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Is it a bad thing for populations to fluctuate? Should populations only grow?

• peanuty1 4y ago
  Environmentally, it's a fantastic thing considering the frightening rate of deforestation, species going extinct, carbon emissions, and ocean pollution. Economically, it puts pressure on a smaller cohort of working age people to pay more taxes to support a bigger cohort of elderly people.
  • deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
  • midoridensha 4y ago
    >Environmentally, it's a fantastic thing considering the frightening rate of deforestation, species going extinct, carbon emissions, and ocean pollution. This assumes that the amount of resources consumed per person is relatively constant. That's not a good assumption. Fewer people can easily hog more resources, especially energy. People spreading out and buying more and bigger cars and living in bigger homes means more energy and pollution, whereas if more people concentrate into a dense metropolis with public transit and tiny apartments, their energy needs are lower per capita.
• shagie 4y ago
  Wildly varying rates of birth and an irregularly shaped population pyramid can result in economic and political instability as the majority becomes retirees who are not contributing to the economy but retain much of the political power. Silver Democracy: Youth Representation in an Aging Japan - https://escholarship.org/uc/item/54d3f8bz https://escholarship.org/uc/item/54d3f8bz Japan’s Silver Democracy : The Costs of Letting the Elderly Rule Politics - https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/japan/2013-07-18/japans-silver-democracy https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/japan/2013-07-18/jap... ( https://archive.is/hlAya https://archive.is/hlAya )