On: The global fertility rate is falling

[corysama]

I fully expect the Indian and Chinese population coming into wealth will go through a period of fairly outrageous conspicuous consumption. I have a hope that it will be fast-forwarded compared to the past 70 years of American history. Hopefully after a decade-long warmup and another decade of settling in, the novelty will wear off and there will be a move away from focusing on "More Stuff!" and toward focusing on "Less Clutter, More Experiences!"

[ZephyrBlu → corysama]

> Hopefully after a decade-long warmup and another decade of settling in, the novelty will wear off and there will be a move away from focusing on "More Stuff!" and toward focusing on "Less Clutter, More Experiences!"

The western world hasn't even moved past that stage, so I highly doubt developing countries will move through it quickly.

[arvinsim → ZephyrBlu]

Ironically, it is cheaper to have "more stuff" than to have "less clutter, more experiences!".

[lotsofpulp → corysama]

If those experiences involve moving mass long distances (such as flying to South America and hiking the Andes), then it’s all the same.

I don’t see any environmental reprieve short of drastic reductions in consumptions, including travel.

[sudosysgen → lotsofpulp]

Good thing that high-speed rail and other land transport infrastructure is being built in order to connect the entirety of Eurasia and eventually Africa, with sufficient throughput to feed multiple US economies.