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Climate Brief World Population Day:Can Population Decline help with Climate Change? [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2025-07-11
WORLD POPULATION DAY 2025
World Population Day is an annual event, observed on July 11 every year, which seeks to raise awareness of global population issues.
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CURRENT WORLD POPULATION
8.062 billion
Have we vastly underestimated the total number of people on Earth?
google
NPR:
Over the past century, the world's human population has exploded from around 2 billion to 8 billion. Meanwhile, the average fertility rate has gradually declined. And if that trend continues as it has, we may soon see a crash in the population rate
npr.org/
Maps Fertility Rates in North and South America
In roughly 60 years,world population could plummet to size not seen for centuries
Population decline and climate change:
"Yes, population decline can help climate change- (but it's not a sufficient solution on its own")
Slowing population growth Slowing population growth can reduce greenhouse gas emissions. For example, one study found that if the global population peaked in mid-century and then decreased to 7.1 billion by 2100, carbon emissions could be 41% lower than if the population continued to grow to 15 billion.
Lower fertility rates Lower fertility rates can lead to lower emissions and higher per capita income. Better-educated women tend to have fewer children, later in life, which slows population growth.
Gender equality Lower fertility rates are typically a sign of increased gender equality. Women in leadership roles are more likely to advance initiatives to fight climate change. -Google Can Population Decline Stop Climate Change? Jan 30, 2024 â Fundamentally, a reduced global population translates to lower demand for resources such as water, wood, and energy.... Why falling fertility is not a crisis
Read more: deccanherald.com/opinion/why-falling-fertility-is-not-a-crisis
WAPO:
"Falling birth rates donât have to be a crisis.
Just look at Japan"
archive.is
The Apocalyptic Decline in Birth Rates newyorker Dk images library Falling Fertility: A Crisis We Refuse to Face? Fertility decline is not merely a demographic curiosityâit is a structural challenge with civilisational implications. So why are people so reluctant to take it seriously? quillette
Atlantic Monthly The Birth-Rate Crisis Isnât as Bad as Youâve HeardâItâs Worse
Humanity is set to start shrinking several decades ahead of schedule archive.is The "sperm crisis" refers to the observed decline in sperm counts and overall male fertility observed in many parts of the world over the past few decades. This trend has led to concerns about its potential impact on human reproduction and population growth. While some researchers debate the extent and cause of this decline, there's a growing consensus that male fertility is a significant issue requiring attention. Here's a more detailed look at the "sperm crisis": Evidence of Decline: Declining Sperm Counts: Studies have shown a significant decrease in sperm concentration and total sperm count in men, particularly in Western countries, over the past few decades. Some studies, including one from the BBC, indicate a decline of over 50% since the 1970s.
Other Fertility Issues: There's also evidence suggesting increases in other male reproductive health problems, such as erectile dysfunction, testicular cancer, and decreased testosterone levels. Potential Causes: Environmental Factors: Exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (found in plastics, pesticides, and personal care products) is a prominent suspect.
Lifestyle Choices: Obesity, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, and a sedentary lifestyle are also implicated in declining male fertility.
Delayed Parenthood: Couples are increasingly delaying parenthood, which can impact fertility, especially for women, and may also affect male fertility as men age.
Genetic Factors: While less understood, genetic predispositions may also play a role. The Hill: Few see falling birth rates as a priority: Survey Few Americans see falling birth rates as a national priority, according to a new survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. When asked in the Thursday survey about how large of a problem declining birth rates in the U.S. is, 28 percent of respondents said it is a major issue while 44 percent called it a minor one. Twenty-seven percent didnât consider it a problem at all.thehill.com/... Guardian UK Ministers are fretting about Britainâs falling birthrate. Hereâs why it could be a good thing Larry Elliott The education secretary speaks of âworrying repercussionsâ â but as far as wellbeing goes, the UK might be a lot better off
America's Boomer Population Grows As Birth Rates Fall newsweek.com
Immigration:
"Immigration has allowed developed nations to avoid confronting the implications of falling fertility rates and population decline. Young migrants have sustained many of our citiesâeconomically, culturally, and demographically. Theyâve kept service industries running, housing markets buoyant, and consumer demand strong. The result is a veneer of vitality that conceals the gradual erosion of "native-born generational renewal"
World population has risen from 1 billion in 1800 to almost 8.5 billion
"We are in the throes of a global crisis, which touches every nation, threatens our economic prosperity, and if left unaddressed, could bring about the demise of the human species. Yet we have no agencies dedicated to responding to it, have invested no major funding into researching it, and almost never talk about it in the political sphere. This is the situation we face with regard to our declining fertility.
Birth rates across the developed world have fallen well below replacement levels and are not projected to rise or rebound in any meaningful way in the future. This means ageing societies, mounting fiscal strain, and, for many countries, shrinking populations.
Despite these enormous social and economic stakes, few institutions are talking about the fertility collapse. In the West, the governance infrastructure to respond to it simply doesnât exist.
This contrasts starkly with how we have responded to other long-term threats. Climate change, for example, is discussed at every level of governance, from local councils to global treaties. It has dedicated agencies, major funding streams, and entire industries devoted to mitigating its effects. Climate concerns occupy a central place in media, politics, and academia. Fertility decline, by comparison, has attracted little sustained attention and few institutions dedicate any time or money at all to solving it.
While the issue is finally beginning to draw more attention, for the past several decades it has been largely overlooked. When fertility trends do surface in mainstream discourse, those raising the alarm are often treated with suspicion or derisionâfertility decline is portrayed as the concern of reactionaries or racists, rather than as a legitimate policy challenge worthy of serious engagement.
Given the way this issue has been neglected by mainstream media and institutions, itâs crucial to ask why it has taken so long for people to realise how important this is, especially since it poses such a serious long-term threat. Why were mainstream commentators, academics, policymakers, and journalists so late to this issue?
I would argue that the lack of widespread engagement with this topic is no accidentâit is the product of three intersecting forces: societal structures that obscure demographic trends, knowledge-producing institutions warped by ideological blind spots, and social norms that make fertility a fraught, even taboo, subject.
Part of the confusion stems from a simple but powerful illusion: the global population is still growing. If we were truly facing a crisis, wouldnât we see it in the numbers?
But this is where conventional intuition misleads. The worldâs population continues to rise not because we have healthy fertility rates, but because of demographic momentumâpast generations were large, and their children are still moving through the system. Think of it like a rocket. Even after its engines cut out, a rocket continues to rise on the strength of its existing momentum. But the trajectory inevitably slows, plateaus, then falls.
So it is with fertility. Global birth rates have dropped well below replacement in the developed world and are falling rapidly elsewhere. The demographic âfuelâ needed to sustain growthâor even just stabilityâhas already been spent. We are coasting upward on inertia. The fall, when it comes, will be slow and unevenâbut it is inevitable unless we change course." quillette.com/...
The global fertility crisis: are fewer babies a good or a bad thing? Guardian UK fetility crisis x YouTube Video
"Itâs time for everyone to engage in the 'depopulation' debate, says Dean Spears, a co-author of After the Spike"
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