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Birth rates are falling across Europe, China, the U.S., but also in many other middle and low-income countries. So are we heading toward a dangerous population downturn, or is a smaller world actually better for the planet? In this Howtown Showdown, Adam and Joss flip a coin to choose opposing sides. Adam frames population decline as a lifeline for the environment: fewer people means less carbon, less land use, less biodiversity loss, and a more sustainable planet. Joss argues that shrinking societies face economic stagnation, aging populations, labor shortages, and slower innovation, especially in countries that are “getting old before getting rich.” We trade numbers on replacement fertility, UN population projections, Japan’s demographic experiment, global aging in Asia and Latin America, and how market size affects technological breakthroughs from medicine to clean energy. Environmental pressures—deforestation, species collapse, groundwater depletion—collide with arguments about the power of human ingenuity and rising productivity. The video is full of charts, expert citations, and sharp rebuttals, so you can decide: Do we need more people—or fewer?
Chapters:
0:00 the proposition
1:16 the rules
1:39 Adam’s round 1
3:52 rebuttal
6:53 Joss’s round 1
9:16 rebuttal
12:14 stat v stat!
20:23 Joss’s round 3
22:45 rebuttal
25:03 Adam’s round 3
27:16 rebuttal
34:05 Gotcha questions!?
37:06 Pet peeves
42:20 That’s a fair point!
44:52 Closing arguments
48:30 Who won?
