Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has urged people in developed countries to increase their birth rates. In a recent statement, Musk said that low and rapidly declining birth rates are "one of the greatest risks facing civilization." He added that too many "good, smart people" believe there are too many people in the world and that population growth is spiraling out of control.
Musk's comments come as more and more people decide not to have children, citing issues such as climate change and inequality. However, Musk believes that if people don't have more children, civilization will collapse. "It's the complete opposite," Musk said, urging people to look at the data.
Musk not only advocates having more children, but he also practices what he preaches. The father of six said he was "trying to set a good example" when asked if that was why he had so many children.
Analysts at Morgan Stanley noted that "the childlessness movement is growing due to concerns about climate change and is impacting fertility rates faster than any previous trend in fertility decline." They point to surveys, academic studies and Google data showing that climate change is directly and indirectly accelerating fertility decline.
In summary, Musk is concerned about declining birth rates and believes that civilization will collapse if we don't have more children. While some people worry about climate change and inequality, Musk believes the data shows we need more people to sustain our civilization.
Musk also said that in the medium term, oil and gas should not be demonized, but said reducing carbon emissions was important to protect the planet.
"Climate change alarms are exaggerated in the short term," Musk said, adding that the environmental movement could go too far and cause people to lose faith in the future.