[dabibibff]

I think the populate or not argument is a tricky one, but one thing I realised after having children, and also as my own (and my friends') parents enter their final years is that without children there is no-one to care for the previous generation. That means when you get old, who is going to look after you? The government? Good luck if you don't live in Scandinavia.

Declining birth rates are going to put a huge burden on the younger generations as their parents require care. Already aged-care has outstripped hospitality as the largest casual employer in Australia. Which basically means that if you're a struggling young actor you're more and more likely to get a part-time job wiping old people's arses than waiting on tables.

I'm not saying overpopulation is not a problem, it is. But not reproducing is not the answer. Personally I think that China and India's growing middle-classes and their desire to have all the material wealth the West has enjoyed is a bigger and more immediate danger than simple overpopulation. It is the habits and desires of those already on the planet that we need to address, not hypothetical future populations.

Hence this thread. So to get back on topic, thanks for the link annoraderenart@. Looks interesting. Need to sit down and have a good read through.

BTW, have any of you tried this? The Freecycle Network is a network that links people who want to chuck stuff out with people who might need it. It so simple that it's genius.

b