Population growth is just a statistic, neither good nor bad.
Arguments panicking about growth could probably be separated into two categories, arguments from ignorance and Malthusian arguments.
The ignorant arguments could possibly be addressed by talking to a person who genuinely has just taken something they heard/read as truth without investigating deeper. Shallow arguments about too many people, using too much stuff, generating too much pollution and causing catastrophic environmental collapse sound completely reasonable in theory. But there are researchers out in the world studying all this stuff and (while I don't have any sources prepared) it does seem like most of the population grown panic arguments I've heard throughout my life don't match with reality.
The Malthusian arguments, if you can dig down into them a bit always change from "population growth is a problem" to "the growth of certain populations" are the problem. And this... is the fascist stuff. Its probably going to be very hard (or impossible) to engage with these arguments as the person is likely using Malthusian arguments to run cover for their internalized bigotry against some group(s). Their solution is never about using resources more efficiently to address shortfalls and always about liquidation of the undesirable population that is growing too large.
Population growth is just a statistic, neither good nor bad.
Arguments panicking about growth could probably be separated into two categories, arguments from ignorance and Malthusian arguments.
The ignorant arguments could possibly be addressed by talking to a person who genuinely has just taken something they heard/read as truth without investigating deeper. Shallow arguments about too many people, using too much stuff, generating too much pollution and causing catastrophic environmental collapse sound completely reasonable in theory. But there are researchers out in the world studying all this stuff and (while I don't have any sources prepared) it does seem like most of the population grown panic arguments I've heard throughout my life don't match with reality.
The Malthusian arguments, if you can dig down into them a bit always change from "population growth is a problem" to "the growth of certain populations" are the problem. And this... is the fascist stuff. Its probably going to be very hard (or impossible) to engage with these arguments as the person is likely using Malthusian arguments to run cover for their internalized bigotry against some group(s). Their solution is never about using resources more efficiently to address shortfalls and always about liquidation of the undesirable population that is growing too large.