06-02-2011, 08:21 PM
(06-02-2011, 05:31 PM)--Pete Wrote: A slightly better calculation gives a world population of 4.8 billion in 2050 if each woman has (on the average) only 1 child. An average of 0.6 would give a population of 4.2 billion.
I'm curious, do any of these projections take into account homosexuality as a factor? There are breeds of frogs that, when their population becomes too large, start having all females. There are other breeds of animals that, also when their population becomes too large, start exhibiting homosexual or even suicidal traits. It's part of natural order I believe, and I doubt humans are exempt. Although, I don't know how much of a difference it would really make in the end.
(06-02-2011, 05:31 PM)--Pete Wrote: However, I agree with your projections for India and Africa. Your prediction of an overshoot and decline seem most probable. Stabilization at the 8 billion, not so much. Once a "small family" culture has been adopted over most of the world, the next crisis will probably be human extinction. That's the problem with any rate other than zero -- it leads to explosion or extinction.
Time to start teraforming other planets!
"The true value of a human being is determined primarily by the measure and the sense in which he has attained liberation from the self." -Albert Einsetin