United Nations (UN) forecasts indicate that dozens of countries around the world will face population decline in the near future. Europe is already experiencing this phenomenon, while Latin America and Asia should follow in the 1950s. Of the 20 countries currently experiencing rapid population decline, all but two—Japan and Cuba—are located in Europe, and most of them are high-income countries. Even China, which until last year held the title of the world's most populous nation when it was overtaken by India, will experience its first population decline in 2022. Predictions suggest that around the end of this century, almost all but twelve countries in the world will witness the rate of birth rate falls below the threshold of 2.1 needed to maintain population stability.

The governments of countries with low birth rates are concerned and see the decline in population as an economic crisis. However, some environmentalists argue that the declining population in high-income countries is a positive trend because it is likely to lead to lower carbon emissions. However, a closer look at the correlation between demographic shifts and carbon emissions suggests that population decline in high-income countries is not a sufficient solution to halting global warming. (ROOS VAN KEULEN)