The population sustaining rate is 2.1 children per woman. So if everyone has one child, the population won't grow, it'll die off (barring other factors such as immigration).

The majority of the extra 3 million in the next few decades will come from Africa and the Middle East- perhaps the author should send his article to some English news sites over there.

The only proven effective population growth limiter is a high standard of living. This has been proven by birth rates in every country in the developed world. Not even religion can counter this effect as seen in the population of Italy, the most Catholic country on the planet, which also has the lowest birth rate on the planet.

Trav apparently is not aware of the concept of demographic momentum, or of population overshoot.

Keep up the great articles, Tim. Those who refuse to open their eyes to what we're doing to this planet, and so to ourselves, will undoubtedly raise all the typical straw man arguments, and resort to personal attacks and so on. But you are the one who is cautioning us that; so we do not leave our children with a polluted, crowded, resource-depleted, strife-ridden planet; we need to act now. As such, yours is the sane and civilized voice in an ideological wilderness.

Thanks!

I would be interested in the views of the author and others on the situation in China where there appears to be a tide of excess males (to females) on the horizon. This is a cultural outcome of the political imposition of a single child policy, the social consequences of which are not likely to be pretty.

Maybe this article should be sent to the Vatican instead? :-) Whoops - no, the RC exhortations against use of condoms in African & Asian AIDS riddled countries is definately a population reduction strategy ....

Problem with 1 child families from a parental POV is having all ones eggs in the same flimsy basket. Children die - more often than not at an age where much of the rearing is done and mothers fertility exhausted by simple fact of age. I come from a 3 child family - my youngest brother was killed in an accident aged 19. Same accident claimed life of a 21 year old cousin who was one of 2 siblings. No chance of either mother producing another child. Couple, she - late forties, He - mid fifties who lived in my rural area in late 90s, the only child of that relationship (Dad had another from earlier marriage) died from anaesthetic complications during minor surgery. He was 20. Her entire genetic and parenting investment lost in one devastating unpredictable event.

I won't get into the argument about the 'only child - spoilt brat' theory except to say that there are too many over indulged, under disciplined, poorly trained children in todays society regardless of family size. In a retail environment you experience it daily - badly behaved brats and ineffective parents. On the bright side when you do encounter the opposite it is a real pleasure ..... sigh.

Maybe the right approach would be to encourage no more than two children. Full baby bonuses, parenting payments, benefits etc for the first two offspring, half allowance for the third and maybe fourth but nothing extra thereafter?

the bilderburgers plan to kill off the planet are seemingly gaining ground in the multinational media[over population isnt a real propblem[the real problem is the planets masters needed labour to get us into the machine age,..now its frightend we may think too much]

the recent disaster in china reveals how limited one child policy is[one school falls down and the whole town becomes childless]..way to extinguish the races matey..its wholsale eugenics..planned from the day they didnt build the school to survive a simple earth quake..[thats how far your eugenics dude's /masters will go]

there is no real problem of over population..[only the deception],we have unlimeted food[..that can be grown in deserts..[remember that]..or if worse comes to worse hydroponiclly in high-rise buildings..[the only limitation is its grown under lights not the sun]

so we hear you eugenics dude scream we got no energy[bull]..we got unlimeted FREE energy iof only you nutters would seek solutions not fixate on your delusional fears..[google you tube for magnetic moters[making free power]..or google the joe-fuel cell,or salt water that burns..[or any othe other of the thousands of FREEenergy solutions

with free energy we can build buildings that grow food/that unite people instead of murdering them..[with afluence comes breeding/control..[we affluent west have been declining our population for a long time..[so much so that we need inport breeders/workers..this occure NATURALLY..with wealth

we pay kids to breed..lol...thats how bad the over population problem REALLY is...lol..tell me you eugenics dudets..who will nurse you when you get old?..or should we just give you..[YOU]the injection ..put YOU down like a dog...your so full of fear maties..[your unable to think]...

those elites who rule us now..see only the problems/problems based on fear..they think we need one pandemic to off us all..or at least those of you they see as useless eaters..[its stupid idiots who blog their delusions that are our greatest danger..[not over population