One Finite Planet

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All: Explosion

Why Population growth even before the explosion?

Throughout history, although no other species on Earth has experienced such long term overall population growth, even before the recent population explosion, the human population kept slowly growing.

Yes, we recently had an unprecedented population explosion, driven by is hidden by by the near elimination of previously tragic infant mortality, but against the background of long term growth, many of us never didn’t even realise their was an explosion.

But what drove population growth even before the explosion? What will now happen as the explosion ends?

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Population Explosion: What happened to get to 8 Billion people?

Humanity has just experienced a population explosion. Whether you believe we are overpopulated or not, the facts are that we have just had a population explosion.

Over two centuries of population peaking at 50x higher than the long term population growth, and peaking at 100x higher during the baby boom.

Yet the explosion occurred with women having less babies than ever before, even during the baby boom, and is ending all by itself.

So what caused the boom, why a population explosion when birth rates are falling? Will our population grow until we are living life like battery hens?

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Paradox Resolved: Why The Population Explosion Is Ending and birth rates falling.

Surprisingly, humanity is at ‘peak child‘ and looks to be heading to population stability and perhaps even ‘leaving peak population‘ and correcting to a lower population.

We are still have an overpopulated planet, following the population explosion, but at least the explosion is ending, due to ‘births’ per woman falling from over 6 prior to 1900, to 4.7 by around 1950, and to around 2.3 in 2021.

So, why are birth-rates falling? There are countless studies of population trends, but in the end, most explanations for the fall in birth rates just don’t add up.

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Peak Child: When, and what does it mean?

Globally, the when is now. Although locally, experiences differ by location.

Data now clearly confirms that globally, the world has returned to ‘peak child’, a precursor to a likely return to peak population, and the end of three centuries of a population explosion.

Return to peak child means we could either return to the gradual growth levels of prior to the industrial revolution, or become a mature species, and exist in balance with nature and other living things. Perhaps even stop displacing other species?

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Explosion

Population Explosion: What happened to get to 8 Billion people?

Population Explosion: What happened to get to 8 Billion people?

Humanity has just experienced a population explosion. Whether you believe we are overpopulated or not, the facts are that we have just had a population explosion.

Over two centuries of population peaking at 50x higher than the long term population growth, and peaking at 100x higher during the baby boom.

Yet the explosion occurred with women having less babies than ever before, even during the baby boom, and is ending all by itself.

So what caused the boom, why a population explosion when birth rates are falling? Will our population grow until we are living life like battery hens?

Parent / Sub topics
My journey to understanding population.

My journey to understanding population.

Arguably mankind's greatest achievement is not the moon-landing, but the near elimination of child mortality. Side effects include a population explosion resulting in numbers such that we have only pseudo solutions for sustaining the environment. To arrive at my current point of understanding of population mechanisms and population growth, it took me a number of light bulb moments over the years since 2013, with many realisations shattering some of my previous beliefs, and sometimes taking years to be ready to take the next step. Here is a recap of my journey, and if you can move quickly from step to step, then you can absorb information faster than I can, but perhaps this information will inspire others on their own journey.
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Peak Child: When, and what does it mean?

Peak Child: When, and what does it mean?

Why Population growth even before the explosion?

Why Population growth even before the explosion?

China Population Surprise: Peak Population in 2022.

China Population Surprise: Peak Population in 2022.

Paradox Resolved: Why The Population Explosion Is Ending and birth rates falling.

Paradox Resolved: Why The Population Explosion Is Ending and birth rates falling.