Elon Musk warns population collapse is the greatest risk to humanity

[BlueRose 397]

58 minutes ago, Ferdi47 said:

So your plan is to get rid of the industries that are being used to feed humans to replace them with ... other industries that will feed humans ? It's not like the meat and dairy industry is not used as a food source by humans ...

yes but they require more resources and they are not sustainable! these industries are the number one reason for deforestation. These "products" require more resources to develop ( animals need water, food and medicine for many years in order to be slaughtered). 

[Economy 43,998]

40 minutes ago, RahrahWitch said:

God he really does live in his own little world.

Maybe just maybe people aren't having children because they can't afford it? Minimum wage in 1968 was the equivalent of three times higher than it is today. I imagine it'd be a lot easier to raise a family on a $21 an hour job than $7 where it can barely support a single person.

Minimum wage in 1968 was $1.60... in todays dollars thats $12.49 not $21

[Economy 43,998]

13 hours ago, Pennywise said:

If anything, there must be a population collapse if we are to survive the next 100 years or so. 

Doubtful. Rich Countries are taking im immigrants to offset natural decline and the top 20% of global consuming population accounts for the majority of global consumption

 

The issue isnt just the total global population but the focal points where high consumption is happening

 

Look at Africa, they are the continent with fastest growing population yet if the whole world consumed like they did we wouldnt have a problem. Total raw numbers alone dont tell the whole story

[RahrahWitch 6,901]

2 minutes ago, Economy said:

Minimum wage in 1968 was $1.60... in todays dollars thats $12.49 not $21

oops my bad, I was reading a source that said $12 but was also suggesting $21 I got them mixed up 

 

[A MESS 3,938]

14 hours ago, thierryrreiht said:

Humans are an anomaly and nothing we do today truly has a meaning. Population SHOULD decrease. We're not special. We are not worth saving by fleeing to other planets. 

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Humanity and Life is overrated.

C'mon Mainländer!

[Chromatislaps 34,558]

How about, we build a simulation, we upload our conscienceness into it, people live in the simulation after they die or something, and we balance out the amount of people living in the physical world.

[Pennywise 34,703]

32 minutes ago, Economy said:

Doubtful. Rich Countries are taking im immigrants to offset natural decline and the top 20% of global consuming population accounts for the majority of global consumption

 

The issue isnt just the total global population but the focal points where high consumption is happening

 

Look at Africa, they are the continent with fastest growing population yet if the whole world consumed like they did we wouldnt have a problem. Total raw numbers alone dont tell the whole story

I know, I just hate people, they shouldn't breed 

[Economy 43,998]

1 hour ago, RahrahWitch said:

oops my bad, I was reading a source that said $12 but was also suggesting $21 I got them mixed up 

 

Haha its ok... ur point in a way still stands tho...

 

Inflation is not the same as cost of living, its a part of it but not the same. Coat of living has risen more than inflation so minimum wage earners now are still worse off than minimum wage earners in 1968

 

Theres changes in cost patterns and living realities the CPI (consumer price index which is what inflation is based on) doesnt account for. Ill give u a couple of examples

 

CPI will measure inflation in changes to the cost of child care. But it wont factor in the fact that a lot more people need it now than 50 years ago because many women used to be stay at home moms and now most work

 

Inflation might measure internet service costs (which in many areas actually have fallen so has a deflationairy impact on overall inflation). But it doesnt take into account that 20 years ago it was a nice optional luxury consumer product to have. Now the way life operates its a necessity you pretty much have to have and therefore is another bill to add to your cost of living

 

Wages over the long term have kept up with inflation and in many income groups like middle class even exceeded it. But it hasnt kept up with the overall ACTUAL cost of living which inflation doesnt perfectly reflect. To make up for these needs real income adjusted for inflation has to increase which shouldnt be an issue given increases in productivity thanks to technology

 

Politicians or the rich like to conviniently ignore those details and tend to focus on inflation alone because it makes the poor and middle class not appear like weve fallen behind as much as we have

[Guest]

No the greatest risk to humanity is letting couple men own half the wealth of Earth and they do nothing to help the environnement, famine, deep poverty. NOTHING. N O T H I N G. NADA. Instead they buy new cars, new houses, and travel to space for fun. That's the issue we are dealing with. GREED. GREED is what's going to end us all, and it's already starting anyways. Greed is what caused climate change, Greed is what will destroy us in the end. Greed of something man-made. Remember, money is man-made, it's not real, we all agreed money is valuable, the minute we all agree it's not, money becomes nothing. Nothing at all. And yet, the richest men on this planet value a concept rather than something real like nature, and earth. Despicable. 

[IWantYourLove 680]

He makes a good point about how few people are having kids nowadays, but the earth is already holding something like 4 billion more people than it can. For the health of the planet, there needs to be less people, but for society to continue the way it’s going, with a certain amount of jobs being filled, we need this many people. There’s no way to win this.

[LDGA 1,260]

He is really saying some wise words, people instead of laughing or bitching about him being rich, should listen. They guy is a genius and is way ahead of this time, someday he will be right. 

[salty like sodium 722]

5 hours ago, BlueRose said:

yes but they require more resources and they are not sustainable! these industries are the number one reason for deforestation. These "products" require more resources to develop ( animals need water, food and medicine for many years in order to be slaughtered). 

Yeah no I get that but I'm still confused as to what you would use the space for instead. Just plants ? So everyone becomes a vegan ? I'm not necessarily opposed to it, just wondering what the plan is !

[salty like sodium 722]

3 hours ago, IWantYourLove said:

He makes a good point about how few people are having kids nowadays, but the earth is already holding something like 4 billion more people than it can. For the health of the planet, there needs to be less people, but for society to continue the way it’s going, with a certain amount of jobs being filled, we need this many people. There’s no way to win this.

I mean we have so much unemployment in the world, wouldn't a few less billion people just solve unemployment ... ?

[SchwineLove 1,366]

Buttt, isn't overpopulation the greatest reason why humanity and earth's suffering today? 

 

But for a capitalist's pov, it means less spenders. And the Mars thing is silly reason. They won't move a hundred million people to Mars at same time. Breed more there if you eventually can achieve living in Mars. For now, what Elon suggests with population collapse narrative? Breed more to maintain population numbers? Of course humans will less breeding as humans become more wise and stressed to have kids. And humans worry for the future of earth as they gain knowledge of climate change. So...i think Elon just afraid that earth will lose populations so that there will be less people to spend money.

[P0JffionRowQat 27]

Most of Asia's population is on the decline (except India and some small countries).  The top 7 most populated countries in Asia have less than 1.7 birthrates.  Under 2 is declining birthrate.  This is good news. 

The other continent to have declining birthrate is Europe.

The rest of the world's populations have increasing birthrates, and approaching 8 billions.

Musk  doesn't care about the rest of the world.  This is what he really means.
"Elon Musk warns Europe's population collapse is the greatest risk to humanity"