[nec4b]

None of what you said would be possible with a dwindling population. We do not live in a Star trek utopia where at press of a button every wish is synthesized by a machine. More people can simply get more done.

There is a good reason why most of the stuff, new discoveries and technologies come from big countries and not from small ones.

Even rich countries per capita with small population size do not build huge infrastructure projects, do not send stuff and people in space, do not have sophisticated armies,...

[defrost]

All of this was put in motion with a population much smaller than todays.

The bulk of it was achieved with a population smaller than todays.

The ongoing work being planned doesn't require the population to grow, there is demand enough from a growing proportion wanting a greater standard of living and a world making a massive transition in base energy.

[nec4b]

>> All of this was put in motion with a population much smaller than todays.

Your logic is circular. Because we can go all the way back to first few humans ever to exist and say they put it into motion, therefore a small group of couple of hundred of people is enough. Or go into other direction and dream what new wonders the next 40 years would bring with the rising population.

>> The ongoing work being planned doesn't require the population to grow, there is demand enough from a growing proportion wanting a greater standard of living and a world making a massive transition in base energy.

It doesn't have to grow, but we are not talking about growing we are talking about shrinking.

[defrost]

There's no logic involved in stating observed fact.

Your comments, however, seem to be locked into a single world view based on the assumed neccesity for unlimited growth.

This is blinkered, to say the least .. you might care to look at any of the many alternative thoughts on this matter,

eg: https://www.amazon.com.au/Small-Beautiful-Economics-People-M...

from waaaaay back in the 1970s.

We are not talking about shrinking back to zero, I am talking about world population finding a sustainable balnce, say five or seven billion by 2300 or so.