From Deseret News archives:
Is Earth's impending 'empty cradle' due to selfishness?
"Yet we still do face a 'population bomb' of a different sort," notes New American Foundation senior fellow, Phillip Longman in "The Empty Cradle." "But what makes today's economic growth unsustainable is not that it is about to exhaust the Earth's bounty, but that it is consuming more human capital than it produces." Longman continues, "The eventual result, if the (below-replacement level fertility rate) trend continues to run its course, is an exhaustion of human capital a harried, overworked society in which there are too few people to support the old or tend to the young."
Notwithstanding official and unofficial voices that continue to raise concerns about overpopulation, a number of countries that recognize the severe consequences of depopulation are experimenting with pro-natal policies to increase birthrates. For example, Singapore (TFR 1.58) has established a"baby bonus" policy, which deposits money into a savings account for newborns. The bonus applies only to second and third children.
What has caused this precipitous decline in birthrate? It turns out that there are pretty standard answers in the academic studies looking at this. Generally, the higher the education the lower the birthrate. The same is true of increased social status. The move to cities from farms decreases fertility. Government policies have an effect. Though it is worth noting that China's barbaric one-child policy only marginally increased its fertility free fall over some of its Asian neighbors.
Comments
- Venezuelan banks to be nationalized? 2:02 p.m.
- USA Today Top 25 Poll 1:48 p.m.
- The AP Top 25 1:45 p.m.
- No. 1 vs. No. 2 in SEC title game 1:43 p.m.
- Illustrator is living his dream 1:30 p.m.
- Woods cancels meeting with police 1:20 p.m.
- Swiss ban mosque minarets 1:05 p.m.
- These guys love a good argument 12:56 p.m.
- Vonn skis out in slalom 12:40 p.m.
- Boyle's album tops Britain's charts 12:35 p.m.
- Hall mouths off about hate of Utah
- BYU is champion of the state
- Cougars beat Utes in overtime
- Credit Coug defense for win
- Field goals, penalties doomed Utes
- Cave to be sealed with body inside
- Cougar defense rose to occasion
- Marriage definitions vary widely
- Jones' joy for life remembered
- Banged up Jazz get best of Blazers
- Hall mouths off about hate of Utah
561 - Cougars beat Utes in overtime
457 - Thunder rolls by Jazz
136 - Man trapped in Nutty Putty cave dies
116 - Cave to be sealed with body inside
115 - Editorial: Poor welcome for Palin
113 - BYU is champion of the state
111 - Rivalry Week is highly profane
89 - Hall's legacy measured today
77 - Y. focused on 10-win season
73
How soft can you get, did Max really hurt your feelings that bad?
I don’t see that maintaining a tradition of a 5000 year old definition...
What Hall said was classless. There is nothing wrong with being angry about...
Poor, poor Ute fans. Boohoo. Maybe your "coffee" will make you happy. Hehe.
I want Mr. Will to take a look at the Wikipedia entry on Cannabis. It is less...
In response to Larry, it is possible to define all four words he mentions....
@ hypocrisy - why don't YOU explain how this joke of a travesty of a "health...
Didn't they have boats and servants in Eisenhower's and Nixon's day when the...
As a graduate of BYU, who has friends and family who are fans of the UofU, I...
Oh brother, could your comment possibly be any WHINIER and LAME??? How do u...


You can be the first to comment on this story.