Looks like we are past the Global Warming thing

[pbr87]

The only continent with lots of babies is Africa... because of violence and AIDS.

How does aids and violence cause lots of babies?
I don't see the connection--care to fill me in?

[rwh11385]

How does aids and violence cause lots of babies?
I don't see the connection--care to fill me in?

Ugh.

People still have to make lots of babies because many die of malnutrition, or their offspring die from war or AIDs. In order to have a "legacy", people need to start with more kids.


In developed nations, people can have pretty good odds of their family tree continuing with just 2 children.

[Hallen]

Sorry Hallen, I usually agree with you... but you are wrong here. As nations develop, their family sizes decrease. The only continent with lots of babies is Africa... because of violence and AIDS.

Look @ 4:30, as life expectancy increases, family size decreases:
http://www.gapminder.org/videos/ted-...e-third-world/

That is very true but not my point. What we did was artificially increased child survival rates by introducing modern medicine into undeveloped nations. Their cultures didn't adapted to modern development as quickly as the increase in survival rates. So they continued to grow in population quickly. The US and other western nations had more time to adapt to the changes because the medical advances took place over time, not all at once. I think the data shown in that video supports this idea. As the dots moved, they generally moved up first indicating longer life before they moved left indicating smaller families. I could be wrong, but that is what it looks like to me.

[rwh11385]

They still have huge families because culturally, they think they have to.

But they don't. Maybe they had a short stint, if that... but cultures which are experiencing income growth are adapting towards us. Fewer children, more similar housing... and even pets, if their middle class status allows.

There are more videos about infant mortality rate, and even data available to play with yourself... but third world countries are becoming more and more like us.