Wednesday, May 9, 2007

Some thoughts about World Population increase

I believe China has a key role to play in this issue. The country is the most populated in the planet: 1.3 billion inhabitants, a fifth of the world population.
Lately, we noticed a '' rebound” of China population because of the new rich people, who do not respect the laws on demographic control.

Set up at the end of the Seventies, the Chinese family planning policy allows urban couples to have only one child, while the rural couples are limited to 2 children. The goal of such a policy is to control the population growth while preserving natural resources in the country. Couples who exceed the limited number of children have to pay taxes.
However, the increase in the incomes implies that the new rich generation can disregard these rules by paying penalties envisaged by the law. The official agency Xinhua indicates that the number of rich person and celebrities who have more than one child is dramatically rising, and nearly 10% of them have even three children and more. (La Chine s’inquiète d’un rebond de sa population, 7 May 2007. Le Monde).

Another factor of increase in the population seems critical: the return to early marriages in the countryside. It is encouraged by the traditional wish of the families to have male heirs. The Chinese Constitution indicates that men can marry starting from 22 years-old while women can at 20 years-old. Late marriages are encouraged in order to slow down the demographic growth.
China committed to limit its population lower than 1,36 billion people in 2010, and 1,45 billion in 2020. Could government keep its promise?

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