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Sure, America and other countries will take longer or find it more difficult, but like most things if it becomes pressing enough... In truth I doubt we'll see e

Sure, America and other countries will take longer or find it more difficult, but like most things if it becomes pressing enough... In truth I doubt we'll see effort to constrain populations - we've shown no willingness to take group action on other major issues that are clearly more pressing. Maybe not 2035 as the margin for error was wide, but I don't buy the idea of growth through to 2100. That doesn't feel at all credible. We're already spending billions cleaning up fires, floods, healthcare for problems of air pollution and often times not accounting them as the drains on productive activity they are, but as benefit. The rest of your outcomes are exactly why I see climate and some of the other issues as pressing, as yes in depressions and austerity people do turn to more extreme places for answers, and reject the moderate. We're already seeing a huge rise of the far right, of right wing populists, of authoritarian populists, of racism and xenophobia, and migration across the world... Coincidence? I sure hope so.

bin0 7y ago
America's population is mainly growing from immigration, according to the Brookings Institute's synthesis of census data [0]. Is government-funded sterilization the most productive solution for us, or even necessary, if most of the new people are being born in other nations? I understand you don't buy the idea of growth continuing through 2100, but I don't buy the idea of it ending beforehand until I see a citation. I found at least one estimate that supports my position; I haven't seen significant evidence to support the idea of growth ending that soon. All the things you list keep people employed. I wouldn't just point to the "right wing" as authoritarian; that seems like needlessly politicizing a social problem. Dictators have no values or political alignment but their own moral gain. With respect to your earlier comments around advertising, I don't know about Europe, but America has never advertised having a large family or a small one. Not sure it's the role of government to try and shape social norms; that's generally referred to as brainwashing. [0] https://www.brookings.edu/blog/the-avenue/2018/12/21/us-population-growth-hits-80-year-low-capping-off-a-year-of-demographic-stagnation/ https://www.brookings.edu/blog/the-avenue/2018/12/21/us-popu...

bin0 7y ago

America's population is mainly growing from immigration, according to the Brookings Institute's synthesis of census data [0]. Is government-funded sterilization the most productive solution for us, or even necessary, if most of the new people are being born in other nations? I understand you don't buy the idea of growth continuing through 2100, but I don't buy the idea of it ending beforehand until I see a citation. I found at least one estimate that supports my position; I haven't seen significant evidence to support the idea of growth ending that soon. All the things you list keep people employed. I wouldn't just point to the "right wing" as authoritarian; that seems like needlessly politicizing a social problem. Dictators have no values or political alignment but their own moral gain. With respect to your earlier comments around advertising, I don't know about Europe, but America has never advertised having a large family or a small one. Not sure it's the role of government to try and shape social norms; that's generally referred to as brainwashing. [0] https://www.brookings.edu/blog/the-avenue/2018/12/21/us-population-growth-hits-80-year-low-capping-off-a-year-of-demographic-stagnation/ https://www.brookings.edu/blog/the-avenue/2018/12/21/us-popu...