SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk issued warnings recently about declining birthrates around the world, noting that it posts “one of the biggest risks to civilization.”
“There are not enough people,” Musk said to The Wall Street Journal earlier this week, and added that the “rapidly declining birth rate” poses a major risk factor to continued civilizational progress.
Musk acknowledged that “many people, including smart people” are under the belief that the world has too many people and that population growth is spiraling out of control. But he said that “completely the opposite” is true. “Mark my words,” the billionaire warned, “If people don’t have more children, civilization is going to crumble.”
People are increasingly failing to have children over climate change alarmist fears or other reasons in recent years. Morgan Stanley analysts on CNBC told investors this summer that the recent movement to not have children over climate worries is “impacting fertility rates quicker than any preceding trend” regarding fertility decline.
Radical leftist leaders such as Democratic socialist Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY) said as recently as 2019 that it’s morally questionable to have children given the “scientific consensus” of climate change.
Another billionaire, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has also expressed concerns about potential overpopulation.
During a 2010 TED talk related to reducing global carbon emissions where population growth took center stage, Gates said that the global population, sitting at 6.8 billion, was on course to reach 9 billion soon. He said optimistically that with globally improved health care, reproductive health services, and vaccines, that the figure might lowered by 10-15%.
Reuters noted that Gates was not suggesting that vaccine be used to kill people, but was referencing the fact that reduced infant mortality reliably results in lower birthrates overall.
How do we reduce population growth? By reducing infant mortality. I was surprised too. http://t.co/YnebvxN3
— Bill Gates (@BillGates) February 9, 2012
Author: Jane Thompson