Population is a great issue of our time. Without the population growth we have experienced, issues such as water security and climate change would not have the social relevance they have today. Population is by definition critical to our future. It is also a particularly central issue for a nation composed mainly of recent immigrants and with two thirds of our current growth provided via immigration. The 60 early career scientists who will participate in the Think Tank will be wrestling with questions whose answers will inform how we and our descendants live in the future.
The Think Tank participants will work in four groups to focus on key questions:
A. Who will we be? Who we will be in one generation hence will be shaped by the laws of population genetics and demography, but also by secular changes in health, wealth, technology, education, beliefs and attitudes.
B. How will we share activities and resources? The size of the future population, its composition and its spatial distribution will have important implications on the way we share activities and resources. Looking into ways to tackle inequality will be a major goal in this group.
C. What will we do? This group will outline the possible changes to workforce, consumption patterns, technologies and resulting economies that may stem from population trajectories and major drivers of change.
D. How shall we live in our habitat? Different population scenarios will entail different futures for the natural and built environment. The contribution of a whole range of science disciplines will help us to guide and navigate these uncertain futures.
© 2025 Australian Academy of Science
