How many kids are too many?

[antigone382]

63. The only issue with that analysis is the number of resources used by those in developed countries.

A commonly quoted statistic is that, over the course of his or her lifetime, one baby born in a developed country will use the same amount of resources (oil, gas, water, food, and raw materials) as 20 babies born in an undeveloped country--the frightening part is that a good deal of those resources go towards the things that provide a good quality of life; an advanced medical system, cheap and easy transportation, education, industry, and a surplus of a wide variety of foods. Even if global population stabilizes, equitable development can only go so far, as there is no way we can extend that resource use to every person on the planet--yet the idea of preventing people in the developing world from accessing the same quality of life enhancers we enjoy is monstrous. Thus, to have a sustainable population, it isn't enough to stabilize the birth rate in the third world. We have to figure out ways to use resources much more effectively, starting with those of us who are using the most, here in the developing world. Until drastic improvements are made, I think that it would be better for the population of the developed world to stay where it is, or even decline a bit.