Quote Originally Posted by DCFGS3 View Post
...the areas of real population growth, Africa, Asia, will mostly be without it, meaning actual population growth would be minimal
I should sincerely hope so, but the fact is those areas already have rampant growth and extending human life in other parts of the world would probably have no effect in the 3rd world, the population would probably continue to grow out of proportion to the remainder of the world. I once had a conversation with an agronomist and University professor who does much of his work in the third world. In my ignorance I posed the question of why, when they have so many problems feeding themselves, families in the 3rd world are so large. My initial thought was basically a lack of birth control. The truth is more complex and more simple at the same time. According to the professor, lack of birth control is one factor, albeit a small factor. According to him the major factor for high birth rates in the 3rd world is cheap labor, lack of birth control only makes it easier to raise the wanted labor. The larger the family, the more a family can farm, in this case, or bring in a larger income. The obvious down side is that the point of diminishing returns is reached fairly quickly, especially for the farming sector. Their population growth would basically continue unabated, it doesn't even rise to the level of a zero sum game, unless some outside forces were brought to bear, i.e. education, birth control measures and improved farming practices, all of which cost $$$.



....In fact growth in Western countries would decrease even more, as people no longer feel pressured by age to have children. IMO the benefits far outweigh any forseeable cost.
Speculation