And now for something completely different...

[kandrathe]

And if you don´t think nuclear energy is safe...

I do. I omitted it to give Pete something to add. :) I've been pro nuke, even before TMI. It is a modern example of Galileo's house arrest, that is, crushing useful science because of superstitions and fear. Because, radiation is invisible and scary.

It is worth noting that in the short term a population decrease hurts the aging population since there are fewer working people feeding more mouths. Of course in the end the aging population will die anyway and you are left with a new population with a stable base.

A better bet is to use science to allow the elderly to be healthy and functional longer. Its one of those cultural norms that needs to shift. One of my grandfather's retired from the police force at age 55, which was the standard retirement age in his time. He had a house here in Minnesota, and a house in Miami, and enough pensions and savings to live another 20 years. So he retired. Trouble is, due to medical advances, he lived another 45 years. He had said many times that had he known at 55 he would live so long, he would have waited to retire another 20 years.

People in third world countries, mostly in Asia and Africa now, bear as many children as is possible since there are no social safety nets. It is a way to enhance the families economic future, including to insure a safe retirement for the parents. In agriculture, everywhere, including the US, having a large family insures the availability of a dedicated cheap labor source.

Yes, China has implemented a harsh policy, but hardly as harsh as waiting for the next war to cull the herd. I believe that Pete's suggestion would be a good start, and good if it would be accepted for all nations. With immigration and emigration in the world being what it is, it does no good for Europe to shed a million people, if that slack is just added to India. I think even establishing the norm of two children per family would be a good start and this could be done simply by limiting the tax break to two children only.