AIBU The global fertility crisis is the biggest crisis humanity has ever faced?

[plantsdieinmyhouse]

We’re in a ‘global fertility crisis’.

I’m astounded that global (even UK/European) fertility decline to below the replacement rate of 2.1 (thought to have happened now) isn’t in the forefront of most people’s radar. There are barely even any politicians acknowledging it let alone devising policies to tackle it.

Thee are even people who still think we’re in the 70s/80s/90s and ‘overpopulation’ is still an issue.

Once everyone who’s alone now is dead the human race will be in terminal decline.

Nothing else matters if there’s none of us left!

Even on a personal level a large proportion of women don’t have the number of DCs they expect to.

https://www.thetimes.com/article/43a9bd63-25c9-4941-bc99-fc9f7e42c12a?shareToken=29bf27cb9dafe9af7a006bc25355e411

Gilead, anyone?

Personally Im more worried about climate change.

Well I'm certainly not having another baby to save mankind. Dealing with dd's teen emotions has killed any remaining broodiness

We don't have enough resources for this population size. Hence all the wars over resources and crazy high house prices and fights over immigration

Just because a population drops doesn't mean it couldn't grow in size again later.

It's basic animal behaviour

I don't think it would be a bad thing if the human population declined massively or even died out completely.

It's the nature of life on planet Earth.

There are plenty of humans and if we eventually die out, so what?

This planet has finite resources, I welcome population decline. We will adjust- we have to and can.

Nope, we're massively overpopulated and killing the earth, it's one of several reasons i'm childless, i couldn't bring a child into the world in the state it is in.

If you think logically, it's probably insane to bring another human into this world at the moment.

I suspect it’s just the population naturally resetting itself to a sustainable level. We’re animals - it’s what happens in animal populations.

We are currently over populated. We have more elderly than young in the uk I believe. You cannot always keep the young out numbering the old because you run out of room eventually.

Also cost of living is high. If you want people to have more children you need to make it worth while in the sense of people not paying thousands in childcare a year.

So true @GoodbyeRosie . When I had dd things felt much more positive. But I remind myself my parents felt dreadful having us in the shadow of the Cold War. I really hope we find a way to turn things around and suspect less humans is part of the solution rather than a problem. Society will have to adapt to having less workers and that's a huge shift, but we've had huge shifts before and come out better for it

I'd prefer other life forms to survive to be honest. The sheer amount of cruelty and pain and environmental damage caused by humans is staggering. Humans are willfully nasty and cruel.

The hospitable world is getting smaller though so no need to worry, migration will see that our population is ok. The birth rate could do with lowering. I have 3 kids personally but most of my friends have 0 or 1. At a population level, it’s fine that it’s coming down.

I find it interesting that the people who go on about declining birth rate and women having more children are often the same ones who are anti immigration and talk of not enough space in this country, etc. Make your minds up.

I think the events that happened overnight might be more pressing to world leaders atm, op, and it might cause a different population crisis....

Agree.

Plus, there have been 5 mass extinction events over the last 440 million years, and many scientists believe that we are currently in the 6th.

The planet will he fine, and life will continue. Maybe just not with us.

It's not global, is it? It's highly capitalistic societies where women have realised they can lead a better life without having to put up with a man, now they've got the financial means to do so.

I agree it's a problem for the UK, as people age and there isn't a cohort of taxpayers coming up behind them to pay for amenities/NHS etc.

When I was born, the world human population was believed to be 4.3billion. It’s currently 8.2billion. I’m not 50 for a few years, that level of growth wasn’t sustainable and perhaps reducing slightly the population - particularly in the west where humans use more resources than populations in poorer countries - is not a bad thing.

I agree - it’s a huge issue, god knows how we are going to fund society.

And it’s happening quickly. The UK has the fastest falling birth rate in the G7. In London it’s down something like 20% in 12 years.

I can’t even see what can be done really, as even in countries with very family friendly policies and ok housing costs… the birth rate is still pretty poor (and dropping).

I think it’s in part that having children is just quite difficult, and people want to have more to their life that struggling to raise loads of kids - better to focus their resources. Plus of course, a percentage of people are now just opting out entirely.

Globally overpopulation is still an issue. Lack of children is a problem in a lot of countries since we can't pay for the previous generation. But eventually it will even out. But clearly it is not considered that much of an issue since politicians are actively encouraging people not to have children with their policies.

Let us all die out?
why not….we have destroyed the planet with our greed

I thought global numbers were predicted to hit 10bilkion and then fall.

I think it’s great news. Human beings have had a catastrophic effect on our planet and just about every other species that exists. Let’s allow ourselves to die out and given all earth’s other occupants a chance.

I think climate change and antibiotic resistance are more pressing.