Catholic Bishop: Lack of Young People May Pose Greater Threat Than Population Growth
(CNSNews.com) - Roman Catholic Bishop Thomas John Paprocki of Springfield, Ill., said in a sermon delivered on Aug. 16 that a lack of young people may pose a greater threat to national well-being than population growth.
“The prospect of an additional 100 million Americans by 2050 worries some environmentalists, who criticize families with a large number of children as detrimental to society,” the bishop said. “They seem to think that there won’t be enough room or natural resources for so many people.”
“The reality, however, is that even with 100 million more people, the United States will be only one-sixth as crowded as Germany is today,” the bishop said.
“Such criticism also fails to take into account that a dwindling population and a lack of young people may pose a greater threat to the nation’s well-being than population growth,” he said. “A rapidly declining population could create a society that doesn’t have the work force to support the elderly and, overall, is less concerned with the nation’s long-term future.”
“The reality, however, is that even with 100 million more people, the United States will be only one-sixth as crowded as Germany is today,” the bishop said.
“Such criticism also fails to take into account that a dwindling population and a lack of young people may pose a greater threat to the nation’s well-being than population growth,” he said. “A rapidly declining population could create a society that doesn’t have the work force to support the elderly and, overall, is less concerned with the nation’s long-term future.”
Here are some key excerpts from the bishop’s sermon:
People who study population trends, called demographers, predict that the population of the United States will grow significantly in the next half century. Estimates of the United States population at the middle of the 21st century vary, from the U.N.’s 404 million to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 422 to 458 million. So a conservative estimate would be 400 million people, or roughly 100 million more than we have today. The United States is also expected to grow somewhat older. The portion of the population that is currently at least 65 years old—13 percent—is expected to reach about 20 percent by 2050.
The prospect of an additional 100 million Americans by 2050 worries some environmentalists, who criticize families with a large number of children as detrimental to society. They seem to think that there won’t be enough room or natural resources for so many people. The reality, however, is that even with 100 million more people, the United States will be only one-sixth as crowded as Germany is today. Such criticism also fails to take into account that a dwindling population and a lack of young people may pose a greater threat to the nation’s well-being than population growth.
A rapidly declining population could create a society that doesn’t have the work force to support the elderly and, overall, is less concerned with the nation’s long-term future. One demographer, writing in Smithsonian Magazine, went so far as to say that the big news in demographic circles is “not catastrophic population growth. It's catastrophic population shrinkage. Yes, shrinkage. True, the total global population has not yet finished increasing. But nearly half the world’s population lives in countries where the native-born are not reproducing fast enough to replace themselves.”
The bishop's full sermon is available by clicking here.Source: CNS News
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People who study population trends, called demographers, predict that the population of the United States will grow significantly in the next half century. Estimates of the United States population at the middle of the 21st century vary, from the U.N.’s 404 million to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 422 to 458 million. So a conservative estimate would be 400 million people, or roughly 100 million more than we have today. The United States is also expected to grow somewhat older. The portion of the population that is currently at least 65 years old—13 percent—is expected to reach about 20 percent by 2050.
The prospect of an additional 100 million Americans by 2050 worries some environmentalists, who criticize families with a large number of children as detrimental to society. They seem to think that there won’t be enough room or natural resources for so many people. The reality, however, is that even with 100 million more people, the United States will be only one-sixth as crowded as Germany is today. Such criticism also fails to take into account that a dwindling population and a lack of young people may pose a greater threat to the nation’s well-being than population growth.
A rapidly declining population could create a society that doesn’t have the work force to support the elderly and, overall, is less concerned with the nation’s long-term future. One demographer, writing in Smithsonian Magazine, went so far as to say that the big news in demographic circles is “not catastrophic population growth. It's catastrophic population shrinkage. Yes, shrinkage. True, the total global population has not yet finished increasing. But nearly half the world’s population lives in countries where the native-born are not reproducing fast enough to replace themselves.”
The bishop's full sermon is available by clicking here.Source: CNS News
Check out and like our Facebook page, and go Here to check out our Facebook group.
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