Some forecasts predict a decline in the total population within the next 100 years. Birth rates in many countries (not just industrial, first world) have dropp

Some forecasts predict a decline in the total population within the next 100 years. Birth rates in many countries (not just industrial, first world) have dropped below replacement rates for long enough that we'll likely see a plateau in total population, and possibly a drop, as there won't be enough young people having babies to replace the big bubble of old people that all start to die off together. Interesting presentation on it here: http://longnow.org/seminars/02004/aug/13/the-depopulation-problem/ http://longnow.org/seminars/02004/aug/13/the-depopulation-pr... by this guy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phillip_Longman http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phillip_Longman