No, the huge human longevity will not destroy our planet.

Solving the problem of aging is only a matter of time. And preparations for a radical increase in life expectancy have already begun, driven by the fears of overpopulation and the depletion of the resources of our planet. But critics who believe that long-lived humanity will very quickly make the planet unfit for habitation are wrong. And that's why.

Yes, it will take quite a long time, but, ultimately, a way to slow the aging process will be found. Thanks to advanced medical, regenerative and cybernetic technologies, the people of the future will come to "minor aging", a state characterized by an almost complete cessation of aging and the onset of "eternal youth." It sounds utopian and optimistic, but, as Aubrey de Gray , the bioherontologist has repeatedly pointed out, this is just a technological problem, which is by no means unsolvable.

This view is not new, the debate has been going on for many years. And almost everyone can be used both for and against such an opportunity . We will not disassemble them here. But, no doubt, the most prominent argument against a radical extension of life is the issue of overpopulation and environmental sustainability.
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Indeed, the constant growth of the population on a limited planet seems to be something suicidal and ridiculous. Where to fit all? And how to ensure basic human needs, such as food, water, shelter, medical care and education? And how do you do all this in a clean and reliable way?

If we leave aside all other arguments against a radical extension of life, we must approach these issues with a look at the future. You need to understand that there is a very real possibility of developing solutions that would help to cope with the constantly growing population. Remember that this will be at the stage when we stop aging . And this is not such a small feat! So now it’s hard for us to imagine how our society, our morality will change, what we will be able to do.

When we stop aging, we will also fully master human biology, create cyborgs, get a super-powerful AI, and at the same time the ability to convert clusters of matter into anything. Also, the basic energy needs will be solved, while today we are forced to do such nonsense, like switching hours to winter time. And, of course, we will delve into outer space and cyberspace.

Permanent population growth on a limited planet?

Overpopulation and environmental stability are not so much of the future as of the present. We cannot deal with these things now — so we will pass it on to future generations, even though it sounds selfish. In fact, today 870 million people are chronically starving. As E. O. Wilson said, we need four planets Earth in order to raise the standard of living of all mankind to the first world standards. And finally, it is impossible not to recognize that global warming is taking place.

The debate over the longevity of life seems ridiculous in the light of all this. It is difficult for us to imagine such radical changes, while our technologies and social institutions are not ready for this and are generally engaged in solving other problems. Therefore, we tend to reject such a path of development.

But, as Anneli Newitz noted recently , the fear of a population explosion is mainly associated with the neo-Malthusian current still existing in society - a relic of the past hysteria of the “green revolution”. According to UN estimates, by 2050 the world's population will reach 9.3 billion. After another 50 years, humanity will reach the level of 11 billion (today we are 7.2 billion). These calculations do not take into account the possibility of extending life, but this interesting trend is indicated: the more women have access to education, work, and especially to birth control, the less children they have . It is quite expected that this trend will continue due to economic and cultural globalization throughout the world.



Newitz also points to another interesting — and often overlooked — fact. Instead of talking about eugenic restrictions on the reproductive function of a person (such as a one-child policy or mixing contraceptives into water) or maintaining a hungry existence within specific countries and regions, we need to adapt political and social laws to solve these problems — for example, invest in education, resource-saving agronomy and initiatives to develop clean and renewable energy sources.

The world has changed

Without a doubt, the widespread radical increase in life expectancy will permanently change society. But, as mentioned earlier, humanity will be forced to reform and adapt the environment, resource base and demographic policy. However, continuous population growth, even if it slows down due to socio-economic factors, is still continuous population growth . We will be forced to find a solution to the problems of resource depletion, environmental pollution and reduction of a place to live.

Fortunately, in the near future, progress is expected in biotechnology (in particular, genetic engineering and regenerative medicine), nanotechnology, AI, cognitive sciences and space technologies, which would significantly increase the chances of solving the problems listed above. In the next few decades, when we finally step into the next era, humanity will reduce its negative impact on the planet.

How to feed everyone?

Take, for example, the potential of nanotechnology in the field of molecular assembly. Futurist Michael Anisimov explains:

For example, researcher Eric K. Drexler has already expressed strong arguments in support of very inexpensive nanotechnology and 3D printing, which will allow to synthesize cheap food and building materials. This technology can also be applied in the construction of cheap spacecraft, which would allow millions of people to colonize the solar system. Marshall T. Seigej in his book “ The Millennium Project ” calculated that in the solar system could fit more than a billion people with their own mansion for everyone, for several billion years. But this book does not consider the role of many modern promising nanotechnologies and virtual reality technologies.

There is no doubt that anything like a replicator from Star Trek would dramatically change the situation. We could literally create food from any matter.

Of course, one should not rely on something as conceptual as molecular fabricators, even if some experts predict their appearance in the next few decades (mainly based on our current successes with 3D printing and various nanotechnological breakthroughs).

Now we need to find the best way to keep the population growing. In fact, we are clearly out of the way, if we hope to feed everyone by 2050 . But, as the futurist Ramez Naam said recently, something we can do today is an example to support the growth of the economies of developing countries and the increased use of genetically modified crops (for higher yields, protection from pests and less need for fertilizers). The problem of food is not an easy one, and it must have an appropriate priority.

Where to get so much energy?

In addition to food, it is necessary to recognize the presence of problems with energy. But there is also a "light at the end of the tunnel".



The expected technical progress will bring with it concentrated solar energy and distributed systems for its production using lenses and mirrors. As soon as this technology becomes common, it will be possible to build solar power plants that produce gigawatts of energy . At the same time, they will also serve as desalination stations , which will help solve the problem of shortage of drinking water.



It is possible that obtaining solar energy from space has even greater potential. And it will be useful to us more strongly, because if progress continues at the same pace, by the 2030s we will need 220 trillion kWh per year. By the end of the century, consumption will increase another four times. The energy received from space using massive panels and transmitted to the earth wirelessly will be a turning point in the development of mankind.

Where to settle all?

Around the overpopulation hovers something like a myth about the lack of free space. But the problem is not so much in this as in the unjustified volume of our impact on the Earth. If it is possible to reduce it, then the population size will not matter (since there is, in fact, a lot of space).



The most promising areas are arcology and the pyramids of big cities. For example, the 4.5-km pyramid of Shimizu Mega-City would be 14 times higher than the Great Pyramid of Giza, and can accommodate 750,000 people living in Tokyo Bay. It will be made of light carbon fiber, it will house research institutions, shopping and entertainment centers, private homes and restaurants. It will receive electricity due to the sun and wind. Also very promising is marine arcology and marine dwellings in general . Or we could even go underground .

Thinking about the future, it becomes obvious that we must move further in space exploration. This project is good not only as a method of combating overpopulation, but also as a “backup option” in case of a cataclysm of planetary scales on Earth.

There are opinions about the need for colonization of the Moon and Mars, and as a result, a person will be able to terraform both Mars and Venus . There are even such futuristic projects as the creation of conditions for life in the Dyson sphere (the massive structure enveloping the Sun). The use of interstellar space also cannot be ignored.

Finally, there are also prospects for a posthuman future in terms of transhumanism . If the hypothesis of loading consciousness is correct, it would be possible to completely abandon the imperfect biological bodies and load our mind into the digital world, where the restrictions will apply only to computing power. If, however, such a download is not possible , there is still the possibility of genetic and cybernetic changes in body and mind . And maybe even it will turn out to create a skin capable of photosynthesis.

A radical increase in life expectancy is inevitable, this is a kind of apogee of the development of medical sciences. And instead of empty disputes, it is better to combine efforts in creating solutions to help this process in order to avoid destructive consequences.