This is how humanity will not go extinct on November 13, 2026

In 1960, Heinz von Förster and colleagues suggested that humanity could face extinction by November 13, 2026, due to unchecked population growth. This provocative claim aimed to illustrate the fallacy of assuming current trends will continue indefinitely. Historically, the belief in exponential population growth leading to resource scarcity, as proposed by Thomas Malthus in 1798, has been challenged. Contrary to Malthus's predictions, population growth began to slow around 1960. Today, the focus has shifted from concerns about overpopulation to maintaining quality of life amidst current demographic trends and encouraging higher birth rates in developed regions. The 1960 prediction serves as a cautionary tale about the pitfalls of scientific forecasting.