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China to begin two-child policy

bbc.co.uk

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Re: China to begin two-child policy

#51

Post by s_dev »

MC7447a wrote: post #24
s_dev wrote: post #9

Overpopulation is an interesting problem, it exponentially affects every other problem we have -- some balance will have to be found between ultimately telling people they can't kids or maintaining that those people have autonomy over their own lives and can make such a decision. I don't know what the solution is - perhaps making the developing world developed as fast as possible.

Overpopulation is a non-problem. Fertility has fallow to near- or below-replacement rate everywhere in the world, except Afrika (which will likely follow in the next decades.) A nice talk from Hans Rosling on this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eA5BM7CE5-8

I think perhaps you're conflating world population with the Chinese population. Overpopulation can occur in small areas without the world being too overpopulated as a whole -- most of them in SE Asia. If theres lots of people and limited resources, the math simply won't hold up. It affects issues like the environment and human health.

Re: China to begin two-child policy

#53

Post by bryanlarsen »

LoSboccacc wrote: post #17
s_dev wrote: post #9

Overpopulation is an interesting problem, it exponentially affects every other problem we have -- some balance will have to be found between ultimately telling people they can't kids or maintaining that those people have autonomy over their own lives and can make such a decision. I don't know what the solution is - perhaps making the developing world developed as fast as possible.

that only moves the problem further along the road - much further, but still: world won't be able to feed infinite humans so a restriction policy will eventually be needed (or systematic culling, depending on whichever comes first between enlightenment and desperation) an interesting resulting problem of which is that population will keep aging. solutions will need to take into account non productive member in their…

We can't feed infinite humans, but if we covered the earth with greenhouses, we could feed trillions of people.

Overpopulation causes many problems, being able to feed them is not one of them.

Re: China to begin two-child policy

#54

Post by XorNot »

LoSboccacc wrote: post #17
s_dev wrote: post #9

Overpopulation is an interesting problem, it exponentially affects every other problem we have -- some balance will have to be found between ultimately telling people they can't kids or maintaining that those people have autonomy over their own lives and can make such a decision. I don't know what the solution is - perhaps making the developing world developed as fast as possible.

that only moves the problem further along the road - much further, but still: world won't be able to feed infinite humans so a restriction policy will eventually be needed (or systematic culling, depending on whichever comes first between enlightenment and desperation) an interesting resulting problem of which is that population will keep aging. solutions will need to take into account non productive member in their…

Except in no part of the world of the modern world has human population increase continued unchecked.

Most western countries populations grow only because of immigration - fertility is below the replacement rate.

Overpopulation is the "problem" people trot out so they don't have to talk about things they might actually have to do something about, like switching to renewable energy sources, or improving women's education in developing countries.

Re: China to begin two-child policy

#55

Post by anunderachiever »

trymas wrote: post #52
Mimick wrote: post #47

Overpopulation isn't that of a big problem as the politics make it seem.

Why (I am serious, as IMHO today's global population is too big)?

If you place all 7.3 billion people onto an area of the size of Austria, every one has more than 11m² to their own.

Of course this illustration is a simplification but it brings the world population back to perspective.

Re: China to begin two-child policy

#56

Post by sethbannon »

From the article "All couples will now be allowed to have two children".

So it seems China isn't so much ending its one-child policy, as augmenting it by one to a two-child policy. This means the brutal and cruel enforcement will continue, only it will kick in at the third child instead of at the second.

Re: China to begin two-child policy

#58

Post by electricblue »

r-w wrote: post #36

The Giver ’s portrayal of systematic euthanasia of the elderly comes to mind. I really hope we never have to make that kind of decision. After all, what choice could possibly be compatible with our principles of liberty, equality, respect, and fairness? This may be the hardest ethical problem we can’t afford not to solve.

Seems fairly easy to me. Pay 18 year old boys $10k to get a vasectomy. Watch birth rates plummet. Captialism gives us systematic inequality, we should use it to fix more problems

Re: China to begin two-child policy

#59

Post by ck2 »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #19
ck2 wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You say it in a crass way but actually, the point of the growing middle class and shifting of China's economic base means there are going to be fewer people making iphones. Next it will move to Vietnam

Maybe we can abuse the fine folks in Shenzhen one last time and automate the entire manufacturing industry away?

China is getting really good at assembly robots too.

However if the process can be completely automated then why not do the manufacturing right where the bulk of consumption is going to happen to reduce shipping costs which are always growing.

Re: China to begin two-child policy

#60

Post by seanmcdirmid »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #15
madeofpalk wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You mean, tinder?

Honestly, for Tinder-like service you just need to turn on WeChat in the evening and run "people nearby" search so that you pop up on a list with updated location. The offers stream themselves.

And this is why my wife won't let me use wechat. Many of my laowai friends had a lot of fun with that.
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