Empty Planet

The Shock of Global Population Decline

By: Darrell Bricker, John Ibbitson

Narrated by: Robert Petkoff

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • In this “gripping narrative of a world on the cusp of profound change” (New Statesman), an award-winning journalist and leading international social researcher argue that the global population’s inevitable decline will dramatically reshape our social, political, and economic landscape.

“An ambitious reimagining of our demographic future.”—The New York Times Book Review

For half a century, statisticians, pundits, and politicians have warned that a burgeoning population will soon overwhelm the earth’s resources. But a growing number of experts are sounding a different alarm. Rather than continuing to increase exponentially, they argue, the global population is headed for a steep decline—and in many countries, that decline has already begun.

In Empty Planet, international social researcher Darrell Bricker and award-winning journalist John Ibbitson find that a smaller global population will bring with it many benefits: Fewer workers will command higher wages, the environment will improve, the risk of famine will wane, and falling birthrates in the developing world will bring greater affluence and autonomy for women. But enormous disruption lies ahead, too. The United States and Canada are well positioned to successfully navigate these coming demographic shifts—unless growing isolationism leads us to close ourselves off just as openness becomes more critical to our survival than ever.

Rigorously researched and deeply compelling, Empty Planet offers a vision of the future that we can no longer prevent—but one that we can shape, if we choose.

Critic reviews

“Arresting. . . lucid, trenchant and very readable, the authors' arguments upend consensus ideas about everything from the environment to immigration; the result is a stimulating challenge to conventional wisdom."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Warnings of catastrophic world overpopulation have filled the media since the 1960s, so this expert, well-researched explanation that it's not happening will surprise many readers…delightfully stimulating.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Thanks to the authors’ painstaking fact-finding and cogent analysis, [Empty Planet] offers ample and persuasive arguments for a re-evaluation of conventional wisdom."—Booklist

“The ‘everything you know is wrong’ genre has become tedious, but this book is riveting and vitally important. With eye-opening data and lively writing, Bricker and Ibbitson show that the world is radically changing in a way that few people appreciate.”—Steven Pinker, Johnstone Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, and author of The Better Angels of Our Nature and Enlightenment Now

“While the global population is swelling today, birth rates have nonetheless already begun dropping around the world. Past population declines have been driven by natural disasters or disease—the Toba supervolcano, Black Death or Spanish Flu—but this coming slump will be of our own making. In this fascinating and thought-provoking book, Bricker and Ibbitson compellingly argue why by the end of this century the problem won't be overpopulation but a rapidly shrinking global populace, and how we might have to adapt.”—Lewis Dartnell, Professor of Science Communication, University of Westminster, and author of The Knowledge: How to Rebuild our World from Scratch

“To get the future right we must challenge our assumptions, and the biggest assumption so many of us make is that populations will keep growing. Bricker and Ibbitson deliver a mind-opening challenge that should be taken seriously by anyone who cares about the long-term future — which, I hope, is all of us.” —Dan Gardner, author of Risk and co-author of Superforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction

“A highly readable, controversial insight into a world rarely thought about—a world of depopulation under ubiquitous urbanization.” –George Magnus, author of The Age of Aging and Red Flags: Why Xi's China is in Jeopardy

“This briskly readable book demands urgent attention."–The Mail on Sunday

“A fascinating study.”–The Sunday Times

“Refreshingly clear and well balanced.”–Literary Review

Empty Planet

This book gave me much to think about and the future looks promising. So many concepts I had never thought about before.

Good topic that doesn't get talked about enough.

Good tooic that doesn't get talked about enough, but it gets preachy in the last couple of chapters, and the authors are determined throughout that immigration is the only thing that can help (kind of the whole point of the book) even though the book thoroughly discredits this approach over the long term. There should have been more avenues pursued that could lead to a sustained Goldilocks stage.

hated the ending

I really really enjoyed this book until the last chapter. the book was so full and facts and information that really made me think. then the last chapter was just an opinionated line of crap that didn't fit in the book.

Fascinating stuff

I'm a little biased toward this idea since I agree Earth can't support this many people, and people believe what they want to.

But the book puts out some very interesting theories, ideas and facts. If you at all enjoyed An Inconvenient Truth, or other environmental media, you'll love this book. It gets into numbers and statistics in the middle, so it kinda drags, but hey, that's research. The authors also break it down into broad strokes, so anyone can understand.

The book does get a little subjective at points, understandably; but the objective quality outweighs the op-ed sections.

Also it's written by Canadians and who doesn't love them!

I really hope this book's theories are right.

Interesting, but biased.

The author assumes that the people and the economy "have to" be taken care of by the equal amount of people in the next generation, hence people should have more children, or allow refugees from the 3rd world countries. This is not necessarily true, there is ingenuity, innovation and automation. I believe, if we want, we can figure out how to live in the smaller society. In addition, author's criticism of practically every country (Britain, USA, Europe) is off-putting. However, I do like Canada's, author's home and role model, meritocratic emigration policy. Finally, author's suggestion that we should all move to the big city, New York, to save the word vs living on a farm, is ridiculous as the cities are the cancer as far as the Earth and society is concerned.
I am looking forward to a little less population by the time I retire, to a home in the country side, fresh air and neighbors I know and trust. I know we can be creative and inventive and that this is something that many people underestimate when forcasting the future.

Very Informative

The book provides you with information not generally known. It opens your mind to new ideas. It is a very informative and provides a very good learning experience.

Very informative and enjoyable

Information needed by so many. I hope people will listen with open minds & take action.

A well-discussed question about global population decline.

A broad-reaching cultural discussion of pending, but not inevitable doom that may occur due to population decline.

What is the desired global population?

That’s the real question that strangely goes unanswered in this interesting deep dive into demographics. The authors spend too much time on immigration, which addresses one country’s population while ignoring the shrinking global population (which is why we’re here). They also undercut the benefits of immigration with a dig at their negligible fertility impact (i.e. an immigrant’s 2.1 addition to a 1.7 society - big whoop). It’s rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic as the globe consistently shrinks overall. This strangely long series of chapters wastes time castigating uncaring societies while dodging the real concern. How many people can our planet support with innovation potential and environmental protection in balance? I still don’t know at the book’s end. Should you get this book? It’s engaging and topical. Sure... if you have a credit burning in your pocket.

Demographics are Destiny

Understanding the implications of inherited knowledge and hyperbole is not readily found in today's dialogue. Sometimes it takes a Canuck to remind you of why you are so blessed and not necessarily imperiled.