As we move through this century, all signs say that population around the world will shrink. From the New York Times:
Maternity wards are already shutting down in Italy. Ghost cities are appearing in northeastern China. Universities in South Korea can’t find enough students, and in Germany, hundreds of thousands of properties have been razed, with the land turned into parks.
Like an avalanche, the demographic forces — pushing toward more deaths than births — seem to be expanding and accelerating.
So let’s think about what this means. By mid-century, I intend to be singing with the choir immortal so I’m just spit-ballin’ here, but will less people mean shorter lines at the movies? Fewer schools? Feel free to record your guess as to what the world will look like, and in 40 or so years, we’ll circle back and see if you were right. Not really. Again: Choir immortal.
Something for the anti-immigrant folks to think about. They get their way and everybody will be sitting around wondering who gets to turn off the lights.
And how is it possible to fit that many people in Nigeria? China is ten times larger.
It might be a good thing to slow down growth. Back in the middle ages, when I was a kid, we learned about the "population explosion" in school. My take away was it was leading to disaster. Maybe it's not quite that. However, with pockets of extreme poverty and starvation across the globe, climate change driven by humans, and declining natural resources, a slowdown in growth and even a decline in population may not be a bad thing. The earth may enjoy the break from so many of us.
I heard the same lessons, and thought at the time, "Well, but...but...I didn't make things as they are." But now I'm old enough to think about my own, individual impact, sometimes. It's kind of stunning.
Niger will be more populous and Bulgaria less so based on statistics for birth rates and death rates. I guess it means less roses and cheese. Not a world I want to live in.
Something for the anti-immigrant folks to think about. They get their way and everybody will be sitting around wondering who gets to turn off the lights.
And how is it possible to fit that many people in Nigeria? China is ten times larger.
It might be a good thing to slow down growth. Back in the middle ages, when I was a kid, we learned about the "population explosion" in school. My take away was it was leading to disaster. Maybe it's not quite that. However, with pockets of extreme poverty and starvation across the globe, climate change driven by humans, and declining natural resources, a slowdown in growth and even a decline in population may not be a bad thing. The earth may enjoy the break from so many of us.
I heard the same lessons, and thought at the time, "Well, but...but...I didn't make things as they are." But now I'm old enough to think about my own, individual impact, sometimes. It's kind of stunning.
Uh. That'd be "fewer." 😉
My way’s funner.
Niger will be more populous and Bulgaria less so based on statistics for birth rates and death rates. I guess it means less roses and cheese. Not a world I want to live in.
I will always love you, Mr. Grabarz.