evidence: Depopulation is already happening For much of Europe, North America, and some of Northern Asia, depopulation has been underway for decades. Fertility rates have fallen steadily over the past 70 years and have stayed low, while longer life expectancies mean numbers of very old people (over 80) will double in these regions within 25 years. [...] It’s very much an open question whether falling populations will reduce pressure on the natural world. Unless we also cut emissions and change consumption patterns in developed countries, this is by no means guaranteed.