Alex Gorzula

Profesor Peter Camilleri

ENG 170-28

November 7, 2023

 

Kurzgesagt. “Why Korea is Dying Out.” Youtube, 4 10 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBudghsdByQ&t=650s&ab_channel=Kurzgesagt%E2%80%93InaNutshell. Accessed 2 11 2023.

This source is excellent for explaining population trends. It is essential to have a foundation to build on my topic further. This source will help me explain the growth and drop of populations. China’s struggle with popularity is described. A good point I want to include in my essay from this video is that China’s working-age population will drop by 20% or 200 million people. This is about the same workforce as the USA. The one-child policy was a significant reason they have had a low fertility rate for decades and is the reason for this drop in population, and it’s unstoppable at this point. China’s fertility rate is 1.2, one of the lowest in Asia, only second to South Korea, with a dearth rate of 0.8. With older people outnumbering the working class, the economy will suffer as the country tries to tend to its aging population. In China, 11 out of 31 provinces already run deficits for their pension funds.

 

“Opinion | What Happens When Global Human Population Peaks?” The New York Times, 18 September 2023, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/09/18/opinion/human-population-global-growth.html. Accessed 3 November 2023.

This citation is excellent for showing the extent of population decline. For example, “If all people in the United States today lived through their reproductive years and had babies at an average pace, then it would add up to about 1.66 births per woman. In Europe, that number is 1.5; in East Asia, 1.2; in Latin America, 1.9. Any worldwide average of fewer than two children per two adults means our population shrinks, and in the long run, each new generation is smaller than before”.  This shows the rapid decline of the population. If one wants to maintain a person, the fertility rate must be 2.1, and they are much lower. This also talks about how most demographers only look as far as 2100, but what happens after that? This article talks about the extensional decrease in the population going up as one thing that allows for growth. Still, when societies are built with one large population, and then they just disappear, it causes instability.

 

Feldstein, Stephanie. “Population Decline Will Change the World for the Better.” Scientific American, 4 May 2023, https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/population-decline-will-change-the-world-for-the-better/. Accessed 3 November 2023.

 

I want to look at all sides of the conversation, so this citation discusses the benefits of propulsion decline. Population decline will decrease our carbon footprint in the world. As the population increased, so did the usage of raw natural materials. This puts an incredible strain on the environment and wildlife as countries try to keep up with the growing population.”The human population has doubled over the past 50 years, and wildlife populations have plummeted by an average of 69 percent. We’ve already altered at least 70 percent of Earth’s land, with some reports putting that number at 97 percent. Our activities have driven wildlife from their homes and destroyed irreplaceable ecosystems”. This is a good point. The decline of biodiversity is a tragedy and a complex problem to solve, especially with a population of 8 billion people. But as the standard of living increases, this will get worse before it gets better. This also causes economic damage.” The World Bank estimates ecosystem collapse could cost $2.7 trillion annually by 2030. Deloitte recently estimated climate chaos could cost the United States alone $14.5 trillion by 2070 as we respond to the increasingly frequent and intense damage caused by extreme weather and wildfires and the threats to communities, farms, and businesses from droughts and unpredictable weather”.

 

 

AfterSkool. “Population Collapse.” YouTube, 21 June 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zC1khWr7wg8&ab_channel=AfterSkool. Accessed 11/7/2023 November 2023.

This citation is excellent because it is opposite the source above it. It makes out the other side to be ignorant and evil, even comparing them to Nazies! This source has big names put on it, like Jorden Preston and Elon Musk. This gives the reader an enormous sense of trust because they are well-known. It’s like buying a shoe created by our favorite athletes. Another interesting detail is that they skimmed over the argument made by the other side and labeled them as misanthropes who are worried about nothing, but is that true, or are they trying to ensure their agenda? We must consider that Elon Musk and other economists seem more concerned about the economy, and it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that they overlook problems like environmental issues. These sources still help me provide more evidence on why population collapses constitute a significant issue and have major biases. I will still use this because it has a tone similar to the previous citation. It also helps me consider how I will formulate this essay in the best way possible without making the opposing side seem nonsensical. 

 

Works Cited

AfterSkool. “Population Collapse.” YouTube, 21 June 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zC1khWr7wg8&ab_channel=AfterSkool. Accessed 11/7/2023 November 2023.

Feldstein, Stephanie. “Population Decline Will Change the World for the Better.” Scientific American, 4 May 2023, https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/population-decline-will-change-the-world-for-the-better/. Accessed 3 November 2023.

Kurzgesagt. “Why Korea is Dying Out.” Youtube, 4 10 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBudghsdByQ&t=650s&ab_channel=Kurzgesagt%E2%80%93InaNutshell. Accessed 2 11 2023.

“Opinion | What Happens When Global Human Population Peaks?” The New York Times, 18 September 2023, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/09/18/opinion/human-population-global-growth.html. Accessed 3 November 2023.