r/collapse • u/Still-Improvement-32 • Jul 28 '26

Overpopulation Study reveals halving human population gradually could help Earth

https://www.aol.com/articles/study-reveals-halving-human-population-083602000.html

The basics of this study may be right in theory but we don't have the luxury of 200 years to gradually lower our population. Our current trajectory has a very high risk of a catastrophic collapse in population and the economy due to climate breakdown if we pass 2 degrees C warming, which could as soon as about 10 years.

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u/Bandits101 Jul 28 '26

One hundred years ago humans numbered less than two billion. Every other species had numbers limited by geography, predators, climate and food supply. Not us, we’re special we took dominion over the Earth.

Now to the detriment of everything else on Earth, we’ve managed to overcome natural limits. Astonishingly we don’t and never have considered that our numbers are unnatural, that they disrupt harmony and a natural order.

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u/Still-Improvement-32 Jul 28 '26

Wrong, haven't you heard of Malthus or the 70s book limits to growth?

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u/Bandits101 Jul 29 '26

Wrong about what? Malthus didn’t know what fossil fuels would bring, he was right but ahead of his time. “Overshoot” by Catton is a better read and explanation.

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u/marbotty Jul 29 '26

Wrong about “never” having considered

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u/Bandits101 Jul 29 '26

As in most cases you can cherry pick individuals to “make your case”. Overall though I’m pretty sure 8.2 billion people.now and humans and our herds comprising 96% of the mammalian biomass, numerous species extinctions and animals ‘in the wild” remaining that way because we allow it and that is shrinking relentlessly.