From what I understand, birth rates drop in proportion with the cost of living. As your country or area advance to a more economically productive state, the cost of having and raising kids in creases. That is why the panic in the UK and other areas the immigrants will out breed them in 3 generations is bogus, as their birth rate will match the host country within the first generation.
And in relation to your comments, it is pretty crazy to think that places like London for the longest time had a negative birthrate. People were going out due to disease and the like faster than they were coming in birth wise. It was only the influx of new people coming in that allowed the city to grow.
I hope to listen to the whole thing today at work. If 11 billion is his high mark, I think that is doable, but I also thing we may actually settle out lower. Already we are seeing negative birth rates in some countries. I think ultimately we will be fighting to have people have more than 2 kids to replace themselves.
I did my part and only had one so far…
