AIDS dents world population growth

[SoCalDem]

http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/science/03/22/world.population.reut/index.html

AIDS dents world population growth
Monday, March 22, 2004 Posted: 11:35 PM EST (0435 GMT)



AIDS has killed more than 20 million people.



WASHINGTON (AP) -- The world's population growth is slowing because women are having fewer children and more people are dying from AIDS, especially in Africa, according to a Census Bureau report.

The report released Monday forecasts there will be nearly 9.1 billion people by 2050, a nearly 50 percent increase from the 6.2 billion in 2002. However, the growth rate is slowing significantly.

The global population grew 1.2 percent from 2001 to 2002, or about 74 million people, but growth will slow to 0.42 percent by 2050. That's far below the peak growth of 2.2 percent between 1963 and 1964.

The projections are generally in line with separate forecasts from the United Nations and private researchers. The 2050 world projection is slightly lower than the 9.3 billion forecast in a previous bureau report on the topic in 1998.

Bureau officials warned that such forecasts are based on two factors that could change: fertility rates in developing countries and the AIDS epidemic.



snip

[Roaming]

1. Maybe Ted Turner can finally relax now...

[Karenina]

2. Now where did I stash that URL

to the PNAC doc about "racially targeted bio-agents?" I think I'm having an Aunt Clara moment. ARWALDEN, WHERE are you when I need you?
Kerfluffle, kerfluffle...

[hang a left]

3. I believe that was it's intention.

n/t

[izzie]

4. I will believe it when history is not the same.

The few times it has gone down it has gone up even faster right after what ever killed off the people was over.Their is not much that stops the pop from growing.

[Lisa]

5. yes, even after the Black Death ...

Populations recovered pretty rapidly. And that was an illness that didn't allow people to reproduce before they died.

[SoCalDem]

6. The fact that AIDS is a "time-bomb" disease

is the most troubling.. Without education and some pretty classy drug cocktails, the children are born with it. Young people are the most sexually acxtive, and there are myths that having sex with virgins can cure/prevent contraction of the disease, so it is spreading exponentially.

When the largest group of dying are 20-30 yr olds, there are few healthy adults to raise the children..sick or healthy.. Education becomes secondary to survival, so the ones who manage to escape the disease, are unskilled and unable to support themselves..

It's a chain reaction, and it can and might devastate the population..