Fester, the idea of educating women about their rights to use contraception, etc., is good, but probably we have gone too far for it to have a useful effect universally. As far as we in Australia are concerned, reduced immigration, a better educated population and removal of the present incentives to have children are fine, but try that in India, China, Pakistan or any of the Catholic dominated countries and I think you are up the proverbial creek without a paddle. I would hope that people like Cheryl might have no trouble agreeing with your thesis, but it seems that any effort toward reducing population automatically brands those of us who think that way as some sort of a two headed monster.

Obviously, the one child per family idea in China has not worked as they have managed to treble their population since 1945, as has India with its apparently liberal use of contraceptives.

Perhaps some more constructive ideas from the naysayers might be useful to the discussion.

David

David
The Chinese one child policy has certainly had an impact, as evidenced by the 60 million plus men for whom there are now no potential partners/wives. I think you will find that a significant part of the population growth is due to increased life expectancy - far fewer dying as early as they used to as well as fewer being born. It will be interesting to see how the next generations go, the ones used to being only children.

The biggest impediments to sensible population behaviour are the Catholics and the poor Muslim countries. Just today the Catholic church in Brazil has excommunicated the mother and doctors of a nine year old girl for terminating her pregnancy (twins) to her stepfather. Perhaps the evangelical American churches, which are gaining a foothold in Latin America, are the best hope there. Muslim countries where women have no reproductive control and polygamy is practised are another problem. Passing through Dubai some years ago a local newspaper had a story about an unemployed Pakistani man who was the proud father of 60 children! With the Taliban in NW Pakistan busy blowing up girls schools and beheading anyone trying to educate girls the problem seems almost insurmountable.

On the immigration front, I agree that our immigration policy will do nothing in relation to global population, but reducing our intake to sustainable levels and developing a new economic paradigm divorced from endless growth could show other countries the way.

Waiting for the rest of the world will serve no purpose. Should we not be thinking of our purpose and we may have to stop being so generous. I don't have a lot of time but the facts are clear. If Australia keeps its mates at a distance and associate only with barter and good will, the sound of the natural will ring out the words of independence.
In a global community, independence seems to be a dirty word, but the benefits for the clan involvement, shall be our sanctuary with no intent to join. Clearly Australians knows of this reality, so why aren't you shutting the gates, yes! this has ran a thousand times.

So why are we kissing the super powers arse, when we know it doesn't work. This is how Jesus made a lot of political gains, and eventually everyone sees through the con.

Whatever way the wind blows, is just not good enough. Let the world De-evolutionise, and may we be the standing talk to all reality that sustainability plus many more intregrated conclusions and we run without the shackles of lets keep up with the Jones.

It's Bullsh@t! and the fact is! WE DO NOT NEED ANYONE!

So now who's got the bull by the horns so to speak with respect.
Basically stop pushing your bullsh@t onto other cultures. We still have baby boots on ya no.

So what are you afraid of Australia. We are in the cool. wink!

Let them all experience the ten rats in a box.

It's true!

We are the quiet achievers.

EVO

According to the theory of evolution the toughest survive. The weak will be replaced by the stronger. Now the population of Indonesia is about 200 million. Australia has a much smaller population in comparison.

Since most people are evolutionsists, and by the laws of democracy (majority wins) it is morally OK and scientific for the Indonesians to migrate to Australia and, in to process eliminate the Australians since they are not productive, reproductive rate of only 1.7, below the replacement rate.

So one can solve the population problem through democracy and evolution. The majority race has the right to wipe out the minority races.

Most of the worlds current problems ( pollution, diminution of resources, susceptibility to natural disasters, epidemics) are symptoms of overpopulation/overcrowding.

The pollution that is said to lead to climate change is really a problem of too many people. Natural cycles cannot cope, in the time needed, with the volume of waste produced.

The irony is that attempts to address the symptoms may be adding, bigger future problems .
1)At the core of The Kyoto Protocol is a measuring system that allows burgeoning population to dilute culpability. Many countries produce greater pollution than Aust but their higher population means, on Kyoto’s per capita measure, they’re deemed less culpable . Thus many of the worst polluters(by volume) can put off till another day the need to take remedial action precisely because of their burgeoning populations.
2) Modern medicine/aid when applied to the third world leads to greater survival rates – without a commensurate expansion of family planning.

Some have seen hope in forecasts that world population will leveling off –but even at yesterdays levels, numbers are way too high.

We are living in a particularly mild climatic & tectonic period . One doesn’t have to look too far back to see –natural occurrences– that would if they happened today, depopulated many currently densely populated regions.

Even if only –some– of the scenarios that climate changes prophets have envisaged come true, Australia is likely to be swamped with immigrants.Whatever good housekeeping practices , internal population controls we implement, are likely to be worth zilch.

Our “leaders” need to push for world population reduction with the same enthusiasm they have sought out every photo opportunity offered by the Kyoto Protocol.And, our leaders need to have the backbone to implement tough border controls-- pigs might fly!

Good thinking re education of women to try reduce fertility rates. That's the only constructive comment I've read.

This is instrumentalism and anti-intellectualism at its worst. The problem with assuming master narratives such as global warming = we're all doimed therefore we have to do x,y or z or the worlds population is unsustainable itherefore we have to do a,b,c is that no where is your argument demonstrated.

The global warming argument has so many holes in it that it is only just gaining traction. In its favour is advertising lip service as brands come on board for the green sell.

It's easy to write glib statements about reducing population but there is no support for this option anywhere in the world. One reasons the Greens haven't canvased it - although it underpins much of Clive Hamilton's thinking - is that it's electoral poison.

The population in the west is shrinking but it's booming in India, Asia and Africa. Who ever said education was on the mark and clearly first world governments have an onus to reduce the causes of high fertility rates = cheap labour.