I don't think China's low birth rate is as disastrous as everyone thinks. The current mindset of a needing bigger population for more GDP growth is awfully short sighted, especially in light of our dissapearing environmental resources.
5
So, if a woman cannot come up with the HUGE "fine" for getting pregnant, then the government takes her in custody and violates her by performing a forced abortion which kills the growing baby inside HER body?
BTW, for all you "overpopulation" people, perhaps you would consider self-euthanasia to make one less human being breathe out carbon dioxide on this fragile helpless planet??
Children are a blessing, and sacred. Not a number or a tally on a government census sheet.
BTW, for all you "overpopulation" people, perhaps you would consider self-euthanasia to make one less human being breathe out carbon dioxide on this fragile helpless planet??
Children are a blessing, and sacred. Not a number or a tally on a government census sheet.
1. Men and women should be responsible for their action if they already know the policy.
2. I found out most pro-life people are either religious or hypocritical. Overpopulation is happening and poverty is one of the most serious problem among the community with highest birthrate in the world. Scientific evidence also suggest the resource on Earth could support enough resource in the future.
And I'm not a hypocritical person like you who never been live in the real rough area on the Earth. Improve existing human life is prioritized instead of debating how embryo count as a life. BTW, embryo is not life.
Most pro-life people are those who sit on the couch with air-conditioner in the room sending comfortable air toward their face. Little do they know on the other side of the planet, poor child abandoned by their pool family isn't gonna grow up magically.
2. I found out most pro-life people are either religious or hypocritical. Overpopulation is happening and poverty is one of the most serious problem among the community with highest birthrate in the world. Scientific evidence also suggest the resource on Earth could support enough resource in the future.
And I'm not a hypocritical person like you who never been live in the real rough area on the Earth. Improve existing human life is prioritized instead of debating how embryo count as a life. BTW, embryo is not life.
Most pro-life people are those who sit on the couch with air-conditioner in the room sending comfortable air toward their face. Little do they know on the other side of the planet, poor child abandoned by their pool family isn't gonna grow up magically.
4
Poor people in poor countries have lots of children - not because they are pro-life, but because they are rightly assured of support in their old age where there is no Social Security system. They also have lots of children since more children are more workers for unmechanized farms and bring income to the family.
Third worlders don't think like first worlders. Their economic needs are different and more immediate. Until that changes, they will continue to make decisions in their own economic interest, not ours.
Third worlders don't think like first worlders. Their economic needs are different and more immediate. Until that changes, they will continue to make decisions in their own economic interest, not ours.
1
People that fail to recognize the reality of overpopulation seem to think people that are concerned about overpopulation are anti people or anti children. Sure we are concerned about wild life extinctions, deforestation and urban sprawl. However we are equally concerned about the negative effect overpopulation has on poor people, and children around the world. Things like poverty, hunger, loss of tribal homelands, fisheries, farmland and fresh water loss due to urbanization. Countries with high fertility rates tend to have less political stability and therefor have more wars, and refugees. All of these situations are made worse because of the pressure of overpopulation.
1
So the problem isn't that we're having too many children, it's that we're living too long.
1
Too many people, consuming too many resources, too fast. And sure living "too" lone is part of the equation as well.
1
The best way to save our planet is to reduce human population and have each individual live with in their means and conserve resources. The pyramid scheme of a growing base of population to create wealth and fund retirement for the older generations is killing the Earth. Embrace lower population now!
7
Marriage is an invention used to create a legally binding, stable relationship and is to be lauded, but there is no actual reason beyond legalities that make it necessary. People do not have to be married in order to understand and respect each other or love the children born as a result of their relationship.
As adults most people can survive a breakup, but their children, unless subject to abuse, almost always suffer and suffering in childhood often brings that rotting fruit to adult relationships.
To construe any birth as illegal is an absurdity which should not be considered.
As adults most people can survive a breakup, but their children, unless subject to abuse, almost always suffer and suffering in childhood often brings that rotting fruit to adult relationships.
To construe any birth as illegal is an absurdity which should not be considered.
2
Yesterday the New York Times reported a story about the havoc climate change is causing in Florida. Increased population is one of the main causes of this pending disaster. China probably has more environmental problems than the US. Encouraging more people to have more children will only make what is already bad much, much,worse. Aside from this the continuing mantra having more children to support an older population is not going to work out if these children cannot find jobs or earn salaries which enable them to support elderly relatives. Currently, job creation is not keeping up with birth rates now and the development and use of increasingly sophisticated robotics will eliminate millions of jobs in the near future. China's policy is not perfect. Possibly encouraging adoption may be solution for those who desire children. There are millions throughout Asia - instead of squandering money on IVF treatments, it may be better to offer a home and a heart to a child who sorely needs both.
