Just like rabbits can have 10 babies who after 3 months can each have 10 babies – the reverse is possible. If only one in ten people have a baby, then in three generations we can go from 8 billion people to 80 million (and then wait for the older folk to die off). That is still too many people but a start and an aim.
I haven’t done the calculations yet, there are too many parameters to be determined, and different ecological zones. But [watch this space] I aim to have the first estimate of how many people can live in harmony with our planet.
I primarily say 3 generations because that is 3 steps of changing minds and priorities. It is the minimum time I can imagine we can achieve a day when we can proclaim peace and equality with the rest of life on Earth.
Generation 1: Acknowledgement and First Steps
In the next 30 years we need to have started the rewilding of humans. It could be experimental/scientific. It could be cultural/native people. But it will require governments to allocate resources (or, less likely, private investment).
Alongside that we need to convince people to have fewer children. That might involve making life less pleasant.
Generation 2: Appeal
Rewilding will take on a cult-like persona and there will be more people wanting in than places available. An eco-religion will emerge that informs the commandments of a new way. The continual destruction of modern life by anarchist rebels will spur on a decrease in desire to bring people into the world.
Generation 3: Primitivism
There will be techno-holdouts and probably wars. But the majority of people will have decided that rewilding is the way. We will set systems in place to make sure that the transition is not too terrible – for example, entertainment devices designed to last a few hundred years. Food security via technology. Housing designed to last thousands of years.