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Climate Brief:"Myth-Underpopulation is a greater threat than overpopulation" [1]

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Date: 2024-09-22  

Politicians and economists fret about low or no population growth because this leads to population aging and a smaller pool of consumers and taxpayers. Tech billionaire Elon Musk went as far as claiming that low birth rates present “a much bigger risk to civilization than global warming.”

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Population_decline#:~:text=But after 1968 the global,during the period 1962 - 1968.

Population aging is an inevitable step towards a sustainable future, and while it does present challenges, these can be lessened in very beneficial ways, such as through investment in preventive healthcare and child welfare to maximize the number of productive members of society. Our planet is finite — failing to rein in our unhealthy addiction to infinite population and economic growth can only lead to disaster.

You might also like: How Does Overpopulation Affect Sustainability? Challenges and Solutions

Myth : There is plenty of space on Earth for more people

A surprisingly widespread argument is that there is enough room for many more people because our entire world population could fit into the state of Texas. Human Tetris is an amusing thought experiment but “fitting” into an area is not the same as living, let alone thriving there. At the very least, everyone needs water, food, shelter, and basic services such as education, sanitation, and healthcare. We already use almost half of the Earth’s habitable land just for agriculture — humanity needs a lot more space than just the size of our bodies.

Myth : Overconsumption, not population growth, is the real problem

Some argue that environmental issues are entirely driven by overconsumption of resources and excessive lifestyles, rather than population increase. Consumerism in wealthy nations like the United States is undoubtedly a major cause of climate change, resource depletion, biodiversity loss, and pollution, but it’s just half of the problem. Our impact on the environment is a product of how many of us there are and how much each of us consumes.

.earth.org/...

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