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Peak population may be coming sooner than we think

29 points| maxilevi | 1 year ago |ft.com

26 comments

order

brtkdotse|1 year ago

I feel that people underestimate the impact of this.

The current world economy is built on the assumption that the population pyramid is a pyramid, if there’s a glut in the influx of healthy new citizens a whole slew of supply chains will collapse.

ido|1 year ago

On the demand side - but how would automation/AI/robotics impact the supply/production side (i.e. will we replace the unborn would-be new workers with new robots)?

nine_zeros|1 year ago

> The current world economy is built on the assumption that the population pyramid is a pyramid

And this is an economic system problem. The solution to an economic problem is not more people

The solution to an economic problem is revamping the economic system aka more share of wealth going to average people than merely the wealthy sitting on compounding growth.

rhelz|1 year ago

Whole slews of supply chains collapse all the time. Just look at some rust-belt factories. Or take a look at some 80's computer magazines, where there are an endless number of software companies selling pascal and lisp compilers, BBS software, etc. Not to mention floppy disc drives and CD-ROM drives.

randomdata|1 year ago

> I feel that people underestimate the impact of this.

Do they? As a non-American just watching in, I got the impression that Trump won on this very issue, promising that "Christian family values" would bring about a reversal. That was certainly the message, when taken at face value (I understand many believe that it is trying to mask other motives), that made it out of the USA, at least. That suggests to me that the concern is there.

I expect most people do understand the impact, but, much like climate change, don't know how to actually bring about the change that is needed without infringing on the life they want to live.

barbequeer|1 year ago

Do you think this is a bad thing?

rustcleaner|1 year ago

Ha-ha, neoliberals can't replacement migration themselves out of this quagmire!

llamaimperative|1 year ago

Quick! Make it medically unsafe and financially infeasible to raise children!

Spivak|1 year ago

Replacement migration doesn't really have to do with the absolute numbers in the world but admitting immigrants from countries that have well above replacement rate. The world population is so large that the countries who desire increased population have a loooooong runway.

The only problem, exemplified by the Windrush Generation in the UK, is the rampant racism towards the people who are immigrating to help you.

mindslight|1 year ago

Yeah, and we might have stood a chance at constructive reform had so much of the population not fallen for the siren song of fascism, itself just a different lazy option offered by the elites. Same old story - they turn the screws of extraction as long as they can get away with it, and when the jig is up they contain the ire by making sure it's directed at superficially different individuals.

greenhearth|1 year ago

It's amazing how you all are so smug and arrogant about being wrong. It's just mind boggling.