The overpopulation myth, debunked by a data scientist | Hannah Ritchie

Chapters:

00:00: The overpopulation concern

02:01: Global population growth rates

02:28: The fall in global fertility rates

03:06: Amount of food produced per person

03:50: Per capita CO2 emissions

04:17: The underpopulation concern

### 🌍 **Is Overpopulation Really the Problem? Or Is It a Dangerous Myth?**

For decades, one idea has haunted environmental debates:

**"There are just too many people on Earth."**

From forced sterilizations to cutting food aid, some of the so-called “solutions” to this perceived crisis have been deeply unethical—and alarmingly popular.

📘 This fear peaked in the 1960s–70s with the release of *The Population Bomb*, predicting mass famine and chaos. But the world evolved in two critical ways:

#### 1. 📉 **Global fertility rates fell sharply**

In 1950, the average woman had **5 children**. Today, it's just **2.3**—and still falling.

#### 2. 🌾 **Technological leaps in agriculture**

Yields have doubled, tripled, or even quadrupled across many regions. We're growing **more food per person** than ever before—even with billions more people.

🔍 Still, many argue that population—especially in **low-income countries**—fuels climate change. But here’s the truth:

- These regions often have **extremely low CO₂ emissions per person.**

- You could add **billions** more people at those levels and barely affect global emissions.

### 🧓 **A New Crisis: Underpopulation?**

In high-income nations, the worry has flipped.

Aging populations threaten economies as **working-age groups shrink**, weakening the very engine that drives productivity and growth.

### 💡 **The Most Dangerous Idea?**

Comparing humanity to a **cancer on the planet.**

It implies people are the problem—and removal is the solution.

But we’re also the **innovators, problem-solvers, and stewards** of Earth’s future.

**If we dehumanize each other, how do we build a better world together?**

👀 **So if not overpopulation… what *is* the real environmental threat?**

Let’s explore that next.

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