But that looks feeble, given that the number of daily car trips is also forecast to increase by more than 500, 000 because of population growth.

ECONOMIST: Hawaii tries to bring a railway to its capital

Considering that people over 65 are forecast to rise to 40% of the population by 2050 (up from 12% in 1990 and 20% in 2004, by then already the highest in the G6), one wonders why is has been so hard to make and win the consumption tax argument.

FORBES: Japan Confronts Fiscal Reality: Consumption Tax Hike Agreed

The urban population of the world is forecast to grow to 6.3 billion people in 2050 from 3.4 billion in 2009, representing both population growth and net migration from countryside to city.

UNESCO: CULTURE

The EE 4G network currently covers 45% of the UK population, and is forecast to increase to more than 55% by summer, as the network grows to cover more than 65 towns and cities as well as much of the suburban and rural areas that surround them.

ENGADGET: EE promises UK 4G to 27 more towns by June 2013 Mobile

The forecast rise in world's population, from just under 7 billion at the start of 2011 to just over 9 billion in 2050, is the equivalent of two extra Indias.

ECONOMIST: The answer is less straightforward than it seems

Indeed, the population in the state of Thuringia, which was part of former East Germany, is forecast to plunge more than 40% to 1.3 million residents by 2060, according to government statistics.

WSJ: Germany's Rapidly Aging Population Threatens Rural Towns