A Baby Boom Would Be Bad
Before we champion faster population growth, let's curb climate change and find a better way to feed the people who are already here.
There are bigger things to worry about right now than fertility rates.
Photographer: Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images
The 2020 census reported the lowest rate of population growth in the U.S. since the post-Depression decade, inspiring a chorus of economic Cassandras who want to reverse this trend. To shore up economic growth, they argue, we need to “raise fertility” and “avoid becoming yet another graying, stagnating wealthy society,” perhaps even tripling our population to “one billion Americans.” But while the census numbers do offer a solid argument for immigration, the case for boosting birthrates fails to acknowledge the increasing difficulty of nourishing a more populated world.
Before clamoring for more mouths to feed, we need to recognize the dire realities of world hunger today and the gravely concerning predictions for famine and malnutrition in the decades to come. Let’s get a plan in place to ensure climate stability and greater food security going forward. Until then, a slowdown in population growth not only eases pressures on a stressed planet, it will make it possible to feed more people more intelligently and sustainably, with higher-quality food.