Population ecologist William Rees of the University of British Columbia in Canada has conducted researchaccording to which the human population will undergo a “drastic correction” before the end of this century.
This will be a consequence of the removal of many of the “natural correctors” and the inability for rapid technological innovation to ensure sustainable consumption of resources, reports Science Alert.
According to the scientist, the planet’s resources are being used up at an unsustainable rate, but our instincts prevent us from solving the problem.
The result can be any kind civilizational collapsewhich will reduce the world population, Rees says.
According to the ecologist only the richest and most durable societies will remain.
“Homo sapiens evolved to reproduce exponentially, expand geographically, and consume all available resources“, Rees wrote in his article.
“For most of human evolutionary history, such expansionist tendencies have been counteracted by “negative feedback”. However, the scientific revolution and the use of fossil fuels have allowed us to realize our full potential for exponential growth. They nullified much of the effect of natural population correctors“, the scientist reasoned.
“Our natural tendency to think short-term, which has served us extremely well in our evolutionary past, continues to force us to take as much as possible when available. This fuels overconsumption and pollution.
Moreover, the solutions we propose, such as switching to renewable energy sources, actually they don’t solve the problem with exponential population growth and further contribute to the excess consumption that goes along with it.
The question is whether improvements in technology – in everything from combating climate change to increasing food production – are able to keep up with our growing consumption is its effect on the planet.
If innovation cannot provide the solutions neededfood shortages, habitat instability, wars, and disease will adjust population numbers“, predicted the scientist.
“In the best of all scenarios, we will painless transition, managed in ways that prevent the unnecessary suffering of millions or even billions of people. But this does not happen – and cannot happen – in a world blind to its own predicament.
The human population continues to grow by about 80 million per year and its ultimate peak is very uncertain. A renewed “negative feedback loop” could end growth long before the population reaches the UN’s projected 10.4 billion around 2080.“, Rees concludes.
The position of the ecologist can be characterized as neo-Malthusian. This is also clear from his material, in which he gives the example that it took 99.9% of human history to reach a population of 1 billion people, but just over 2 centuries later there are 8 billion people.
The English economist Thomas Malthus was the first to state that the human population should be brought under control. This happened more than 200 years ago – in 1798.
His ideas were born from the notion that at the beginning of the 19th century, humanity would cross the 1 billion mark. This was expected to lead to famine, wars, chaos and the collapse of civilization. However, Malthus’ predictions do not come true – science finds ways to increase the yield of food and resources. Nevertheless, the ideas of the Briton continue to be popular.
More than a third of 50 recently polled Nobel laureates cite “population growth/environmental degradation” as the greatest threat to humanity. Population growth and climate change are considered more dangerous than nuclear war.
In 2006, the evolutionary ecologist Eric Pianka from the US became famous for his claim that “90% of humans must be wiped out to save the planet”.
His loud statement caused tremors in the scientific community. Over time, talking about the topic softens and normalizes.
Just 13 years later, more than 11,000 scientists signed a document calling for a gradual reduction in world population.
2023-08-18 09:11:01
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