01-01 The Issues
During the 1980’s I received several private briefings from the Canadian Government Department of Manpower and Immigration. It was an eye-opener. Mortality, birth-rates, migration all broken out in massive detail. And what I learned about Canadian population issues applies to population issues everywhere. The first lesson was understanding how modern medicine is enabling people to…
01-02 Thailand
Like so many developed nations of Europe, Thailand is experiencing long-term population decline with the typical pattern of low birthrates and low mortality, yet a reluctance to open its borders to people from the neighbouring countries of Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. Thailand is a good example of the issue of population changes in the developed…
01-03 Brazil
An exciting but dangerous nation. Samba music and high crime rates. 6.3 children per female 60 years ago and 1.7 today. Massive immigration from Portugal, Spain, Germany and Italy in the past. 213.4 million people today and growing by 1.5 million per year. But then into decline after 2050 with a population of only 164…
01-04 Canada
A population of 37.6 million that could double in the next 40 years. But its all due to immigration. A nation that could handle 100 million by 2100. Birth rates are weak like all developed nations, but a haven for new Canadians. My father came to Canada in 1928 and spent a year working for…
01-05 USA
The third largest nation in terms of population, with 331 million citizens today and projected to grow to 404 million over the next 40 years. A nation that takes in anywhere from one to two million immigrants. But a nation cursed with illegal immigration. So many developed nations are preparing for shrinking populations and a…
01-06 Birth Control
Women who are educated and relatively affluent have choices about having children. In simple terms, they have access to various forms of birth control and the right to use them or not. The result is declining birth rates in the developed nations. To control rising populations in less developed nations, it will be necessary to…
01-07 Abortion
The one-child policy in China was an attempt to curb its growing population. The result has been sex-selection abortion and a shortage of 30 million women. It is a similar story in India. We can assume something like 15-20 million abortions a year are performed in each of these two nations. It was 1985, and…
01-08 The Pandemic
Birth rates, mortality and immigration are all being impacted by the global pandemic. This suggests a reduction in global population numbers. The faster economies can recover because of effective vaccinations. the faster population numbers will return to normal levels. What was so interesting about deaths during the Spanish Flu was losing a great uncle that…
01-09 Climate Change
The populations of the developed nations are all shrinking. Further declines are taking place because of the pandemic and climate change. The big issue is how climate change is forcing populations shifts and migration. It was 1983 in Singapore, long before anyone showed concern about climate change, that we were told that Singapore women who…