Empty Planet

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Darrell Bricker

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For half a century, statisticians, pundits and politicians have warned that a burgeoning planetary population will soon overwhelm the Earth's resources. But a growing number of experts are sounding a different kind of alarm. They argue the global population is headed for a steep decline. Throughout history, depopulation was the product of catastrophe: ice ages, plagues, the collapse of civilizations. This time, however, we're choosing to have fewer babies. In "Empty Planet", Ibbitson and Bricker draw on a wealth of research and firsthand reporting to illustrate the dramatic consequences of this population decline and to show us why the rest of the developing world will soon join in. They find that a smaller global population will bring with it a number of benefits: fewer workers will command higher wages; good jobs will prompt innovation; the environment will improve; the risk of famine will wane; and falling birthrates in the developing world will bring greater affluence and autonomy for women. But enormous disruption lies ahead, too. We can already see the effects in Europe and parts of Asia as aging populations and worker shortages weaken the economy and impose crippling demands on healthcare and vital social services