Population Dynamics Part II

Does the Earth's Future Depend on Ovaries and Sperm?

I Posted a similar topic earlier last year, but this time I have numbers:

Most Populated Countries  (Source WHO)

Total Population China: 1,328,474,000
Gross national income per capita (PPP international $): 4,660
Probability of dying under five (per 1 000 live births): 24

Total Population India: 1,151,751,000
Gross national income per capita (PPP international $): 2,460
Probability of dying under five (per 1 000 live births): 76

Total Population USA: 302,841,000
Gross national income per capita (PPP international $): 44,070
Probability of dying under five (per 1 000 live births): 8


Indonesia: 228,864,000
 Gross national income per capita (PPP international $):3,310
Probability of dying under five (per 1 000 live births): 34


Total Popultion Brazil: 189,323,000
Gross national income per capita (PPP international $): 8,700
Probability of dying under five (per 1 000 live births): 20


My Island
Total Population Dominican Republic: 9,615,000
Gross national income per capita (PPP international $): 5,550
Probability of dying under five (per 1 000 live births): 29

For China and India, a high population does not equate higher income. For China in particular, this means there is a big discrepancy between labor and personal economic growth in the long run, as there are high number of industries situated in China (i.e., companies from overseas). As you may have heard before, China has surpassed the U.S. as the number one producer of [CO2] but can you blame them? A significant amount of Chinese still use coal as their primary source of electricity. In remote villages, people still have very simple and traditional lives, while in big cities such as Beijing the number of millionaires continues to grow.

As we know, the Chinese realized they needed regulate their population and thus imposed the one child policy (though there are exceptions according to ethnicity, family background). But Did it work?

In India there is no such policy and their high population is a significant contributor to the severe poverty currently afflicting the country. However, the Indian culture encourages education and the number of Indians becoming doctors, engineers, lawyers, etc…continues to grow. But a big number of eduated Indians realize the opportunities they may havein Europe and U.S. and emigrate. Besides, can you really study when you’re hungry?
Literacy in India, source UNICEF
Youth (15–24 years) literacy rate, 2003–2007*, male 87
Adult literacy rate: females as a % of males, 2003–2007* 71

Sometime ago I read an article that highlights a new emerging problem in China (and India) as a consequence of the one child policy (though India does not have such policy): a huge discrepancy between the number of boys and girls. Aborted girl fetuces  (and infanticide) in each country (because of cultural and economical reasons) has lead to a low number of females (brides) for the big number of males (grooms). So the love-seeking-want to-be-grooms have no choice but to look in other regions or look abroad.
Similar article from Scientific American http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=there-are-more-boys-than-girls

I think most of us would glance at the numbers I posted above, but even in a short time it’s not hard to figure out that a large number of people are really suffering from hunger, disease, and poor quality of life, and though China and India are not the only countries in which this is happening, their massive populations really has an impact on their food supply, as well as how much the government can help in terms of health care and welfare benefits.
Malnutrition in India NYT http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/09/world/asia/09food.html]

And so a question remains what should we do about our population problem? Do you actually think we have a population problem? For how much longer can the earth sustain the growing number of humans populating the Earth like mad rabbits? What can we learn from countries with a high level of education, high income, and low birth rates?
It’s not hard to figure out that I  support  population control. I think it will bring prosperity, decrease stress due to food supply, and encourage economic prosperity. Even waiting longer to reproduce can have a positive economic impact on the family. But there are many obstacles worth researching.

What’s your opinion?!

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Google Energy Signs 20-Year, 114 MW Wind Power Contract : TreeHugger

Google Energy Signs 20-Year, 114 MW Wind Power Contract : TreeHugger

Aircraft could stay in the air indefinitely, charging batteries from sun's rays

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38142746/ns/technology_and_science

(Sad but Funny!!) Suffering Blue Whales Plead With Environmentalists To Let Them Go Extinct Already

NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN—Claiming that their miserable lives had become too depressing to endure, the world's remaining blue whales surfaced Monday and desperately pleaded with environmentalists to immediately cease all conservation efforts so the species could "just be done with it and finally go extinct."
The planet's last few thousand blue whales gathered around the Greenpeace vessel Rainbow Warrior in the Bering Sea at approximately 9:45 a.m., thanking the activists on board for their good intentions, but also stating that the oceans had become so polluted, they had decided it was simply not worth going on.
"We really appreciate all you've done for us, but now you need to let us die," intoned a 170-ton blue whale through a series of deep and mournful vocalizations. "I swallowed two plastic coolers, a tire, and about a hundred gallons of oil this morning. Is that any way to live?"
The whale reportedly delivered an angry 45-minute speech complaining about the debilitating noise of naval sonar, excruciating collisions with massive ocean vessels, the lack of mates who haven't been tagged for some scientific experiment, depleted sources of krill, and the very high likelihood of getting cancer from the PCBs in the water.
"I know you've been really excited about helping us ever since that whole 'Save the Whales' craze began back in the '70s," the whale said. "But I think we can agree that the past 35 years have basically been a death march, so let's just part ways."
"We had a good run," added the creature, who requires 1.5 million calories each day to survive. "But species come and go. It's a natural cycle and we are at peace with it.
The consortium of blue whales admitted they had begun beaching themselves on purpose, and ordered the environmentalists to stop wasting time organizing volunteers who only prevent the suicidal creatures from experiencing the sweet release of death. They also urged the activists to end their practice of collecting signatures for petitions and to put their efforts into something that has a chance of succeeding, such as saving historic buildings.
The massive whales reportedly let out anguished moans and slapped their 10-foot flippers against the water in frustration, explaining that they were "obviously at an evolutionary dead end, not having developed the ability to breathe garbage."
"If Greenpeace really cared, you wouldn't let us suffer like this," one whale said. "Sure, maybe you helped stabilize our population for a while, but our lives totally suck. Besides, with global warming and everything, all ocean life is going to die anyway, so why prolong the agony?"

Though the largest creatures ever to inhabit the planet insisted that the environmental group could only help them by encouraging Japan to keep hunting them and deploying as many exploding harpoons as possible, Greenpeace spokesperson Jill Kirkpatrick said the organization was reluctant to follow the blue whales' orders to abandon efforts to protect them.
"A lot of us have invested years of their lives to saving the whales," Kirkpatrick said. "The whales will die off when we say they'll die off."
The giant ocean mammals finally suggested that if the environmentalists couldn't bring themselves to allow the whales to go peacefully, they could always look at the hours upon hours of documentary footage of the forlorn creatures to recall their once-majestic ways.
"I know it's hard to say goodbye, but you'll understand it someday yourselves," the magnificent whale said as its 102-foot-long body breached the water. "In fact, you'll be begging for the same thing in about 25 years."


(the onion)

Looks Like BP Needs To Follow Its Own Advise

What's The Meaning of "One Picture is Worth A Thousand Words"?