[Simon47]

Nine Trends in Global Aging Present Challenges, Says U.S. Study
Report presented at State Department Summit on Global Aging
March 16, 2007 – While the world has successfully learned to live longer, this longevity presents many new challenges that will require cooperative planning by the world's nations, says a new report, Why Population Aging Matters: A Global Perspective, which was presented yesterday at the Summit on Global Aging, hosted by the U.S. State Department in collaboration with the National Institute on Aging.



"People are living longer and, in some parts of the world, healthier lives. This represents one of the crowning achievements of the last century but also a significant challenge. Longer lives must be planned for," according to the report..

"Societal aging may affect economic growth and many other issues, including the sustainability of families, the ability of states and communities to provide resources for older citizens, and international relations."
"Despite the weight of scientific evidence, the significance of population aging and its global implications have yet to be fully appreciated. There is a need to raise awareness about not only global aging issues but also the importance of rigorous cross-national scientific research and policy dialogue that will help us address the challenges and opportunities of an aging world."

Nine Trends in Global Aging Present Challenges, Says U.S. Study

[Raptor235]

this will become a huge problem in the future... however there are signs that as a country goes "1st world" the birth rates drop significantly so I guess we'll have to wait and see

[Simon47]

I'm doubtful that a declining birthrate will ease the planetary burden if the developing world are also going to be living longer, surviving due to declining infant mortality rates and not suffering death from starvation, disease and the ravages of unrelenting environment of political, social, economic and environmental instability and the obscured inhumanity of human purpose. That's if any of that is at all possible and the good efforts I do see in the world give me hope, given time; and a fair bit of it I think???

Sim

Originally Posted by Raptor235

this will become a huge problem in the future... however there are signs that as a country goes "1st world" the birth rates drop significantly so I guess we'll have to wait and see

[Stepper]

I went to look up when China instituted its one-child policy and found that they recently relaxed the policy: International News | Chinese Province Relaxes One-Child Policy; Divorced Couples Who Remarry Allowed Second Child in Shanghai - Kaisernetwork.org

Perhaps they are loosening up because (from the Glittering Eye, The Glittering Eye » Blog Archive » China’s time bombs: Gray China

"China’s fertility rate has fallen to a sub-replacement level. In the cities the fertility rate is substantially below the replacement level of 2.1 children per couple."

"Unless trends change starting in about 10 years China’s working age population will actually begin to shrink and within 25 years China’s total population will begin to decline."

This second article focuses on the graying of China, and talks about how a shrinking workforce will have to support a large elder population. This has already begun to happen in Europe.

Of course, in other areas of the developing world, fertility rates are still high.