"Except the removal of the "baby bonus", which was always highly dubious policy. Everything else - blanket restrictions on immigration, artificial restraints on reproduction etc. - smacks of government control-freakery."

Well we all no doubt think that it is a good idea to apply various fertility control mechanisms, e.g. subcutaneous oestrogen pellets, to animal populations in small reserves etc to avoid culling while preventing an expanding population from destroying the carrying capacity of the reserve.

Perhaps circumstances will deteriorate to a point where we need to consider applying the above 'good idea' to ourselves since it is virtually impossible to get global cooperation on CO2 emissions let alone the underlying over population problem.

You would need a mechanism that is virtually impossible for any government to control in any significant way for the purpose of ethnic cleansing etc and that will effect all members of the human race equally regardless of ethnicity, religion or political persuasion.

I.E. A genetically modified biological vector that effects a temporary (several months) reduction in male and/or female fertility that would be enough to signiciantly reduce the average birth rate across the globe without permanently sterlising anyone.

E.G. Assuming it is biologically possible, a cold virus strain that secretes enough oestrogen into the blood stream of those infected to reduce the sperm count in males and to prevent implantation in females.

The key idea would be for the mechanism to be self replicating and self administering rather than relying on the huge effort and drain on resources to administer voluntary contraception across the globe that would most likely give poor results.

It would be akin to drawing straws with all humans sharing more or less equally in the burdon of reducing the global population.

As with other cold viruses, the modified strain would run its global course, immunity would become widespread and its effect would eventually wane. A new strain could be modified similarly and released if required.

Obviously such a drastic measure would be a last resort should uptake of voluntary contraception and development fail to reduce global fertility adequately to avoid the worst affects of peak oil and food shortages etc.

"Obviously such a drastic measure would be a last resort should uptake of voluntary contraception and development fail to reduce global fertility adequately to avoid the worst affects of peak oil and food shortages etc."

GregaryB have no fear. Wherever women have access to safe and affordable contraception they use it, overwhelmingly, to reduce their fertility to average no more than two births per woman - and that cuts across religion and ethnicity. Women generally have more common sense than the mullahs and the priests and the presidents who want to outbreed the "opposition". The scandal of global population growth is the number of women who are too poor to afford contraception.

Some have said that there is no other system other than capitalism.
Socialism, true Socialism that is, one that is not run on party lines and paid for by vested interests is an answer.
It is humane, does not have to pillage the planet and can bring justice for all.
Will it ever work here on earth? Not likely because humans have a fatal flaw that will block it. They are greedy and avaricious.
So we are not going to get an equitable system that will be truly sustainable.
What is the consequence of this? Well we will keep going along the road we are on and inevitable arrive at the point that will bring heartbreak and disaster to us all.
Yes we will run out of food, water, power and that is not even taking global warming into account. When we do a lot of people will not survive.
I can already hear the screams of “ doomsayer” but it is the only outcome.
I am now of a mind that this is the self-regulating system that will eventually save the planet for the handful of people that do survive. Then off we go again on the circle, although it may not be humans that are dominant for the next turn of the wheel.
Discuss all you want, rant about your favorite hobbyhorse, it will not make a bit of difference in the end.
Let’s face it; this is a fleeting instant of time that taken in the context of the life of the planet is on no consequence at all.

sarnian,

It seems that mankind has always found it difficult to accommodate his amazing intellectual capacity alongside his mammalian instincts.

To be gifted with such comprehension, awareness and vision, and yet to be unable to resist his instinctual avarice is perhaps the most perplexing aspect of man's condition.

Sarian,
“It is humane, does not have to pillage the planet and can bring justice for all.”

Unfortunately pure socialism does not want “family”, because it is believed that families accumulate “property”, which begins an unequal distribution of wealth.

We now have a partly socialist system in this country, where families are being slowly eliminated.

However it has lead to more property and not less, because 1 in 4 houses now has only 1 person in it.

So there are 2 houses instead of 1, not to mention the extra cars, TV sets, DVD machines and all the other paraphernalia.

Our current system would be fine, with an average 2 parent family having 2 children.

However there is increasing pressure to destroy such families, and then bring in skilled immigrants to build the workforce.

Perhaps immigrants should be told that they cannot expect to have a 2 parent, 2 child family.

Instead they should expect to have the mother and “her” children living in one house, while the father lives in another, and both parents are expected to work, and the children will be raised in a daycare center, while the countryside is being slowly wiped out to build more houses for more immigrants.