Population collapse due to low birth rates a bigger risk than climate: Elon Musk

This is not the first time that Tesla’s top boss has warned about declining birth rates. In June 2022, he also shared data from The Wall Street Journal

Elon Musk Sounded An Alarm Again 

Tesla and SpaceX owner Elon Musk has once again sounded an alarm regarding the depleting birth rate across the globe. On August 26, Musk took to Twitter and said, “Population collapse due to low birth rates is a much bigger risk to civilization than global warming.”

This is not the first time Tesla’s top boss has warned about declining birth rates. In June, he shared data from The Wall Street Journal, which highlighted that birthrates across the US were failing to hit ‘sustainable’ levels for more than fifty years now. While Musk has often criticized the measures taken for targeted population control, he also has received criticism for his approach to the population collapse issue.

In another tweet dated July 7, Musk wrote that he is doing his best to help the underpopulation crisis and collapsing birth rate is the biggest danger that civilization faces. This came after one report suggested Musk had twins last year with one of his top executives.

Musk has longas been vocal about his concerns regarding the declining birth rate. He has often rubbished the thought that having more children harms the environment, due to which people choose not to have kids.

But Why Is Elon Musk Reiterating The Population Collapse

Several reports show that there has been a global decline in fertility rates over the past 50 years. According to UN World Population Prospects, 2022, the global fertility rate fell from 3.3 in 1990 to 2.1 births per woman in 2021.

The report added that India might take over China as the most populous country by 2023. This comes when China’s one-child policy has been failing, and the country is witnessing a severe population crisis. This is coupled with the decline in marriage rates and an increase in the aging population.

As per the National Bureau of Statistics of China, the birth rate declined to an all-time low of 7.52 per 1,000 people in 2021.

Although India’s population crossed the 1.4 billion mark in 2021, the country’s growth rate has reduced drastically. The report said that from 1.38 percent in 2010, the growth rate will come to half at 0.68 percent in 2021. With a decline in the birth rate, the dependent population and pressure on govt are expected to increase. According to a Business Standard report dated July 18, the share of the population above 65 is likely to jump from 9.7 percent in 2022 to 16.4 percent in 2050.

As far as the US is concerned, the birth rate fell to a new low of 4 percent, according to a 2021 report. The report also mentioned that the decline continued for the sixth consecutive year, with only 3.6 million babies born in 2020, the lowest since 1979. This decline is linked to the average age of American mothers, said the report.

The 2019 UN report said the world population is projected to stop growing by the end of the century for the first time in history. While countries like Germany and Japan have been witnessing a decline in birth rate, middle-income countries like Brazil and Thailand are also witnessing a decline now.

Dakota Cameron

Dakota Cameron is a seasoned web content writer and covers the Hollywood movies for the MovieThop Website
Ms. Cameron began his professional life as a freelance blogger. Later, he worked for Witbe as a content writer for two years. His interests include blogging, reading, movies and travel.
Ms. Cameron graduated in Journalism and Mass Communication from University State of Georgia University. He is fluent in French, Spanish, and other languages.