Ross, your prognosis for falling birth rates is wrong. The impact of falling birth rates will NOT be worse than the unaddressed consequences of climate change. In fact, a reduced global population is part of the long-term solution to many of our world’s more serious ailments (climate, pollution, species loss, war, immigration, economic disparities).Still, somehow, despite your grim forecast, your five prescriptions are actually spot-on for our current situation. Bravo! They are indeed necessary solutions  to help with the reversal of our species’ 10,000-year upward growth curve. 1. Yes, by all means, let’s tax the (mostly older) wealthy, let’s means test SS and Medicare, let’s increase the estate tax. 2. Yes, making sure new tech is smartly employed (and moreover that social solutions are simplified) is a good idea whether global population is 10 billion or 5 billion. 3. Less trench warfare, sure, let’s give it a try. 4. No argument, those darn kids have some good ideas, but will a world of 1 billion good ideas really lead to a deal-breakingly worse outcome than a world of 2 billion (less well-curated, I believe) good ideas? 5.  Bingo, to help with the economic/innovation pains of tapering off the steroids of population growth, let’s introduce judicious and titrated policies of immigration from those countries still reproducing at greater than replacement rate. People are great Ross. Smart, kind, funny. But they trash the place. How many is enough?

Ross, your prognosis for falling birth rates is wrong. The impact of falling birth rates will NOT be worse than the unaddressed consequences of climate change. In fact, a reduced global population is part of the long-term solution to many of our world’s more serious ailments (climate, pollution, species loss, war, immigration, economic disparities).Still, somehow, despite your grim forecast, your five prescriptions are actually spot-on for our current situation. Bravo! They are indeed necessary solutions  to help with the reversal of our species’ 10,000-year upward growth curve. 1. Yes, by all means, let’s tax the (mostly older) wealthy, let’s means test SS and Medicare, let’s increase the estate tax. 2. Yes, making sure new tech is smartly employed (and moreover that social solutions are simplified) is a good idea whether global population is 10 billion or 5 billion. 3. Less trench warfare, sure, let’s give it a try. 4. No argument, those darn kids have some good ideas, but will a world of 1 billion good ideas really lead to a deal-breakingly worse outcome than a world of 2 billion (less well-curated, I believe) good ideas? 5.  Bingo, to help with the economic/innovation pains of tapering off the steroids of population growth, let’s introduce judicious and titrated policies of immigration from those countries still reproducing at greater than replacement rate. People are great Ross. Smart, kind, funny. But they trash the place. How many is enough?

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