this post was submitted on 11 Aug 2024
50 points (85.7% liked)

Collapse

891 readers
11 users here now

This is the place for discussing the potential collapse of modern civilization and the environment.


Collapse, in this context, refers to the significant loss of an established level or complexity towards a much simpler state. It can occur differently within many areas, orderly or chaotically, and be willing or unwilling. It does not necessarily imply human extinction or a singular, global event. Although, the longer the duration, the more it resembles a ‘decline’ instead of collapse.


RULES

1 - Remember the human

2 - Link posts should come from a reputable source

3 - All opinions are allowed but discussion must be in good faith.

4 - No low effort, high volume and low relevance posts.


Related lemmys:

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

But why on earth? Rejoice, rather.

all 28 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] breadsmasher@lemmy.world 67 points 1 year ago (1 children)

the only people who care about raising the birth rates are the billionaire parasites who are concerned about fewer wage slaves they can steal value and productivity from

[–] lemmyng@lemmy.ca 42 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Don't forget the racists and religious nutjobs who both think it's their duty to "outbreed" the rest.

[–] P00ptart@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

It's the same picture.

[–] M500@lemmy.ml 55 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You want kids? Raise wages significantly at this point. Put out some strong social safety nets.

My wife and I are mid-thirties trying to save for a house and retirement. A kid is not even close to an option for us.

[–] Mikina@programming.dev 18 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Unfortunately, what's probably going to happen is more taxes for people without children. It has already been considered by some parties here in czech, and it infuriates me. I'm also mostly sure that's what will happen, turning people without children to second class citizens they can leech more money from, with an excuse that they are not building our society enough. And you will get some lower-income, anti-work people spamming children even more, to abuse the benefits and support you get for them even more.

[–] M500@lemmy.ml 8 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I read that trumps vice president candidate suggested that before too.

Does the tax go away after a certain age?

Like when peoples kids grow up do you start paying the tax again? What if you’re too old to have kids? Do you still need to pay the tax?

It’s a dumb idea, but it’s probably going to happen.

[–] teamevil@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago

Trump's VP supports it as a work around to punish those in "alternative" lifestyles that traditionally don't have children to remove their voice in society.

Also those of us without kids already pay more in taxes

[–] CommanderCloon@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Also what if your kid dies?

[–] M500@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 year ago

After posting, I wondered about people who are naturally infertile.

[–] JoMomma@lemm.ee 48 points 1 year ago

Falling birt rates might be the only thing that saves humanity

[–] Lemminary@lemmy.world 34 points 1 year ago (2 children)
[–] eleitl@lemm.ee 19 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Indeed. Less people means lower overshoot, less future excess deaths.

[–] TankovayaDiviziya@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago

And jobs will be taken over by robots anyway at some point in the future. So, why have so many future humans who will be jobless then?

[–] AA5B@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Because some of us like that there is a humanity and want it to continue. Some of us still have hope for the future instead of letting an array of problems depress us. Some of us know we can do better. Some of us are alive.

[–] riodoro1@lemmy.world 1 points 11 months ago

8 billion of you are alive. Don’t worry. Humanity is not going anywhere.

Oh, you mean your flavor of humanity?

[–] Lemminary@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I don't think you need overpopulation to do that. You can probably live a better life without so many people suffering and competing for scarce resources or fighting over jobs and land. I value quality over quantity.

[–] AA5B@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Scaling humanity gives more opportunity to move forward in more areas, more intellect, more skills, more specialization. If there were no living constraints, the more people, the better.

The constraints on our living space, available resources, healthy environment is the only real limit.

We need to find a balance with a critical Mass of humanity to continue to grow and improve, yet live within available resources while maintaining a healthy diverse environment.

[–] Lemminary@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

Scale never stopped progress before. We're reaching very real limits and a possibility of environmental collapse soon. We're way, way past finding critical mass by billions of people.

[–] some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 19 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Sounds like a fascist talking point to me.

[–] eleitl@lemm.ee 14 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Pyramid scheme proponents are panicking since confronted with end of growth.

[–] BlastboomStrice@mander.xyz 19 points 1 year ago

Yeah, let then drop

[–] Sir_Kevin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 16 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Considering climate change, any new people we create will literally burn to death before they're able to live a full life so what's the point?

[–] eleitl@lemm.ee 15 points 1 year ago (1 children)

They will likely expire by mass starvation before they succumb to hyperthermia, but you're right, of course.

[–] morphballganon@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Mass starvation won't kill everyone at the same time. These demographics will die while those survive, then repeat.

[–] vzq@lemmy.blahaj.zone 14 points 1 year ago

Oh no. Anyway…

[–] gnuplusmatt@reddthat.com 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I love my kids, but fuck they're expensive... maybe that has something to do with it

[–] AA5B@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

And difficult. Also may have something to do with it. And employers seem to think any time. For them is wasted.

My kids are the best thing I ever did, but I won’t pretend it was cheap and easy. I also won’t fault anyone who hesitates based on the huge effort of time and money.

If governments want to fix this crisis, they need to make it much easier and cheaper to have kids. Like the article mentions, small measures won’t be enough. However the article glosses over the time factor - there’s a huge societal inertia to overcome and the population changes won’t be apparent to most until it’s too late