[smudgie]

A sensible approach would be to try and encourage smaller families.

Just 200 years ago the population of Britain was a mere 9 million. Quite frightening to think what another 50 years even of the population rise will do to this little Island..

[Niamh.]

Originally Posted by smudgie

A sensible approach would be to try and encourage smaller families.

Just 200 years ago the population of Britain was a mere 9 million. Quite frightening to think what another 50 years even of the population rise will do to this little Island..

Yes but on the otherhand the population of Ireland was over 8million before the famine in 1845, now it's less then 6 and a half million. I think Nature does have a way of controlling the population

[Nedusa]

Originally Posted by Niamh.

Yes but on the otherhand the population of Ireland was over 8million before the famine in 1845, now it's less then 6 and a half million. I think Nature does have a way of controlling the population

I wouldn't put the Irish potato famine disaster at the door of Nature rather put the blame for that one squarely on the shoulders of the British Government...!!!!!

[Niamh.]

Originally Posted by Nedusa

I wouldn't put the Irish potato famine disaster at the door of Nature rather put the blame for that one squarely on the shoulders of the British Government...!!!!!

hhhmmm well, that's a discussion for another day I think

[MTVN]

Originally Posted by smudgie

A sensible approach would be to try and encourage smaller families.

Just 200 years ago the population of Britain was a mere 9 million. Quite frightening to think what another 50 years even of the population rise will do to this little Island..

I'm not sure how much that could have been avoided though, most of it is due to things like lower infant mortality, longer life expectancy, better medicine, technology, greater wealth etc. rather than family size

It's a difficult question and one I'd rather leave to the experts, I think there can be a lot of scaremongering about population increase which isn't always as big a danger as it's made out to be (talking generally in the world here now not the UK)

[sassysocks]

Originally Posted by smudgie

A sensible approach would be to try and encourage smaller families.

Just 200 years ago the population of Britain was a mere 9 million. Quite frightening to think what another 50 years even of the population rise will do to this little Island..

Just because people can afford large families does not make it moraly ok.

We can't really legislate it but such people should face similar stigma to those that have large families who can't afford it.

Well off people have the same responsibilty to the population as a whole as anyone else and should not be let off the hook simply because they have the finances to indulge themselves with little or no thought to the bigger picture.

[smudgie]

Originally Posted by sassysocks

Just because people can afford large families does not make it moraly ok.

We can't really legislate it but such people should face similar stigma to those that have large families who can't afford it.

Well off people have the same responsibilty to the population as a whole as anyone else and should not be let off the hook simply because they have the finances to indulge themselves with little or no thought to the bigger picture.

I totally agree with this.