Featured Image Source: Created by Eashan Misra in collaboration with @EliBurton_

SpaceX founder Elon Musk started the new year by reiterating the importance of having babies. –“The biggest problem that humanity faces is population collapse,” he wrote via 𝕏 on January 2nd, 2024. Musk has warned on multiple occasions over the years that humanity should try to reverse the downward birth rate trend to avoid underpopulation long-term. He is concerned about the world’s declining birth rate potentially leading to a population collapse in the future. 

Currently, there is approximately 8 billion people on Earth. Even though this may seem like a high number, multiple statistics state that women are not giving birth to enough children to replace the world’s aging population. The birth rate is now well below the death rate in most countries. As a result, scientists predict that the number of people on Earth will peak at 9.7 billion by the year 2064, at this rate the population would fall to 8.8 billion by the end of the 21st century in 2100.

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As life expectancy increases the birth rate of new generations severely decreases, especially in technologically advanced countries. In 2020, the Coronavirus pandemic accelerated the birth decline trend.

Reversing birth rate decline is vital for creating a multiplanetary future. “We should be much more worried about population collapse,” Musk said in 2022. “[…] If there aren’t enough people for Earth, then there definitely won’t be enough for Mars,” he added. Musk founded SpaceX with the primary intention to “preserve the light of consciousness” by expanding life to the stars. He invests most of his time and wealth at SpaceX and Tesla to develop the technologies and spacecraft that will enable humans to create a more sustainable Earth and also expand life to the Red Planet. 

SpaceX aims to build a fleet of at least 1,000 Starships to transport megatons of cargo and a million people to build a self-sustaining Mars settlement before the end of the 21st century. Expanding life to Mars could save humanity from going extinct due to a catastrophic event on Earth, like the time dinosaurs went completely extinct due to a massive asteroid strike. Humans have the unique capability to understand their place in the cosmos and can create plans to save humankind from extinction. 

“I think one of the biggest risks to civilization is the low birth rate,” Musk said in 2021. “[…] And yet, so many people, including smart people, think that there are too many people in the world and think that the population is growing out of control. It’s completely the opposite. Please look at the numbers – if people don’t have more children, civilization is going to crumble, mark my words,” he said. Regarding a humans life expectancy, he believes that –“[…] It is important for us to die because most of the times, people don’t change their mind, they just die,” he said. “If they live forever, then we might become a very ossified society where new ideas cannot succeed.”

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Most recently, Musk had a discussion in Italy where he started by addressing the birth decline issue and encouraged people to have more babies. “I really want to emphasize that it’s important to have children and to create the new generation. As simple as it sounds, if people do not have children there is no new generation,” Musk said in December 2023. “[…] Every year I look at the birth rates and it’s a bit depressing because birth rates seem to decline every year,” he said. “My biggest advice to … government leaders and to the people in general would be to make sure to have children to create the new generation. Any incentives that can be done to incent a new generation to make it easier for women to have children and to support the children, I think would be very wise.” Watch the video linked below.

Author’s note: Thanks for reading Cosmic Chronicles. Write your thoughts in the comment section below. If you have story suggestions or feedback, Direct Message me on social media 𝕏: Evelyn Janeidy Arevalo @JaneidyEve. Read the most recent stories featured below. Thank You.