QotD: Thinking Outside the (Recyclable) Box

Think outside the (recyclable) box: What's an Act of Green someone might be surprised to learn about?
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Increasing the standard of living in third world countries. You see, first world countries have much lower birthrates than third world countries do [1] and shifting the standard of living to one that is more like a first world country inevitably decreases the birthrate and so decreases demands for resources [2].

Interestingly, it does not appear that you have to raise the standard of living very much to have a strong effect on birthrate. Thus, by working with third world countries to increase their consumption of goods, we can decrease the number of new babies which will then decrease the total effect on the ecosystem.

Ain't unintended consequences great?

John

[1] Ethnologists are still divided over the cause, though there is no doubt about the effect. The most popular hypothesis is that the economic effect of multiple children shifts from a strong positive in third world subsidence level living to a strong negative in first world. The only first world country where this has not been the case has a very strong influx of immigrants who typically have very large families in the first generation and much smaller ones in the second (and assumed assimilated) generation [a].

[2] Think of it this way - you can hire 1,000 people for $10 each or 100 people for $50 each and still get the work done. Even though the amount of work is the same, the total cost is much lower to hire fewer people for more money. Believe it or not, it works just the same way for making babies as it does for making anything else!

[a] Geek points if you can name the country!