[ExI] Birthrate falling worldwide - not just in the developed nations

[BillK]

On Thu, 31 Oct 2024 at 21:29, david via extropy-chat
<extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org> wrote:
>
> There are two aspects to evolution (well. there's more, but two we are
> concerned about here)
> 1/ The slow accumulation of mutations
> 2/ Selection within existing range
>
> (1) as you say, is far too slow to have any effect on the birth rate
> before humans would go extinct.
> (2) however, can be as fast as a single generation.
>
> Consider an insect population where a gene confers a pesticide
> resistance. If even 1% of the population has that gene, widespread use
> of the pesticide would see 100% of the population have it within very
> few generations.
>
> It is the same for humans, if not as extreme.  Children will be born to
> those who continue to have multiple children despite affluence or
> lifestyle. There may be a temporary drop in population while those who
> choose not to (or can't) have children remove themselves from the gene
> pool, but the harsh laws of evolution say they will be replaced by those
> who can and will.
>
> -David.
> _______________________________________________


The population trends expect the fall in birth rates to continue, at
least up to about 2100.
There will be some groups, as you say, that might continue to have
many children, but they will not be enough to counter the general
world population decline. Humans are not insects. People are choosing
not to have more than 1 child. The children from large families will
be growing up in a very different world with an ageing population and
they are likely to decide for themselves to have few children.

BillK