What is the best reasonable way to have a planet's population reduced from almost 7 billion down to one bil.?

Question

I've been thinking over what'd be the best solution and the Best WAY to reduce Earth's population. I am not into that "kill some and let others live" stuff, or anything that would be harmful to people. I am looking for a reasonable but effective way that would over the period of time reduce our planet's population from almost 7 bil. down to 1 billion. Yeah, I know that's minus 6 billion. I would love to hear good ideas especially from people who have already been thinking about that issue. Certainly our environmetal situation will face a much brighter future (that's aside from other environmental suggestions and changes). So once again, it's the Method or way of the population reduction that I am looking for.

Answer 1

You see the population of Europeans decreasing. They are also more affluent and educated. Figure out some way to have highly compensated work and college available to all.

Answer 2

That's a complex issue.
would the reduction be voluntary? An agreement? or a catastrophe?
As far as I can tell people will never voluntarily stop having babies. Human beings have baby madness. No matter how crappy things are, no matter how emotionally or economically ill-prepared people are, no matter how bad the world situation is, people are just like "I WANT A BAAAABYYYY!!!!"
They don't even care about the baby's experience, that's the sad thing.
Grow up in a toxic waste dump? "I WANT A BAAAABYYY!"
Dads on crack? "IWANT A BAAABBBYYYY!"
Global environmental crisis impending? "I WANT A BAAAAABYYYY!" etc.
So aside from voluntary birth rate reduction, which will never happen, there are three likely candidates:
a)Airborne plague (the most appealing but not REALLY very likely. Although the CDC is always talking about new threats a really good slate-wiper just hasn't materialized)
b)Nuclear war (nice but highly unlikely, people in government like their property too much)or
c)Massive climate change and resulting chaos.
The third option seems to be the most likely and could possibly lead to a) or b).
Too bad people can't just stop having babies, it would be a lot easier, especially on the babies.

Answer 3

Poverty and ignorance are the main driving forces behind increased birth rate. Civilized nations have the lowest birth rates.
In a practical sense, the best way to decrease birth rate is by providing basic infrastructure to primitive societies, such as clean running water, modernized agriculture and education opportunities. Democratic forms of government also provide a small incentive to decrease fertility rates.
Unfortunately we witness the alarming birth rate among certain ethnic groups who maintain a culture of poverty and ignorance and would not accept the measures described above.
Instead of trying to influence these cultures in a progressive direction, we see, instead, stupid liberal rock singers raising money to allow them to have more children and increase their poverty.
Of course, more drastic measures could be used, such as dictatorial mandates on the number of children, but this would be impossible in most countries.
I believe that the only practical way is to provide basic needs and education.

Answer 4

Forced birth control. If you only let each couple have one child instead of two, the population will be cut in half each generation.

I'm not saying I condone this, but that would be the best and most humane way in my opinon.

Answer 5

If we can produce enough to feed and house people in a sustainable manner, then why should we?

Maybe someday we'll start colonies on Mars or the Moon, and people will decide to emmigrate.

Answer 6

Stop the use of fertility drugs.