With the world population surpassing 7 billion last October, most nations in the world are fighting climate change with family planning. But not everyone! Singapore, with a population of 5.18 million, a median age of 37, and the lowest fertility rate in the world at .78 children per woman, is embarking on an, er, aggressive campaign to boost its population. This Thursday, August 9, has been designated by the famously straight-laced nation as "National Night," when it is the duty of "financially secure adults in stable, committed long-term relationships" to do their demographic duty. "We gotta go all the way for Singapore, ya know what I'm sayin'?" Successful couples will be eligible for the nation's $3,000 "baby bonus" for the first and second child, $4,800 for children three and four.
Further encouragement is offered in the video below. (Safe for work, although you might want to keep the sound down.) Thanks to James Fallows for the tip.
PAUL RAUBER is a senior editor at Sierra. He is the author, with Carl Pope, of the happily outdated Strategic Ignorance: Why the Bush Administration Is Recklessly Destroying a Century of Environmental Progress. Otherwise he is a cyclist, cook, and father of two. Follow him on Twitter @paulrauber
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