Thanks Bradley insightful article again. David Attenborough (the British environmentalist) wrote that 'we have a finite environment - the planet. Anyone who thinks you can have infinite growth in a finite environment is either a madman or an economist'. On a planet with an excess of 8 billion people, the focus as Paul makes below is to ensure we are utilising those that are here, rather than worrying about those that are not born. Perhaps economic growth will slow, perhaps the planet will have a chance to breathe and perhaps with less people we can live more peaceful lives - as an Indian immigrant, I see this from a more hopeful perspective, having seen the challenges of over-population.
There are tons of upsides to degrowth. However, as you note, there are few seen by economists or capitalists. I hope we can get back to a period where demographics level-out.
Thank you for pushing this new reality, Bradley. People are missing this and all of its consequences.
Therefore, they are missing the opportunities and necessities of viable solutions.
Beyond increasing birthrates there is the need to compete on a global scale to attract (legally) immigrants to support businesses and the national economy.
Closer to my heart, is being open to retaining and hiring older workers to not only fill staffing needs but to leverage their advanced experience, skills and individual talents.
Those that realize, embrace and act on this will be the ones who succeed.
Thank you for liking and commenting, Paul. There's a lot of nuance to the conversation about declining birth rates, increased longevity and, of course, the role of immigration. We've moved from a period of explosive population growth to one of precipitous decline--the U.S. and Sub-Saharan Africa are outliers. It would be nice to restore a little balance to our populations once again, which is the historical norm.
Thanks Bradley insightful article again. David Attenborough (the British environmentalist) wrote that 'we have a finite environment - the planet. Anyone who thinks you can have infinite growth in a finite environment is either a madman or an economist'. On a planet with an excess of 8 billion people, the focus as Paul makes below is to ensure we are utilising those that are here, rather than worrying about those that are not born. Perhaps economic growth will slow, perhaps the planet will have a chance to breathe and perhaps with less people we can live more peaceful lives - as an Indian immigrant, I see this from a more hopeful perspective, having seen the challenges of over-population.
There are tons of upsides to degrowth. However, as you note, there are few seen by economists or capitalists. I hope we can get back to a period where demographics level-out.
Thank you for pushing this new reality, Bradley. People are missing this and all of its consequences.
Therefore, they are missing the opportunities and necessities of viable solutions.
Beyond increasing birthrates there is the need to compete on a global scale to attract (legally) immigrants to support businesses and the national economy.
Closer to my heart, is being open to retaining and hiring older workers to not only fill staffing needs but to leverage their advanced experience, skills and individual talents.
Those that realize, embrace and act on this will be the ones who succeed.
Thank you for liking and commenting, Paul. There's a lot of nuance to the conversation about declining birth rates, increased longevity and, of course, the role of immigration. We've moved from a period of explosive population growth to one of precipitous decline--the U.S. and Sub-Saharan Africa are outliers. It would be nice to restore a little balance to our populations once again, which is the historical norm.