Humanity at Eight Billion

People are worried that AI will automate their jobs. Yet Brian Merchant has interviewed hundreds of workers disrupted by AI, and what he sees isn’t a technological revolution but a centuries-old power struggle: bosses wielding new tech as leverage to deskill and destabilize worke ...  Show more

Data centers may be the most controversial objects in America. They’re blamed for draining water reservoirs, stressing electrical grids, and driving up utility bills. Communities throughout the country are pushing back and seeking moratoria. But Andy Masley says this is all wrong ...  Show more

The United Nations says humanity has reached 8 billion, but Western nations are worried about population decline. Africa isn’t, though. The continent is about to shape the rest of the century. This episode was produced by Haleema Shah, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by ...  Show more

There are, its estimated, 8.2 billion people on the planet. The UN projects that the world's population will reach 9.7 billion by 2050 and 11.2 billion by 2100. We won’t reach that, says Steve Keen. Even if we ignore climate change, we’ll exceed our capacity to support the p ...  Show more

Even with the global population hitting 8 billion, could we be facing a reproductive crisis? Professor Luke O'Neill explains this more with Pat this morning on the show. 

Over the past century, the world's human population has exploded from around 2 billion to 8 billion. Meanwhile, the average fertility rate has gradually declined. And if that trend continues as it has, we may soon see a crash in the population rate, which some argue could have di ...  Show more