World in the Balance

A counter in the Nova website tells us how many are born every second. It may just be a rough guide, but it does remind us that our population is growing. However, demograhpic disparities exist between countries, which may bring about global repercussio

Long ago, the life expectancy for a neanderthal male may be just over 20. Now people can be expected to live well over 60, a good yet bad thing i suppose. In the industrialized world- Japan, Europe and the United States, birthrates are dropping steeply while there seems to be more and more senior citizens. Pensions and decaying economic productivity can very well cripple a growing country. Yet little can be done to 'encourage' child birth, with the price of child rearing soaring and women seeking increasing marital independence in pursuit of a professional career.

In yet another demograhpic crisis would be Africa, where people are dying in the prime of their life, largely due to AIDS and sexually transmitted disease. How can a country fend for itself when all of its strongest members are either missing or not capable of working. Is the country expected to survive off the very young or the very old? Africa would be trapped in this vicious disease-ridden cycle of poverty for quite some time to come, and with no effective means to stop it, may stay that way.

China is now one of the fastest expanding economies in the world. As it strives for a higher standard of living for its people, this has taken its toll on the environment. Already the effects are felt as far as California in the states. However, China's relentless economic growth surges on.
If they were to reach the standard of living of a standard american citizen, we would virtually require 2 earths. Since one is all we have, we will try our best to make this one last.