logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2023
10m 44s

The truth about human population decline...

TED
About this episode
With birth rates falling, the worldwide human population is getting older and smaller. According to traditional thinking, this spells a future of labor shortages, bankrupt social security systems and overall economic collapse. Before you panic about the end of life as we know it, political demographer Jennifer D. Sciubba has a thoughtful playbook for managing the new normal – including ideas on the future of work and migration – and a reminder that a resilient future relies on present-day action.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Jul 10
A story of moral imagination and bold entrepreneurship | Sitoyo Lopokoiyit and Jacqueline Novogratz
In a conversation about visionary leadership, M-PESA CEO Sitoyo Lopokoiyit speaks with impact investor and Acumen CEO Jacqueline Novogratz about how he grew a nascent mobile payment service into Africa’s largest fintech platform — which now handles nearly 60 percent of Kenya's GD ... Show More
19m 36s
Jul 9
"Marigolds," a poem about wonder | Safiya Sinclair
Poet Safiya Sinclair performs "Marigolds: A Letter to Wonder," an original poem she created for TED that explores memory, beauty and the fragility of life. After the poem, she talks with TED's Helen Walters about her writing process — and what it feels like when the creative muse ... Show More
9m 2s
Jul 8
The miraculous device that saved my farm — and changed my life | Josephine Waweru
Exhausted from carrying water up a hill to keep her small farm in Kenya thriving, Josephine Waweru received an unexpected call that offered a nearly unbelievable solution. She shares how one simple device allowed her crops (and her dreams) to flourish — and offers a glimmer of ho ... Show More
10m 18s
Recommended Episodes
Jan 2024
The truth about human population decline | Jennifer D. Sciubba
With birth rates falling, the worldwide human population is getting older and smaller. According to traditional thinking, this spells a future of labor shortages, bankrupt social security systems and overall economic collapse. Before you panic about the end of life as we know it, ... Show More
12m 36s
Jun 2022
Other Nations Are Insufficiently Horny
"Demographic Winter" occurs when a nation's population growth is so bottlenecked that its labor is unable to sustain the economy in basics like tax revenue, health care services--and food. Much of the developed world, with laggardly birthrates, is poised to tumble off that demogr ... Show More
1h 3m
Jan 2023
The Overpopulation Conspiracy
Humanity has always had one biological mission: to grow and expand its population. And, since the days of antiquity, great thinkers have been terrified by the idea that, one day, there will simply be too many people on the planet. In today's episode, Ben and Noel explore the nume ... Show More
51m 22s
Feb 2021
A Renegade Solution to Extractive Economics — with Kate Raworth
When Kate Raworth began studying economics, she was disappointed that the mainstream version of the discipline didn’t fully address many of the world issues that she wanted to tackle, such as human rights and environmental destruction. She left the field, but was inspired to jump ... Show More
1h 26m
May 2024
Will Gen Z reject or remake capitalism?
A historic intergenerational shift in money, power and influence is coming our way – is this a reset moment for our economies, societies and future?Ken Costa is a leading figure in global investment banking, and the author of The 100 Trillion Dollar Wealth Transfer - an urgent ex ... Show More
57m 48s
Jan 2019
Western Population Is In Decline, America Gets Bad News
Western Population Is In Decline, Americans Not Having Kids. Past forecasts were favorable for America but a new report from the CDC shows that America has fallen below replacement levels. Similar trends can be seen across Europe and other Western nations. Millennials are not get ... Show More
12m 45s
Dec 2022
Humanity at Eight Billion
At eight billion people, humanity has reached a major demographic milestone. Yet with a growing population, questions arise over whether nations can keep up. While developed Western countries struggle to take care of aging populations and low birth rates, many developing countrie ... Show More
35m 17s
Jun 2022
He predicted globalization’s failure, now he’s planning what’s next
For more than a quarter century, economist and Harvard Kennedy School professor Dani Rodrik has been ringing alarm bells about the dangers of globalization. And for a long time, it didn’t seem like a whole lot of people were listening. Now as record economic inequality, a climate ... Show More
38m 19s