A team of scientists has put forward a controversial idea: that gradually halving the Earth's population over two centuries could significantly help save the planet from serious environmental consequences.
This argument is based on the premise that excessive human consumption of natural resources is the main cause of multiple environmental crises, most notably the loss of biodiversity, rising carbon emissions, and climate change.
In the study published in the journal Sustainable Development, scientists explain that these problems are closely related to population size, noting that the number of humans has jumped from about 2 billion in the 1920s to 8.3 billion today, thanks to medical and social progress that has raised the quality of life and lengthened lifespans.
But this enormous growth, according to scientists, is putting unsustainable pressure on the planet's ecosystems, especially since individuals in rich countries consume 13 times more energy per person than the inhabitants of poor countries.
Scientists predict that if population growth continues at the current rate (0.85% annually), the consequences will be dire for future generations, necessitating a gradual approach to reverse this growth.
They propose reaching a population of 4 billion or less by the year 2200, i.e., a gradual reduction rather than a sudden one, far from the dramatic scenario that appeared in the movie Avengers: Infinity War where the villain Thanos immediately wiped out half the population.
Scientists assert that this gradual reduction can be achieved through humanitarian policies such as girls' education, women's empowerment, delaying the age of marriage, and providing voluntary family planning services, citing the experience of the Indian state of Kerala, which, through these means, was able to transform its status from one of the poorest states to one of the most prosperous, after curbing its population growth three decades ago.
According to the study, the expected benefits of this scenario include restoring natural habitats, protecting threatened species, reducing greenhouse gas and pollutant emissions, minimizing conflict over natural resources, and contributing to the eradication of global poverty.
Scientists also point out that countries experiencing population decline today have already seen improvements in economic indicators such as GDP per capita, wages, and labor force participation.
The scientific team concluded that gradually reducing the population to 4 billion by 2200 would help protect natural habitats, endangered species, and stabilize the climate, noting that achieving this goal is possible if we take wise steps now.
