Do we need to have more babies? This year, the population will reach eight billion. It is one of the most controversial issues of our age. Yet some say we are running out of children.
Over 65s top under 5s for first time ever
Do we need to have more babies? This year, the population will reach eight billion. It is one of the most controversial issues of our age. Yet some say we are running out of children.
Eight billion people. It is a number so large it is almost impossible to comprehendUnderstand.1- as futile as imagining the 37 trillion cells in our bodies, or the 80 to 127 trillion words we speak collectively each day.
This is the number of people that will soon be walking the Earth. Experts predict the day could come as soon as 15 November this year.2
Yet the demographicThe qualities (e.g. age, sex, income) of a specific group of people or population. shift which has occurred alongside this population expansion is easier to imagine. Today, the elderly outnumber the young. Most developed countries are seeing their birthrates sink below the replacement levelThe level of fertility at which a population sustains itself from one generation to the next. and fertility rates fall victim to population control measures, unstable economic conditions and cultural changes.
The concept of overpopulation has a long and thorny history. Many believe that a larger population threatens limited resources, compromises living standards and could even lead to environmental armageddonAnother name for the world's end. It originally described the location of a battle during the Biblical apocalypse..
Philosophers as historic as Plato had a critical attitude towards population growth. Then, in the 18th Century, hurtling industrialisationA period of social and economic change that transforms an agricultural society into an industrial one. across Europe and North America added to those fears as urban centres and populations ballooned in size.
Thomas Malthus sparked widespread population panic in 1798, when he argued that the growth of population will always outrun the expansion of production, leading to declining living conditions.3
Alarm about overpopulation lives on, though its philosophy has evolved. A growing number of people are joining the anti-natalistThe view that procreation is ethically wrong and that humans should stop having children. movement in protest against the climate crisis. EcologistsScientists who study how a plant or animal interacts with the environment. and naturalists such as Jane Goodall and David Attenborough are pointing the finger at population growth as a key culpritThe person or thing responsible for a crime or wrongdoing. in environmental disaster.
Yet the prospect of an inflating population does not spark fear universally: in 2018, tech billionaire Jeff Bezos looked eagerly forward to a population of one trillion humans, albeit scattered across the solar system.
Many ecologists believe overconsumption, not overpopulation, is the key factor in environmental decline. Both China and India have populations around 1.4 billion, but China accounts for 28% of the world's total emissions compared to India's 7%.
Today, concerns about demographic shifts compete with fears about population growth. Scientists argue that an eventual fall in the number of people is now unavoidable as fertility rates decline across the world. Many countries fear a future without enough young people to work and look after the elderly.
Some even say it is time to stop worrying about overpopulation, and start encouraging people to have more children. Others bitterly disagree. Just one thing is clear: the future of the world is at stake.
<h5 class=" eplus-wrapper"><strong>Do we need to have more babies?</strong></h5>
Yes: The number of people in the world is still rising - for now - but the demographic shifts are alarming. Without more babies, we will soon run out of young people to look after us when we are old.
No: Population growth is threatening our quality of life on a planet with limited resources. A shrinking population would improve our relationship with the environment and our future.
Or... Changing the population should not be our key focus. The bigger threat is overconsumption. We should focus on supporting the transition to a new economic norm based on sustainable growth.
Comprehend - Understand.
Demographic - The qualities (e.g. age, sex, income) of a specific group of people or population.
Replacement level - The level of fertility at which a population sustains itself from one generation to the next.
Armageddon - Another name for the world's end. It originally described the location of a battle during the Biblical apocalypse.
Industrialisation - A period of social and economic change that transforms an agricultural society into an industrial one.
Anti-natalist - The view that procreation is ethically wrong and that humans should stop having children.
Ecologists - Scientists who study how a plant or animal interacts with the environment.
Culprit - The person or thing responsible for a crime or wrongdoing.
Over 65s top under 5s for first time ever

Glossary
Comprehend - Understand.
Demographic - The qualities (e.g. age, sex, income) of a specific group of people or population.
Replacement level - The level of fertility at which a population sustains itself from one generation to the next.
Armageddon - Another name for the world’s end. It originally described the location of a battle during the Biblical apocalypse.
Industrialisation - A period of social and economic change that transforms an agricultural society into an industrial one.
Anti-natalist - The view that procreation is ethically wrong and that humans should stop having children.
Ecologists - Scientists who study how a plant or animal interacts with the environment.
Culprit - The person or thing responsible for a crime or wrongdoing.