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A comment on What Dreams May Come. Parent comment

Re:What Dreams May Come by saalweachter on Thursday March 13, 2014 @07:24AM (#7391115)
6. You're expressing yesterday's fear. Population growth in the first world is stable, low, or even negative. We currently have no reason to believe that the third world's population growth won't do the same. Current projections for peak world population are "a little bit larger than now" instead of "trillions and trillions", and the problems of providing for them indefinitely "surmountable".
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Re:What Dreams May Come by theknown99 on Thursday March 13, 2014 @08:14AM (#7391260)
* Population growth in the first world is stable, low, or even negative.

A quick google search shows that whilst population was pretty stable in UK in the 80s, since then it's been steadily rising. Growth is now 0.75% a year.

But that growth rate is deceptive. Look at

https://www.google.co.uk/publicdata/explore?ds=d5bncppjof8f9...

But that growth rate is deceptive - it "looks" low. But if you check the absolute numbers:

In the UK, population has grown by around 10% in the last 20 years, and it's on an increasingly upward trend.

https://www.google.co.uk/publicdata/explore?ds=d5bncppjof8f9...

Just anecdotally, if you live in the UK, you'll know how many new homes they're building all over the countryside.

World population: https://www.google.co.uk/publicdata/explore?ds=d5bncppjof8f9...

I'm glad you can see that graph levelling off, but I can't see it...

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Re:What Dreams May Come by saalweachter on Thursday March 13, 2014 @11:05AM (#7392253)
The fertility rate in the UK is below 2.0.

The US has a similar story, fertility rate below 2.0 plus migration from the third world results in net population growth, even though the population of the US is no longer "exploding".

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