6
Thank you! Human caused climate change is a symptom of overpopulation. Two sides of the same coin. I thought this was obvious.
2
China has many, many major problems. In the grand scheme of things, this one is pretty minor.
2
I have a serious question for the author DIDI KIRSTEN TATLOW. Do some people really not believe China is already massively overpopulated? Or are they afraid the population could start shrinking too fast? It just seems like a plain as day fact that China is already way overpopulated.
7
"[china's fertility rate] is the lowest fertility rate in the world..."
korea's rate and japan's rate are similarly low. in fact, much of europe, thailand and several other countries have fertility rates significantly below 2.
lesbians are statistical outliers. more common issues are economics, including time management; hence, the reasons for the subsidies.
korea's rate and japan's rate are similarly low. in fact, much of europe, thailand and several other countries have fertility rates significantly below 2.
lesbians are statistical outliers. more common issues are economics, including time management; hence, the reasons for the subsidies.
2
Countries with a good standard of living for most people have low birth rates.
2
Promoting out of wedlock birth rather than working to get the birthrate among married couples back up to where it was before the government fixed it is simply stupid and bad policy.
3
Make illegitimacy legal but don't indulge in the grave error of making it socially acceptable.
Bastardy is the biggest cause of social problems costing us taxes.
Bastardy is the biggest cause of social problems costing us taxes.
2
As a school psychologist, I see many children without fathers present in their homes. A bad marriage is not as safe for women and children as a single mother who is doing her best.
Isn't this great news? The world is overpopulated, we simply can't keep growing forever. Every country on the planet is overpopulated, China, India, the US and a lot of other countries are massively overpopulated. Slowing population growth isn't enough, we need to eventually stop growing and gradually decline to sustainable levels. I thought everyone knew this?
22
Considering the tremendous overpopulation of the planet China's 1.05% birthrate is to be applauded and copied by other nations.The Earth is in imminent danger from global warming,oceans becoming deserts and a mass extinction event.Would that all other nations strove to achieve this.I am saddened that this is being threatened.
24
Great article! If the world-wide reproductive rate were voluntarily held to one child per family, a TFR of 1.0, our populations would fall to 2.5 billion by 2100, and, thus, return to a 1950 level. We really have no idea what the true carrying capacity of the earth is for humans, but we do know that cheap energy in the form of oil has allowed for a tremendous overshoot of that capacity and is utterly unsustainable. China deserves a Nobel prize. We are currently headed for an overpopulation Armageddon and Big Oil doesn't want you to find that out. We have evolved population regulation mechanisms and they have been trying in vain to trim our numbers for millennia. I've written a free e-book on the subject, "Stress R Us". Just Google the title.
7
Is it western propaganda and right-wing pro-life agenda that keeps sounding warning about China's lowered reproduction rate? The trite cliché is China needs more young people to support the aging population. That's is not the young people's responsibility. Young people should be freed from the shackles and devote their creative energy on reshaping China towards modernity. Chinese government has enough reserve to provide social support of the old folks until that generation pass away. More daunting problem to the Chinese government is to deal with the demands of a still very large Chinese population. There are serious challenges, such as to clean up polluted water, land and air, feed and house its citizens, improve health and education standard across the board, create jobs, increase productivity and encourage creativity, and to fight off home-grown religious fanatics and terrorists, etc. "Right-Sizing" should be China's population goal and "technology advance" is the answer to maintain their growth trajectory of the last few decades. Just look at the abject poverty in India with their even larger population and ignore the cry-wolves of western media.
21
Young people is the West are forced to support the old people by paying into social security. Since it's not their responsibility, let's abolish SS. I'll agree.
It makes sense to change Chinese birth policies, certainly. But overall, I think countries need to reorient the way they think about the demographic consequences of a very low birth rate. Instead of figuring out ways to get people to have more children, they need to figure out ways to serve and support people who are too old to work. If populations globally shrink, that will be great. Our descendants will have all the technological benefits of modern society, but more open space, wilderness, and make far fewer demands on the planet. That will be fantastic! But the only way that works is if we figure out a good, long term way to support the elderly as the proportion of working adults to retired adults shrinks. We should put our collective heads together and work toward that.
18
A bit of pertinent information that was not mention in this article is that current projections still have China growing by over 200,000,000 people by 2045.
15
You are so right. For the longest time the experts have been telling us not to worry about overpopulation because we were going to max out at about 10 billion. As if that isn't extremely high. Now they are starting to figure out those projections were too optimistic and we could hit 10 billion and keep right on going. Until everything comes crashing down of course.
7
A declining population is a good thing for our overburdened planet. I see it as a gift to avoid our complete extinction. Everything is not just about money. With the biosphere in severe decline we will be lucky to survive this century without going extinct.
19