Myths about Overpopulation

“Given that climate change and biodiversity loss are existential threats for humanity, it is absolutely essential that we are aware of these facts, given that climate change is often just attributed to fossil fuel use and thus a merely technical problem… The underlying problem is either ignored or actively suppressed, namely the fact that there are too many consumers.” – Peter Uetz

Here, Uetz breaks the problem down into eight myths that are still widely held and that he believes hold the key to many of our planetary problems.

Myth 1: Population Growth Has Largely Stopped, Hence the Problem Is Solved

After birth rates began to drop in the 1960s and 1970s, it seemed to many people that the problems of population growth would soon be solved, defusing the “population bomb.” It is true that fertility rates have dropped dramatically in most parts of the world (except Africa), and this process took most countries only a few decades.¹ In fact, in most countries this happened all on its own without government intervention. For instance, the total fertility rate of Chinese women was 6.2 children per woman in 1969. By the time China’s one-child policy was implemented in 1979, the fertility rate had already fallen to 2.7.² However, after the policy’s implementation, it took the Chinese population more than forty years to plateau (in 2022). This same process is happening in India right now: with Indian women having reached replacement level (2.1 children per woman) in 2023, the problem of population growth is considered solved. Well, not quite: like China, it will take India about forty years to reach a stable population.

Read about the other seven myths here.