Elon Musk argued for higher birth rates again, saying otherwise we will all "end up in adult diapers."
He claimed without evidence that the environment can support it "even if we doubled the size" of the global population.
Experts have stated other factors causing birth rates to decline.
Elon Musk argued on Monday that it's "total nonsense" that people were not having have kids because it was bad for the environment, and made another plug for people to have more children to prevent the collapse of civilization.
"Some people think that having fewer kids is better for the environment. It's total nonsense. The environment is going to be fine, the environment is going to be fine even if we doubled the size of the humans," the Tesla CEO told the closed-door All-In Summit via video call on Monday.
"At least maintain our numbers," he said. "We don't necessarily need to grow dramatically, but least let's not gradually dwindle away until civilization ends with all of us in adult diapers, in a whimper."
Musk did not provide evidence to back up his claims. Swedish researchers in 2017 found that having one fewer child per family could reduce carbon emissions by about 58.6 metric tons each year in developed countries, CNBC reported. However, other experts said that a change in lifestyle and a compounding change in pro-climate policies could have a greater impact on the environment than not having children, Vox reported.
Musk also claimed that if people didn't have kids, humankind would collapse upon itself.
Musk has previously voiced his concerns about global birth rates. In December, he warned that "civilization is going to crumble" if people don't have enough children. He furthered that argument last week by claiming that Japan could "cease to exist" because its birth rate was declining.
While birth rates in some countries are indeed falling, the 2019 UN World Population Prospects report, the most recent edition, estimated that the global population could reach 9.7 billion in 2050, from 7.7 billion in 2019.
But it's not rare to see birth rates decline during economic downturns, as Insider previously reported. The soaring cost of living in the US, for example, has also prompted many millennial Americans to put off having babies. In Japan's case, people have blamed the high cost of having children, restrictive immigration policies, and gender inequality for its population decline.
Many people have also cited the environmental impacts of overpopulation as a reason to hold back on having children. In 2019, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said those concerns were driving some to not want to have children or to have fewer babies so there would be less strain on the environment.
Read the original article on Business Insider
Blackstone leaders joined the Bloomberg New Energy Finance Summit to offer their perspective on the challenges and opportunities presented by climate change and the energy transition.
TC Sessions: Climate, in partnership with the Extreme Tech Challenge 2022 Global Finals, is our first event dedicated to the climate crisis. Leading scientists, entrepreneurs, VCs and more will gather in person on June 14 at UC Berkeley (and online on June 16) to examine the role of tech and startups in mitigating and adapting to the existential threat you know and dread. On stage, you’ll hear from influential leaders, including former EPA administrator Carol Browner, Impossible Foods founder Pat Brown, Berkeley Lab’s director of Climate & Ecosystem Sciences, William Collins, Lime CEO Wayne Ting and — Bill Gates.
The world's biggest insurers are expanding in Africa, looking to tap growth promised by a rising population and middle class, but climate change could complicate their quest for profits. In the United States, insurance premiums, including life, and general insurance, make up the equivalent of 12% of economic output or gross domestic product, according to Swiss Re. Temperatures in southern Africa rose at twice the global rate on average in the five years leading up to 2019, according to a report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
An aviation industry group representing most major airlines criticized the European Union's Parliament on Thursday for seeking to expand its emissions trading system to all flights departing the bloc. EU lawmakers voted Wednesday that existing requirements for airlines to buy credits for the greenhouse gas emissions that their flights produce should be extended to include all that leave the 27-nation bloc, Norway and Iceland. The International Air Transport Association warned Thursday that such a move could undermine a separate international agreement, known as CORSIA, that allows airlines to buy credits to offset their emissions.
The sharpest opinions on the debate from around the web
It would make it the first country to charge farmers for the methane emissions from their animals.
The hot sauce company reportedly doesn’t have enough chili peppers due to “weather conditions”
(Bloomberg) -- The global food import bill is set to reach a fresh record in 2022, but surging prices mean buyers will barely be getting any more for the money. Most Read from BloombergTarget Tries to Save Itself by Putting Everything on SaleEating Two Portions of Fish Per Week Linked to Deadly Skin CancerChina Weighs Reviving Jack Ma’s Ant IPO as Crackdown EasesMusk Twitter Bid Counts Secretive $5 Billion Fund Among BackersHedge Fund D1 Borrowed Billions for a Hot Bet That Now Faces ReckoningFo
As the stakes rise with the temperature, a wide range of startups are striving to help humanity slash emissions and adapt to extreme weather. For the first time ever, TechCrunch is hosting TC Sessions: Climate — a special event dedicated to the climate. While we have leading scientists, investors and luminaries like Bill Gates taking the stage, no TechCrunch event would be complete without the founders with their heads down shaping the future of climate tech.
(Bloomberg) -- California pledged $300 million to tackle methane leaks amid a broader push by the US to curb emissions of the potent greenhouse gas.Most Read from BloombergTarget Tries to Save Itself by Putting Everything on SaleHedge Fund D1 Borrowed Billions for a Hot Bet That Now Faces ReckoningAmazon’s Stock Split Delivers More Than Bargained ForMusk’s Twitter Bid Includes Financier Linked to Russian TycoonTarget's Oversupply Problem Should Scare All RetailersThe proposal includes $200 milli
Exclusive: Prime Minister Mottley told The Independent that wealthy nations need to help small and developing countries address climate crisis impacts
Peter Rice, Walt Disney Co.’s chairman of general entertainment content, is departing just months after renewing his contract. Separately, the board stated its support for CEO Bob Chapek, who has been under pressure as the company’s stock has fallen this year.
A cooler inflation figure would provide some reassurance to those hoping decades-high inflation had peaked in March.
With the S&P 500 index having dropped 18% this year, conventional wisdom has it that you should take advantage of the opportunity to buy stocks at bargain prices. Zero return for stocks over the next decade would represent a problem for older people, who might want to cash out some of their stock money at that point.
Gold markets have fallen a bit during the trading session on Thursday to reach the bottom of the overall consolidation area. As we are waiting for CPI figures on Friday, it makes quite a bit of sense that gold will be sensitive.
Before you can even start searching for a new home, you first need to zero in on your homebuying budget.
(Bloomberg) -- US Treasuries tumbled, sending 2-year yields surging by the most since 2009, after an unexpected jump in inflation increased speculation the Federal Reserve will need to raise interest rates more aggressively over the next few months. Most Read from BloombergUS Lifts Covid-19 Test Requirement for International TravelUS Inflation Quickens to 40-Year High, Pressuring Fed and BidenEating Two Portions of Fish Per Week Linked to Deadly Skin CancerFive Key Moments From the Jan. 6 Capito
CVS said Thursday that it will reiterate its recent full-year profit forecasts during a series of investor meetings over the coming weeks.
The British pound initially rallied for the week but gave bank gain rather quickly as we continue to see anything not called “the US dollar” take a bit of a beating.
China EV maker Nio beat views while Covid lockdowns ease. Here's what earnings and its chart say about buying Nio stock now.