On Friday, August 26, Elon Musk stated on his Twitter account that population collapse due to low birth rates is a bigger threat to humanity than global warming. But this isn’t Musk’s first warning of a drop in birth rates.
“BIGGER PROBLEM THAN GLOBAL WARMING”
In the same post, Musk stated that as birth rates slow exponentially and death rates increase, population collapse will be the biggest problem the world will face in 20 years. Stating that the drop in birth rates is a bigger problem than global warming, Musk said, “Take note of my words,” but he also acknowledged that climate change is an important issue that should not be completely ignored.
“Are people having fewer children because they are so pessimistic about the future? Is encouraging people to be more optimistic about the future part of the solution?” While Musk said “Yes” to the question, he added that the only solution was to have more children.
“I’M WORRIED”
After these statements, Musk also made new statements about birth rates. Musk stated that he was concerned about birth rates, whether there were enough children to sustain civilization, and said, “I think everyone should have children.”
AGAINST ‘LONG’ LIVING
While Musk, who has 9 children, draws attention to the importance of population growth, he has a different opinion about people’s longevity.
Stating that people should not try to live ‘super long’, Musk said, “I think it is important that we die. People usually die without changing their minds. If we live forever, we can turn into a rigid society where new ideas are not accepted.”
Although the world population has reached 7.9 billion from 3 billion in the last 60 years, as Musk said, there is a decrease in birth rates. According to World Bank data, the global birth rate has been falling steadily since 1964.
* Images of the news are provided by the Associated Press.