I wrote:
> There has been great progress reducing population growth and poverty. > Third world literacy is 80% and growing rapidly. > These three are closely tied together. High population growth is mainly caused by dire poverty, high infant mortality, lack of education, and lack of old age pensions. Couples have many children when they think the children may die, and when adult children take care of their parents who would otherwise starve. During the last 50 years, in nearly every country and culture in the world, poverty has been reduced, healthcare improved, infant mortality has fallen to the level it was in Europe and U.S. in the 1960s, and education has increased. This has always been followed by a sharp drop in population growth. Most couples in the world now have 1 or 2 children. The only countries where this has not happened are those in wars. The number of wars and the number of people killed in them has drastically declined since 1945. The present era is the most peaceful in recorded history. It does not seem that way, because news of war reaches us easily and in detail, but that is the case. See this video, especially starting around minute 14: https://vimeo.com/128373915 - Jed
