Michael Geruso – författare

An eye-opening exploration of humanity’s unprecedented path to global depopulation – and why it’s in everyone's interests to prevent it‘Stunning … Essential reading’ DANIEL H. PINK‘Helps us understand this most dramatic period in human history’ HANNAH RITCHIE‘Dissolves our preconceptions about population through evidence, rigour and a deep compassion for all’ TOBY ORDWhat kind of future do we want?If we continue as we are, the world’s population will peak within decades and then suddenly, rapidly decline. It is easy to imagine that fewer people would be better, for both the planet and people who remain. After the Spike asks us to think again.In this deeply reasoned and profoundly empathetic look at our shrinking world, leading population economists Dean Spears and Michael Geruso explain why global depopulation makes it harder to escape poverty, disease and inequality – ultimately leaving us all worse off. Above all, they show how population revival, when grounded in freedom and support, goes hand in hand with a greener, healthier and fairer future for everyone.‘A punchy read’ SUNDAY TIMES‘Knocks down assumptions like skittles’ GUARDIAN'We should all welcome After the Spike' LITERARY REVIEW'Clear and comprehensive' OBSERVER‘You really should read this’ NEW SCIENTIST

An eye-opening exploration of humanity’s unprecedented path to global depopulation and why it's in everyone's interests to prevent it.'Stunning … essential reading' DANIEL H. PINK, author of DriveIf we continue as we are, the world’s population will peak in the next few decades – and then begin a sudden, rapid decline. It would be easy to think that fewer people would be better: better for the planet, better for the people who remain. In After the Spike, two leading population economists ask us to think again.Carefully weighing the evidence that surrounds this controversial subject, Dean Spears and Mike Geruso explain why depopulation is not the solution some purport it to be. Instead, as humanity’s future shrinks it will become increasingly fragile and less certain, making it even harder to escape poverty, disease and injustice.Halting this decline need not mean sacrificing a greener future or reverting to past inequities; in fact, it can only be achieved with women’s reproductive rights and individual choice as driving forces. But if we want future generations to enjoy lives better than our own, it’s time to take seriously our collective task of lifting the burdens of parents and other carers.Deeply reasoned and uncompromisingly humane, After the Spike sheds important light on a dramatic shift in the human story and asks us to consider what future we want – for our planet, our children, and one another.‘Remarkable … has challenged, and changed, my thinking about population’ PETER SINGER, author of Animal Liberation‘Dissolves our preconceptions through evidence, rigour and a deep compassion for all’ TOBY ORD, author of The Precipice‘Insights and rigour are matched by a human and empathetic narrative throughout’ HANNAH RITCHIE, author of Not the End of the World‘I had my mind blown over and over’ ZACH WEINERSMITH, coauthor of A City on Mars

What if the challenge for humanity’s future is not too many people on a crowded planet, but too few people to sustain the progress that the world needs? Most people on Earth today live in a country where birth rates already are too low to stabilize the population: fewer than two children for every two adults. In After the Spike, economists Dean Spears and Michael Geruso sound a wakeup call, explaining why global depopulation is coming, why it matters, and what to do now. It would be easy to think that fewer people would be better—better for the planet, better for the people who remain. This book invites us all to think again. Despite what we may have been told, depopulation is not the solution we urgently need for environmental challenges like climate change. Nor will it raise living standards by dividing what the world can offer across fewer of us. Spears and Geruso investigate what depopulation would mean for the climate, for living standards, for equity, for progress, for freedom, for humanity’s general welfare. And what it would mean if, instead, people came together to share the work of caregiving and of building societies where parenting fits better with everything else that people aspire to. With new evidence and sharp insights, Spears and Geruso make a lively and compelling case for stabilizing the population—without sacrificing our dreams of a greener future or reverting to past gender inequities. They challenge us to see how depopulation threatens social equity and material progress, and how welcoming it denies the inherent value of every human life. More than an assembly of the most important facts, After the Spike asks what future we should want for our planet, for our children, and for one another.

An eye-opening exploration of humanity’s unprecedented path to global depopulation and its significance from economists Dean Spears and Michael Geruso. The world’s population has surged over the past 200 years—not due to increased fertility, but thanks to improvements in survival. Since then, our larger society has thrived like never before: scientific breakthroughs, a global economy, healthier lives, and social progress. A significant shift is now on the horizon. Humanity is projected to peak at 10 billion, followed by a rapid decline. It would be easy to think that fewer people would be better—better for the planet, better for the people who remain. This book asks you to think again. Depopulation is not the solution we urgently need for environmental challenges, nor will it raise living standards by dividing what the world can offer across fewer of us. In After the Spike, economists Dean Spears and Michael Geruso shed light on the consequences of this unprecedented shift. They carefully analyze the stakes of global depopulation, exploring its impact on living standards, climate, and even extinction. Surprisingly, they reveal that stabilizing the global population doesn’t have to mean sacrificing our dreams of a greener future or reverting to past gender inequities. Their insights challenge us to view the fight against depopulation as intertwined with social equity and the inherent value of every human life. After the Spike is a rallying call to action to ensure a thriving future for generations to come.

An eye-opening exploration of humanity’s unprecedented path to global depopulation and why it's in everyone's interests to prevent it.'Stunning … essential reading' DANIEL H. PINK, author of DriveIf we continue as we are, the world’s population will peak in the next few decades – and then begin a sudden, rapid decline. It would be easy to think that fewer people would be better: better for the planet, better for the people who remain. In After the Spike, two leading population economists ask us to think again.Carefully weighing the evidence that surrounds this controversial subject, Dean Spears and Mike Geruso explain why depopulation is not the solution some purport it to be. Instead, as humanity’s future shrinks it will become increasingly fragile and less certain, making it even harder to escape poverty, disease and injustice.Halting this decline need not mean sacrificing a greener future or reverting to past inequities; in fact, it can only be achieved with women’s reproductive rights and individual choice as driving forces. But if we want future generations to enjoy lives better than our own, it’s time to take seriously our collective task of lifting the burdens of parents and other carers.Deeply reasoned and uncompromisingly humane, After the Spike sheds important light on a dramatic shift in the human story and asks us to consider what future we want – for our planet, our children, and one another.‘Remarkable … has challenged, and changed, my thinking about population’ PETER SINGER, author of Animal Liberation‘Dissolves our preconceptions through evidence, rigour and a deep compassion for all’ TOBY ORD, author of The Precipice‘Insights and rigour are matched by a human and empathetic narrative throughout’ HANNAH RITCHIE, author of Not the End of the World‘I had my mind blown over and over’ ZACH WEINERSMITH, coauthor of A City on Mars