? That’s a lot of zeros!  Well, the proof is in the statistics.

Let’s begin with what we know about fertility rate.  To achieve perfect replacement, humans must have 2.13 children per woman.  Some women have more children while others have fewer, but 2.13 is the magic number to maintain steady population. More than 90 countries (the USA and Canada among them) are currently experiencing a birthrate under that magic number . People are simply not having children.

And when we look at the 2009 United Nations documentation, “World Population Prospects” (yes, THE United Nations), the outlook appears grim.  Not only do all six countries included on the chart show a marked birthrate decline over the last 60 years, but they all drop below the sustainability rate of 2.13 children per woman.

Pay close attention to the countries on the chart:  the United States, Japan, Germany, France, Italy and Britain.  All are world powers, and provide economic stability in their regions and to the world. So what if people stop having children?  What difference does it make? There is a strong correlation between economic downturn and declining fertility rates.

read the complete article in Intercollegiate Review

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>

Powered by WordPress | Designed by Kerygma