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.
Demographic shifts are easier to imagine. The elderly now outnumber the young, as most developed countries see birthrates sink below the replacement levelThe level of fertility at which a population sustains itself from one generation to the next..
Population expansions are often perceived negatively due to a long-standing concern about overpopulation - the idea that a larger population threatens our living standards.
Philosophers as historic as Plato had a critical attitude towards population growth. Then, in the 18th Century, 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 populations ballooned in size.
Thomas Malthus sparked widespread population panic in 1798, when he argued that population will always grow faster than economic production, leading to declining living conditions. He opposed relief for the poor, believing that improved welfare would increase reproduction.
Alarm about overpopulation lives on, though its philosophy has evolved. A growing number of women 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. Ecologists and naturalists such as Jane Goodall and David Attenborough have spoken out against population growth.
Yet the prospect of an inflating population does not always spark fear: in 2018, tech billionaire Jeff Bezos looked eagerly forward to a population of one trillion humans scattered across the solar system.
Many ecologists emphasise overconsumptionUsing up something in excess, e.g. resources such as fuel. as the key factor in environmental decline, pointing out a key difference between the world's two most populous countries, China and India. Both 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 are in tension with fears about population growth. Scientists argue that the population will drop in coming years. . Many countries fear a future without enough young people to 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.
Do we need to have more babies?
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.
Keywords
Comprehend - Understand.
Replacement level - The level of fertility at which a population sustains itself from one generation to the next.
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.
Overconsumption - Using up something in excess, e.g. resources such as fuel.
Over 65s top under 5s for first time ever
Glossary
Comprehend - Understand.
Replacement level - The level of fertility at which a population sustains itself from one generation to the next.
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.
Overconsumption - Using up something in excess, e.g. resources such as fuel.