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Slow the growth, save the world? Why declining birth rates need not mean an end to prosperity
(www.theguardian.com)
this post was submitted on 20 Aug 2024
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Degrowth
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I = PAT
Impact is equal to population times affluence times technology.
Decreasing human population can help to decrease impact, as long as the smaller population doesn't disproportionately increase its resource use (affluence x technology)
Tech is culture dependent though. You could theoretically go below 1 if it's used wisely. For example vertical farms are less wasteful. But if course that doesn't help if you're buying a new phone every year.
Or, proper running water systems vs having to buy plastic jugs of water.
Certainly the formula can be sharpened but it's a decent heuristic for thinking about impact.