Environment-Population

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China population decline accelerates as birthrate hits record low

by Helen Davidson 01/17/24 The Guardian

China’s population decline has accelerated, with a second year of record-low birthrates.

China population decline accelerates as birthrate hits record low

by Helen Davidson 01/17/24 The Guardian

China’s population decline has accelerated, with a second year of record-low birthrates.

Climate Change-Overpopulation

by Hugh Jim Bissell 11/24/24 DailyKos

And just as the physical manifestations of climate change (more extreme storms; rising temperatures; loss of snow and ice; etc.) are occurring sooner  than was initially predicted by climate scientists, it appears that the changeover from democracy to authoritarian government has also occurred here in the USA sooner than anyone predicted.  I myself doubt that many Trump voters specifically want an end to democracy, but I do imagine that most of them want a stronger government that would take more forceful  action to make the problem of immigration or homelessness go away.  But even a King Trump cannot reverse the effects of continued population growth, anymore than King Canute can order the tide to go out.

The Birth-Rate Crisis Isn’t as Bad as You’ve Heard—It’s Worse

by Marc Novicoff 30/6/25 The Atlanyic

First, the bad news: Global fertility is falling fast. The aging populations of rich countries are relying on ever fewer workers to support their economy, dooming those younger generations to a future of higher taxes, higher debt, or later retirement—or all three. Birth rates in middle-income countries are also plummeting, putting their economic development at risk. Practically the only countries set to continue growing are desperately poor.

Humans could face reproductive crisis as sperm count declines, study finds

by Nicola Davis 15/11/22 The Guardian

A study published in the journal Human Reproduction Update, based on 153 estimates from men who were probably unaware of their fertility, suggests that the average sperm concentration fell from an estimated 101.2m per ml to 49.0m per ml between 1973 and 2018 – a drop of 51.6%. Total sperm counts fell by 62.3% during the same period.

Falling sperm counts 'threaten human survival', expert warns

by Miranda Bryant 26/2/21 The Guardian

Falling sperm counts and changes to sexual development are “threatening human survival” and leading to a fertility crisis, a leading epidemiologist has warned.

How community crofting experiment could help repopulate the Highlands

by Severin Carrel 10/1/23 The Guardian

Local people in Glengarry are creating woodland crofts in nearby forests – affordable family homes designed for craftspeople, carpenters and small-scale farmers, using a shared ownership model designed to combat the soaring costs of scarce rural homes.

Deforestation and world population sustainability: a quantitative analysis

Nature May 20 2020 Open Access Published: 06 May 2020 Mauro Bologna & Gerardo Aquino

Based on the current resource consumption rates and best estimate of technological rate growth our study shows that we have very low probability, less than 10% in most optimistic estimate, to survive without facing a catastrophic collapse.
In the last few decades, the debate on climate change has assumed global importance with consequences on national and global policies. Many factors due to human activity are considered as possible responsible of the observed changes: among these water and air contamination (mostly greenhouse effect) and deforestation are the mostly cited. While the extent of human contribution to the greenhouse effect and temperature changes is still a matter of discussion, the deforestation is an undeniable fact. Indeed before the development of human civilisations, our planet was covered by 60 million square kilometres of forest1. As a result of deforestation, less than 40 million square kilometres currently remain2. In this paper, we focus on the consequence of indiscriminate deforestation.

Yes, the Climate Crisis May Wipe out Six Billion People

<embed>https://thetyee.ca/Analysis/2019/09/18/Climate-Crisis-Wipe-Out/</embed> The Tyee 9/18/2019

Hypothesis: Homo sapiens are currently approaching the peak of the plague phase of a one-off global population cycle and will crash because of depleted resources, habitat deterioration and psycho-social feedback, including possible war over remaining ‘assets,’ sometime in this century. (“But wait,” I hear you protest. “Humans are not just any other species. We’re smarter; we can plan ahead; we just won’t let this happen!” Perhaps, but what is the evidence so far that our leaders even recognize the problem?)

The first thing to take from this analysis is that we are once again playing in Roger Hallam’s death-toll ballpark. But a more important point is that climate change is not the only existential threat confronting modern society. Indeed, we could initiate any number of conversations that end with the self-induced implosion of civilization and the loss of 50 per cent or even 90 per cent of humanity.

Battle with time: Italian towns face demise by depopulation

<embed>https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/12/battle-with-time-italian-towns-face-demise-by-depopulation</embed> The Guardian 7/12/2019

For the first time in 90 years the Italian population has fallen to about 55 million, according to the national statistics agency (ISTAT). From 2014 to 2018, the population decreased by 677,000 people.

Two factors are behind the decline according to experts: a decrease in births, which is at an all-time low since the unification of Italy, and an increase in the emigration of young people to other European countries in search of job opportunities. According to ISTAT nearly 157,000 people left the country in 2018.