The Indicator from Planet Money : NPR

This photo taken on October 20, 2024 shows puppets in the village of Ichinono, one of the "puppet villages" in Japan created to ease the lonesome feelings due to depopulation, in the city of Tamba-Sasayama, Hyogo Prefecture. Japan has one of the oldest populations in the world and has a fertility rate well under replacement level. (Photo by PHILIP FONG/AFP via Getty Images)

Over the past century, the world’s human population has exploded from around 2 billion to 8 billion. Meanwhile, the average fertility rate has gradually declined. And if that trend continues as it has, we may soon see a crash in the population rate, which some argue could have disastrous effects.

Today on the show, we talk to co-authors Michael Geruso and Dean Spears about their forthcoming book After the Spike: Population, Progress, and the Case for People. Together, they explain why you should care about declining fertility rates.

Related episodes:

Babies v climate change; AI v IP; bonds v world

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

Source link