So Malthus was right after all? My hope is that fertility rates will continue to trend lower. They have fallen dramatically in developed countries over the past decade and now are below the replacement rate. (For example, I've read that here in California the population would have fallen in recent years if not for immigration.) The problem is that even though fertility rates in less developed countries have fallen considerably, they are still twice the rate of developed countries. On the other hand, if fertility rates fall too quickly we end up with demographic problems -- a relatively small number of younger people have to care for a large aging population. I'm afraid that starvation, wars, disease might be what keeps down the population in some less developed countries. Religions that preach against the use of birth control are doing a terrible disservice to the world. Religion is too stuck in the past anyway. We need spirituality, not religion.