Child Mortality

[Lucy]

The WS reporting this morning that child mortality has halved since the 1960s (from 20 Million to 10 Million per year). The reduction is due to the increase in things like breastfeeding, use of mosquito nets and clean water, mostly in areas with poor education, war or post war status and almost no work.

It got me wondering, do we celebrate the increase of the world's population when the planet seems to be struggling with the number of people here already, or does everyone have the right to life, nomatter what?

[chicane]

If we assume that the genuine sustainable population of this planet is around the 1 billion mark, it's somewhat naive to think that we'll ever reduce the population to a sustainable level under our own steam.

I used to worry about things like this, but now I realise that the only time we as humans take action about an issue is when the issue reaches crisis point. So let's continue to screw up the planet at the current rate, which means that the crisis point will arrive sooner rather than later, and we'll be forced to do something about it (whatever the solution may be) sooner rather than later.

[Flubster]

Lucy...why the sudden interest? Are you pregnant? If so, was it Churchill?

[Churchill]

The WS reporting this morning that child mortality has halved since the 1960s (from 20 Million to 10 Million per year).

And that's in spite of trips to Portugal...

Btw, define a child?

Anyone under the age of 16?

[Lucy]

Under 5, for the purposes of this.

[Churchill]

Under 5, for the purposes of this.

10 million?

UK alone?

Feck me, that's a tulipload of "Soylent Green" you're talking about there!

[Lucy]

I don't think there are areas without 'clean water' (London excepted) in the UK.

Worldwide. From the World Service.

[Churchill]

I don't think there are areas without 'clean water' (London excepted) in the UK.

Worldwide. From the World Service.

Ah well, there's natural selection for you.

Call me "Mr Cynical" but is a certain charidee looking for some more funds?

[NoddY]

There's more than one planet out there. Malthusians, governments and other members of the flat earth society believe in contraception and population control. And once they've inflicted 'green' taxes upon us we'll be sharing a cave and rubbing sticks.

We should be going back to what we are good at. Get the army of burger flippers, management consultants, estate agents and lawyers into the New Hebrew Slave army building spaceships and get out there and explore the universe.

[Troll]

And that's in spite of trips to Portugal...

Btw, define a child?

Anyone under the age of 16?

UNESCO is <18