Japan Shrinks

Quote from travfar : Yes, natural gas is used to make synthetic fertilizers but I thought oil is also used for some of the ingredients. It's also used for pesticides which is another thing that boosts the yields. http://www.priweb.org/ed/pgws/use...lizer.html

Oil is used in practically everything. It is a major feedstock for plastics, fertilizers, lubricants, and industrial solvents.

Quote from Xygonn : Population doesn't grow forever, it is resource limited. If you don't have enough resources, either you are smart enough to not make any more babies, or people die due to a lack of food, shelter, medicine, etc.

Historic animal examples, including humans, tend towards the latter. The resources run out then there's a die off. Maybe it'll be different this time. Certain cultures seem to be addressing the issue of population growth, Europe/China/Japan, others not so much. It's a balancing act. Japan is facing that issue. Not enough babies and thus not enough workers in the future. Contrary to common sense, population growth is inversely proportional to the ability to support increased populations. The wealthier countries are shrinking and the poorer countries are growing.