@steevc: I've seen various stuff about this. A falling birth rate can mean that old people outnumber the young and make the economics of pensions difficult, but people are having less kids. Women are waiting longer to start a family. That seems to be a common trend as countries get better off. I don't think that is necessarily a bad thing as population cannot keep growing indefinitely. The world managed with less people before and in 50 years the balance of old and young may have levelled off. I've heard that Africa will overtake Asia in population before things settle more. What really matters is that everyone has a good chance of a decent life. If local population exhausts local water and food then you have issues. This is part of why people are migrating to Europe and the US. I think a lot of rubbish is talked about them 'replacing' us. A lot of that is just racism. It's complicated and I'm no expert :)
@valued-customer: Crashing populations of indiginous people in countries critical to the global economy will severely disrupt industry and the economy, plus we need more people producing goods and services via decentralized means to replace the profiteering overlords that are destroying the environment with malevolent development, and help to outcompete them in their efforts to control us by our dependence on them for necessities and the goods and services that create the blessings of civilization. So, I agree we should be having more babies. Also, there's little I'd rather do than conceive more babies. I'm willing to do my best. Thanks!
@dbooster: Japan has been in decreasing population mode for a few years now. The government has been freaking out, demanding people have more kids, but it hasn't been working. The people are too tired from their 18 hour days to have sex, and even if they wanted to, childcare is unaffordable to the middle class and below and the money that school's require is going up so much every year that it's to the point where a middle class family struggles to even afford one kid. People beg the gov to help with this, the gov just gives them the middle finger and says "what, do you hate Japan? have more kids". The easy solution to a declining birthrate, immigration, is not considered. The gov refuses to even entertain loosening the gates. So we find no change, just a shrinking population and a government screaming at the overworked and unhappy people to have more kids. Sounds like this mess is moving to the West now, or at least to America. Fun!
@apshamilton: They are concerned with survival of civilisation. Its not "according to some powerful people"; it is basic maths and biology. If fertility continues at well below replacement level in civilised societies those societies will die out. It has happened many times before in history (Greek Dark Age, Collapse of Rome and Dark Ages). But this time it is happening to almost all civilisations at once because culture has gone global.