Global fertility rates hit an historic tipping point and are unlikely to recover, experts say
  • aeronmelon@lemmy.world
    8312·
    6 months ago

    Unpopular truth: We don’t need 8 billion humans. We don’t even need 1 billion. Not for a terrestrial species occupying only one planet.

    Ideally, the global population would stay about the same, but slowly rise and fall in seasons like the temperature.

    This is a windfall that we should use to sort out the food distribution problem. But we won’t.

    • originalucifer@moist.catsweat.com
      196·
      6 months ago

      meh. theres no need for any humans to exist.

      i seem to recall that you could fit 8billion people into a single city double the size of texas. you could then feed those humans with an equivalent land mass.

      this notion of overpopulation is more about resource use than existent numbers of humans. as you point out, distribution is the real issue and the fact that humans are greedy fuckers.

      the planet doesnt care if its hit by a meteor, has its surface wiped by an expanding red dwarf or falls into jupiter. it has no agenda or purpose other than what we, humans decide to do with it. we only get that honor because we are the only ones here.

      • aeronmelon@lemmy.world
        111·
        6 months ago

        I’m speaking from the context of human survival. I support the continued existence of the human race. You’re speaking from a more nihilistic standpoint than I prefer, but i do agree with what you said in general.

        Though, forcing everyone to live in DoubleTexas sounds like hell on Earth.

    • Harbinger01173430@lemmy.world
      34·
      6 months ago

      We need around 69 trillion to populate the entire Orion arm. We gotta start multiplying like god commanded rn so we can conquer both hell and heaven!

  • 5714@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
    50·
    6 months ago

    “In many ways, tumbling fertility rates are a success story, reflecting not only better, easily available contraception but also many women choosing to delay or have fewer children, as well as more opportunities for education and employment.”

  • Diplomjodler@feddit.de
    302·
    6 months ago

    After listening to Malthusian panic from “conservatives” for over 50 years, I savour the irony.

    • TankovayaDiviziya@lemmy.world
      10·
      6 months ago

      It’s not even conservatives, there are some doomers who get off being excessively pessimistic. r/collapse used to be hysterical about overpopulation. When I showed them the video of late statisticians Hans Rosling showing trend data of declining fertility rate, thanks to growing wealth of developing countries, and why their fears are unfounded, they just brushed it off. It is in recent years when mainstream news finally started reporting declining fertility rate and the UN project the global population to plateau, r/collapse finally stopped being hysterical on the topic.

  • Drusas@kbin.social
    25·
    6 months ago

    Good. Now if only we could get the wealthy and powerful to switch to a form of economy which prioritizes stability over infinite growth.

  • BurningRiver@beehaw.org
    9·
    6 months ago

    My grandparents came over after world war 2, with my grandfather barely speaking any English. He got a job as a busboy and could afford to rent a house and have my grandma raise my mom and uncle (and my aunt, later) while he worked.

    10 years or so ago, he lamented how nobody was having kids like they used to. I asked him to repeat his situation when he got here, then explained to him that my wife and I barely have enough to pay our mortgage and have some fun while we both work full time, with no kids.

    We’re actually doing fine financially now, but the window for kids passed. Even if it were still a possibility, I’m not sure I even would. Just so I can raise some wage slaves to keep this klepto-plutocracy alive and well? Nah, fuck that.