The Telegraph, a UK paper, recently ran an article about the “population collapse” the United Kingdom is facing thanks to a low birth rate. In the article, one individual is quotes as saying that the upcoming “population collapse” is actually a good thing because it will be “good for…our planet” In other words, the op-ed celebrated depopulation because of its emissions and pollution implications.
For reference, depopulation is defined as “substantial reduction in the population of an area,” so it is a close synonym of “population collapse,” the more politically correct term used in the op-ed. More important is that the op-ed’s author is not just an Oxford professor, but also a former member of the WEF’s Global Agenda Council on Ageing Societies.
Oxford’s biography of Professor Sarah Harper provides that interesting detail. “Internationally, Professor Harper represented the UK on the European Science Academies’ Demographic Change in Europe Panel, and serves on the Council of Advisers of Population Europe and on the Advisory Board of the World Demographic Association. She served on the Royal Society’s Working Group on People and the Planet, the Wellcome Trust Health Consequences of Population Change Panel and on the World Economic Forum, Global Agenda Council on Ageing Societies, as well as on the Scientific Advisory Board of Natural England and on the Advisory Board for the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA). She is a frequent speaker at literary and scientific festivals, including World Economic Forums, TED talks, Hay, Cheltenham and Edinburgh Festivals,” it says.
In any case, Professor Harper was quoted by the Telegraph as saying, “I think it’s a good thing that the high-income, high-consuming countries of the world are reducing the number of children that they’re having. I’m quite positive about that.”
Continuing, Professor Harper added that the population collapse is “good for…our planet” because it will help to address the “general overconsumption that we have at the moment.” In other words, fewer people means fewer resources are consumed, all else being equal, so demographic decline is a positive.
Making that point clear, she said, “We will see smaller populations in high-income countries going forward. It’s just going to be a trend of the 21st century and that will actually be good for general overall overconsumption that we have at the moment and our planet.”
To its credit, the Telegraph article noted that there are severe challenges the system will face thanks to demographic decline, not just the “positive” of less resource consumption. “A shrinking workforce puts pressure on younger generations to pay more tax for the healthcare of older people. It can also lead to worker shortages that can slow growth,” the Telegraph noted.
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But, regardless of whether it is a net good or net evil, demographic decline in the UK is certainly happening. According to the Telegraph, the country’s fertility rate sank to a shocking, record low of just 1.58 per woman in 2020, rebounding only marginally to 1.61 in 2021. That number also includes foreign-born residents of the UK, who tend to have more children, the Telegraph notes, than native British people.