Preston What is a significant number?  Eight billion seems like a significant number to me.  Two billion seems like a large crowd as well.  If by significant numbers of people, one really means perpetual growth (in the number of humans and their individual consumption) then we know that's not possible for sure, and trust me, that's exactly what 'they' mean.They tend to see our previous population and consumption explosion as a major net gain for humanity which has lifted a large percentage of people out of poverty and into higher quality of life conditions.  All true.  Well... except at what cost?  The burning of fossil fuels is a perfect analogy for that mentality.  It is singlehandedly responsible for an incredible quality of life boost across the world, but at what cost?  It could also become known as having singlehandedly rendered our planet inhabitable, should we fail to address its cost.The same is true of efforts to reverse population decline in advanced countries, the cost could be the entire thing.We still need to absorb the consumption growth of billions of people in developing nations who also want large homes and multiple cars and toys and etc. just like we have.  It will take decades for that to stabilize before they too experience demographic shifts.

Preston What is a significant number?  Eight billion seems like a significant number to me.  Two billion seems like a large crowd as well.  If by significant numbers of people, one really means perpetual growth (in the number of humans and their individual consumption) then we know that's not possible for sure, and trust me, that's exactly what 'they' mean.They tend to see our previous population and consumption explosion as a major net gain for humanity which has lifted a large percentage of people out of poverty and into higher quality of life conditions.  All true.  Well... except at what cost?  The burning of fossil fuels is a perfect analogy for that mentality.  It is singlehandedly responsible for an incredible quality of life boost across the world, but at what cost?  It could also become known as having singlehandedly rendered our planet inhabitable, should we fail to address its cost.The same is true of efforts to reverse population decline in advanced countries, the cost could be the entire thing.We still need to absorb the consumption growth of billions of people in developing nations who also want large homes and multiple cars and toys and etc. just like we have.  It will take decades for that to stabilize before they too experience demographic shifts.

user
no
assistant