In the Marvel film Avengers: Endgame, the villain Thanos believes wiping out half the universe's population is the only way to save it. While scientists are not advocating anything remotely similar, a new study has sparked debate by proposing that the global population should gradually decline to around 4 billion by the year 2200 to reduce pressure on Earth's ecosystems and natural resources.
The proposal, published in the journal Sustainable Development, calls for a voluntary reduction in population growth through greater access to family planning, education and reproductive healthcare—not through coercive population control.
The researchers stress that the idea is not about preventing people from having children or forcing population reductions. Instead, they argue for slowing long-term population growth so future generations can enjoy a more sustainable planet.
