human population + the long view

the world is expected to cap its population growth by the end of this century. then, a steep decline will follow, resulting from lower birth rates and aging populations. no region on earth is exempt from this trend.

what is most startling is the rate of decline over the next 300 years. fewer people on the planet would seem to benefit the environment, but the pace of decline will be too slow to offset the urgent climate change issues of the 21st century.

we don’t always hear the future calling but we can imagine the impact of a peak population of 10.4 billion people by the mid-2080s (up from 8 billion in 2022). then, as the global population shrinks to 2 billion people over next 300 years, as estimated, how Should we build new systems today like nuclear power plants and large ocean-based wind farms? how will future generations maintain them or take them safely offline? how will an aging world population balance its dominant needs when fewer young people contribute to tax revenues, voting, or new innovations? will the planet automatically reboot allowing humankind a second chance?

how might we prepare for the foreseeable population decline even as we build more, grow more, and use more?