by IslandCrow » Mon 22 Mar 2010, 02:41:05
I think your example is more correctly termed 'die-back'. 'Die-off' involves a significant decrease in population, or collapse in population, associated with a raised death rate (war, famine, plague etc). Japan's situation is more due to falling birth rate than rising death rate.
I am not sure what % figure to give to 'significnat decrease', but I am sure that a biological definition will have a much higher figure than what my emotions would consider a 'die-off'.
If comparing countries, Russia (or some other former USSR bits) has a raised death rate, and decreasing population. In Russia's case it is estimated at 0,3% decrease a year. While being closer to die-off than Japan I guess that in biological terms this no where near a collapse in population levels.
For me the big question is that while I see that there will have to be smaller populations in a Post Peak Oil world, can some areas get there through a more gentel 'die-back'? I assume that some parts might well see a collapse in population, due to high population density, low food production and war...but does this have to apply to all parts of this world? In Japan's case the population density seem to be high compared to food production capacities, but if the second half of the oil age is long enough will their natural population decrease allow them to survive without a die-off?
We should teach our children the 4-Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Rejoice.