Scientists warn global population could halve by 2064
Many assume that the world's population will continue to grow exponentially over the next few decades. That's not the belief of some scientists who are now sounding the alarm that the population could halve by 2064, a stunning prediction.
Some predict a global population crash
A "global population crash" doesn't exactly represent the words you want to read. It's far from comforting, but that's exactly what some scientists are now predicting will happen by 2064.
They believe the crash will be so significant that, in the worst-case scenario, half the entire global population will disappear.
Considering the current global population is around 8.3 billion, that's a massive number of people to disappear in less than 40 years.
"Under a deliberately conservative worst-case assumption that Earth's sustainable carrying capacity suddenly dropped to around two billion people, our model predicts a rapid global population decline, with humanity potentially halving by around the year 2064," said the researchers, from the University of Milan.
The study was published in Chaos, Solitons & Fractals.
The Catalysts Behind a Population Crash
Also eye-popping are the many factors the researchers named that could result in such catastrophic loss. The researchers identified several catastrophic stress factors that could trigger this decline, including pandemics, climate collapse, falling birth rates, resource shortages, and global conflict.
"We modelled what could happen if major environmental crises abruptly imposed severe carrying-capacity limits on Earth," said the researchers.
A thorough study using a unique mathematical equation
The researchers created a mathematical equation for their study that would take an in-depth look at population growth, or in this case, decline. It used 12,000 years' worth of population data from the Neolithic era to the modern age.
Despite the worst-case scenario prediction, overall, they determined that population growth appears steady and stable right now. That means they aren't saying imminent collapse is a guarantee.
Only time will tell
It's an uncomfortable truth, but only time will tell how correct or incorrect these researchers prove to be.
Sources: Daily Mail, Chaos, Solitons & Fractals
