Search

Read the archive   of Wattenberg's   syndicated column     Fewer People, Part One We have all heard about the population explosion. Indeed, global population is still going up much more slowly than expected. ... more Does the U.N. Work? The UN was created in 1945 principally to promote peace among nations. But its role in the 21st Century is ... more   Fewer People, Part Two main page Fewer People, Part Two Aired 9/30/2004 We have all heard about the population explosion. Indeed, global population is still going up much more slowly than expected. But something is going on that is quite unexpected. In the last half century the number of children born per woman fell from 5 to 2.7. Now, it takes just 2.1 children to keep a population stable over time but the United Nations is now projecting that women will only bear 1.85 children per woman. That means fewer people in the future and not only in the modern western nations, but in the poor, less developed countries as well. What’s going on? What does it mean? To find out, Think Tank host Ben Wattenberg, author of the new book Fewer: How the New Demography of Depopulation Will Shape our Future, is joined by the men who head the agencies that gather and tend the data from which we make our judgments.   Read the full transcript   Joseph Chamie     Director of the United Nations Population Division, which produces World Population Prospects, and the author of Religion and Fertility   Peter Way     Chief of the International Program Center at the U.S. Bureau of the Census in Washington, D.C., which produces the Global Population Profile Originally Aired: 9/30/2004     Be sure to also check out: Here are some previous Think Tank programs that may be of interest. Fewer People, Part One   aired 9/23/2004 Population Explosion or Birth Dearth? Part I   aired 11/27/2003 Population Explosion or Birth Dearth, Part II   aired 4/18/2002 Send us your thoughts Think Tank is made possible by generous support from the Smith Richardson Foundation, the Bernard and Irene Schwartz Foundation, the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, the John M. Olin Foundation, the Donner Canadian Foundation, the Dodge Jones Foundation, and Pfizer, Inc. ©Copyright Think Tank. All rights reserved.     Web development by Bean Creative.