chapter one image - Hope mod for Half-Life 2

The inhabitants of Earth were coming closer than ever to a technological and biological singularity. Global unity was attained as the last real war ended, and in the largest United Nations conference ever held, representatives from every advanced country in the world drew up a treaty to resolve all religious and economic power struggles that were so archaic at this stage in humanity. Fifteen years ago, all permanent residency requirements were raised without notice, and set unreasonably high at that. It was made essentially impossible to change residency from one country to another. Citizens were not made aware of the reasoning for this, and any explanation ever given was so generic that no one could foresee the true reason. Five years later, the intent of this ruling was made clear. Using the growing worldwide fear of overpopulation as justification, childbirth was banned in all of the first-world countries in the world.