Hypothetical. What if the natural birth rate of humans fell to 25% of its current rate over the next 100 yrs?

Question

Putting aside the impact of an aging population and any possible social disorder that could arise from thi drop. How would the natural environment benifit from it?

Answer 1

it would be a worse disaster than global warming.

Answer 2

It would certainly help lower pollution. Population is the root cause of man made pollution.

Answer 3

As long as the birth rate fell 25% in every jurisdiction and not just in localized juristictions we would still have a potential problems..

Ideally the rate of INCREASE in pollution and environmental degredation would slow.. but probably not stop.

Answer 4

there would be less people messing it up

Answer 5

I don't think you can just put aside the impact from social disorder.  If there where suddenly and consitantly 25% fewer humans born worldwide the social disorder in itself would cause environmental damages.

With a quarter of the potential workers being born, it would mean far fewer people to man things like nuke plants, ect.

I think there would actually be more really catostrophic things happening, like chemical plants blowing up, or simply being abandonded and the product/waste being allowed to pollute the environment willy-nilly.

I also think the average workers pay would skyrocket, allowing them to be able to afford things they never dreamed of before.  What if the average worker could suddenly afford TWO Hummers, a speed boat, three vacations via airplane travel, plus a REALLY big house?  

Yet Governments would also collapse since the tax base was suddenly swept away.

I do not believe 100 years would be enough time geologically to make that much difference to the earth.  In some areas wildlife would bennifit, because not only were humans not expanding into their habitat, but they (humans) were abanoning their habitat to move closer to services, and the saftey of other humans.

With that many fewer people some countries would feel free to go back to spewing waste dirrectly into rivers, since there were fewer people who would be impacted by it.

Oddly, some endangered species would become extinct, because there were not enough humans to try and save them.

In some areas/habitats however animals would thrive.  Especailly those animals who live in the inner parts of countries and not near waterways.  Most people already live very near costlines, or major rivers.  Virtually all humans would move to the costal areas if there was that much of a population drop.

I think it would be wonderful for the environment to see a 25% drop in the human population....but I think 100 years would not be long enough to really make a big, long term impact on the entire earths biosphere.  If it went on for several thousand years, the potential impact on the earth could be very good.

Unfortunatly humans can breed almost like rabbits, and can build their population back up in nothing flat.  : (

~Garnet

Homesteading/Farming over 20 years

Answer 6

global warming would end

Answer 7

People do make good fertilizer...