Exclusive Preview: The Age of Depopulation

Surviving a World Gone Gray | [Subscribe now for unlimited access to the upcoming issue.]( [The Age of Depopulation]( [Surviving a World Gone Gray]( [By Nicholas Eberstadt]( [The Age of Depopulation]( [Surviving a World Gone Gray]( [By Nicholas Eberstadt]( “Although few yet see it coming, humans are about to enter a new era of history,” writes the political economist Nicholas Eberstadt in a [new essay]( from the upcoming issue of Foreign Affairs. “For the first time since the Black Death in the 1300s, the planetary population will decline. But whereas the last implosion was caused by a deadly disease borne by fleas, the coming one will be entirely due to choices made by people.” Thanks to declining fertility rates, depopulation is all but inevitable—and leaders and citizens alike are unprepared for how this new demographic order will recast societies, economies, and power politics. But depopulation doesn’t have to be a death sentence for humanity, Eberstadt writes. “Rather, it is a difficult new context, one in which countries can still find ways to thrive.” [Read the essay]( Prefer to listen? Look for the play button on the article page. Prefer to listen? Look for the play button on the article page. © 2024 Council on Foreign Relations | 58 East 68th Street, New York NY | 10065 To ensure we can contact you, please add us to your email address book or safe list.This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Receiving too many emails? Unsubscribe and manage your email preferences [here.]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [LinkedIn]( [YouTube](