U.S. Population Growth at Record Low: Bad for U.S. Economy | Hacker News Reader

U.S. Population Growth at Record Low: Bad for U.S. Economy

bloomberg.com

7 pointspaulpauper6 comments

We went from 1.5 billion at the beginning of the 20th century to 8+ billion today and we've seen the consequences on the climate and environment at large. And that's globally: per capita the US are amongst the worst polluters and consumers and totally unsustainable.

So we really need to shift paradigm and to stop screaming "think of the economy!" to justify unsustainable population growth.

I'm looking forward for a government in a developed country to having the courage to announce that the goal is 0 population growth at best and to adapt society accordingly.

How would they adapt society to work towards this goal? China style policies?

Fertility rates in most developed countries are below the replacement rate. There is absolutely no need to dissuade people from having children.

It's about giving up on the paradigm that population has to grow, and thus giving up on policies aimed at ensuring that it does, and then adapting to the social and economic consequences.

This will happen in any case since population cannot grow ad infinitum.

Cultural change. Stop pushing family life as this sacred self-fulfillment fantasy it is today, but instead promote other means of salvation.

Women's equal access to sterilization would be a big one. Easy and free availability of birth control and pregnancy termination other low-hanging fruits. Improving factual constraints, education and independence: Inviting self-determined life choices and a self-serving sense of purpose.

Enforcing parent's responsibility for their children. Punish neglect more harshly. Don't allow parents to make their children's attention footprint something everyone has to endure, because "children are precious!" entitlement; no free-riding. Don't collectivize the downsides of procreation.

Basically just undo the pro-natalism ideology, religious influence and propaganda.

When our society already does not provide decently nor sustainably for all of the US population it seems farcical to wring our hands over the economic effects of a decrease of our population growth.

Interesting to this title and the opposite on HN at the same time: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/26/us/texas-newborns-birthra...

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