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Why Worry about Global Population Decline?

Global population is expected to peak and then decline this century, reshaping everything from economic growth and immigration to government spending and climate change.
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Dharmadhyaksha

The world is in for a shock. Global population is expected to peak and then decline this century, reshaping everything from economic growth and immigration to government spending and climate change. Darrell Bricker and John Ibbitson, authors of the provocative new book Empty Planet: The Shock of Global Population Decline, join the Council's Brian Hanson and Dina Smeltz to discuss why it is happening and how nations can prepare for this radical shift.

About the Experts
Darrell Bricker
CEO, Ipsos Public Affairs
Writer At Large, The Globe and Mail
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John Ibbitson’s career as a journalist spans more than three decades, more than two of them at The Globe and Mail. He writes columns and features that focus on Canadian and American politics and global demographic trends and is the author of more than a dozen books, including "The Big Shift" and "Empty Planet: The Shock of Global Population Decline".
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Senior Fellow, Public Opinion and Foreign Policy
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Dina Smeltz, a polling expert, has more than 25 years of experience designing and fielding international social and political surveys. Prior to joining the Council to lead its annual survey of American attitudes on US foreign policy, she served in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research at the US State Department's Office of Research from 1992 to 2008.
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Brian Hanson
Former Vice President, Studies
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Brian Hanson served as the vice president of studies at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. He managed the Council's research operations and hosted the Council's weekly podcast, Deep Dish on Global Affairs.
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