Elon Musk has warned that a booming population is crucial not just to survive on Earth, but to colonize space as well.
The Tesla CEO has taken to Twitter to share his thoughts on the future of humanity and the planet, in a tweet responding to a Wall Street Journal article.
The article in question observes how population growth in America, which is already weak, is dropping "closer to zero" as a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
"Population collapse is potentially the greatest risk to the future of civilization," he wrote on Twitter in a bid to warn of its consequences.
However, despite Musk's surefire stance on the matter, some skeptical Twitter users took to the platform to argue that humans are already draining the planet of its natural resources.
One wrote: "Can you please explain to me why overpopulation is not a problem? The scarcity of natural resources and the global warming (caused by humans) indicate that overpopulation and our consumption is clearly the problem."
Another added: "Humans are killing life on the planet. There are too many of us for the space we have and the demands for easy and comfortable living that we now want. It's proving unsustainable."
While a third penned: "Thanks for speaking up about this Elon! Many folks seem to think overpopulation is a problem, when really it’s the opposite You’re one of the few at the top that legitimately cares about humanity’s future, on this planet & beyond PS: congrats on Tesla’s amazing earnings today!"
Indirectly responding to the tweets, Musk elaborated on his concerns in a follow-up tweet, writing: "And that's just for Earth! Mars has zero human population. We need a lot of people to become a multiplanet civilization."
This isn’t the first time Musk has spoken out about "population collapse".
The SpaceX founder responded to a tweet earlier this month that read: "Population collapse could be upon us, but we appreciate that you good sir are still making tangible efforts to stave it off," alongside a photo of Musk with his son.
The billionaire wrote back: "I'm trying to set a good example! Population collapse is a much bigger problem than people realize and that's just for Earth. Mars has a great need for people, seeing as the population is currently zero. Humans are the custodians of other life on Earth. Let us bring life to Mars!"
