Talking of vaccines....

[Saint]

The latest from Oxford Jenner is a Malaria vaccine showing to be 77% effective in Phase II trials, the first vaccine to meet the WHO 75% target. The best any previous Malaria vaccine had managed was 55%, and required 4 doses to achieve that level of protection.

This is enormous news for Africa, which had 4 times the number of malaria deaths last year as it did Covid, and the target is to start delivering 200 million plus doses per year by 2022 assuming that it can be approved

[The Druid]

At Least the EU will not be ordering it.
But very good news.

[Calculon]

This will potentially have a far bigger impact on the world than the covid vaccines

[Sandstorm]

This will potentially have a far bigger impact on the world than the covid vaccines

Yup. Population growth is getting out of hand.



That is what you were getting at....?

[Raggs]

This will potentially have a far bigger impact on the world than the covid vaccines

Yup. Population growth is getting out of hand.



That is what you were getting at....?

Why is population growth out of hand?

[Sandstorm]

This will potentially have a far bigger impact on the world than the covid vaccines

Yup. Population growth is getting out of hand.



That is what you were getting at....?

Why is population growth out of hand?

8+ billion people on Earth is fine. Let’s go for 9 or 12 for shits and giggles.

[Calculon]

This will potentially have a far bigger impact on the world than the covid vaccines

Yup. Population growth is getting out of hand.



That is what you were getting at....?

I don’t think malaria is a particularly good method of population control. What certainly is, is women’s education

[Raggs]

Yup. Population growth is getting out of hand.



That is what you were getting at....?

Why is population growth out of hand?

8+ billion people on Earth is fine. Let’s go for 9 or 12 for shits and giggles.

We already produce enough food for pretty much that amount. So there's no food shortage. There's plenty of land that could be built on too (not used for food production).

I won't argue that there's not an economic problem in the world today, but then there's been one for millennia. I'd definitely like to see that solved, but there's no fundamental issue with the population at the moment.

[Sandstorm]

Why is population growth out of hand?

8+ billion people on Earth is fine. Let’s go for 9 or 12 for shits and giggles.

We already produce enough food for pretty much that amount. So there's no food shortage. There's plenty of land that could be built on too (not used for food production).

I won't argue that there's not an economic problem in the world today, but then there's been one for millennia. I'd definitely like to see that solved, but there's no fundamental issue with the population at the moment.

Food production is not the issue. The type of food (beef) and the associated climate issues is the problem. If you can find a way for the Developing World to keep having kids and for them to all remain as subsistence farmers in the bush, then go ahead and breed.

Edumacation is of course the best solution. That and Statto keeping his mickey in his trousers.

[Saint]

One of the reasons Africa produces so many kids is because they expect a very large % to die. It will only take a generation for them to realise they don;t need to go that far. And without the economic pressures so much mass death brings, they'll be able to spend a signifcantly larger % of time on other stuff.

There's a challenge to be sure, but this is part of the first step to solving the larger problem

[Sandstorm]

One of the reasons Africa produces so many kids is because they expect a very large % to die. It will only take a generation for them to realise they don;t need to go that far. And without the economic pressures so much mass death brings, they'll be able to spend a signifcantly larger % of time on other stuff.

There's a challenge to be sure, but this is part of the first step to solving the larger problem

The way to reduce birth rates in Africa is to get all girls into school up until then are 18. Education works and ensures they have their first child at 24 years old, not their 4th.

[Biffer]

Yup. Population growth is getting out of hand.



That is what you were getting at....?

Why is population growth out of hand?

8+ billion people on Earth is fine. Let’s go for 9 or 12 for shits and giggles.

You are Thomas Malthus and I claim my five pounds.

[Saint]

One of the reasons Africa produces so many kids is because they expect a very large % to die. It will only take a generation for them to realise they don;t need to go that far. And without the economic pressures so much mass death brings, they'll be able to spend a signifcantly larger % of time on other stuff.

There's a challenge to be sure, but this is part of the first step to solving the larger problem

The way to reduce birth rates in Africa is to get all girls into school up until then are 18. Education works and ensures they have their first child at 24 years old, not their 4th.

That;s part of the issue, but only part. It's a very complex problem

[Sandstorm]

One of the reasons Africa produces so many kids is because they expect a very large % to die. It will only take a generation for them to realise they don;t need to go that far. And without the economic pressures so much mass death brings, they'll be able to spend a signifcantly larger % of time on other stuff.

There's a challenge to be sure, but this is part of the first step to solving the larger problem

The way to reduce birth rates in Africa is to get all girls into school up until then are 18. Education works and ensures they have their first child at 24 years old, not their 4th.

That;s part of the issue, but only part. It's a very complex problem

More African women live in cities now, not in the bush. They don’t have 8 kids because they need farm labour.

[FalseBayFC]

The way to reduce birth rates in Africa is to get all girls into school up until then are 18. Education works and ensures they have their first child at 24 years old, not their 4th.

That;s part of the issue, but only part. It's a very complex problem

More African women live in cities now, not in the bush. They don’t have 8 kids because they need farm labour.

South Africa's fertility rate has fallen from over 6 to 2.4 between 1960 and 2020. Fertility rates are falling in most parts of the world. Trending towards replacement levels. A few countries like Nigeria still have fertility levels but are certainly trending down.

Some interesting research suggests pollution may be having an effect on sperm count.

[Niegs]

Interesting on the sperm count. I was going to ask about the waste and pollution impact of a few billion more people (watched some stuff last night on plastic generation and that our recycling doesn’t always get recycled and instead goes to landfill).