Any settlement that is established would do well to consider how it aims to increase its population. This report will go over some considerations and strategies concerning population growth. Stable and Unstable PopulationsAny new settlement is likely to suffer from the issue of population imbalance. Historically, North America did, both in its early settlement efforts and as it expanded westward. Single men seeking their fortune or husbands leaving their wives behind until they can build a new home was not uncommon and an Antarctic settlement is likely to face similar pressures. Beyond the obvious point that you can't have a stable population, let alone population growth, with a population made up primarily of men it is also a concern that too many males can lead to political instability. China, due to its One Child Policy and related cultural attitudes, has just this problem. For these reasons the settlement will need to quickly regain a roughly 1:1 sex ratio. The First Settlers and the Second SettlersThe first settlers are likely to be doing so for ideological reasons. i.e. They believe in the cause of Antarctic settlement. But once this group has arrived you will need more people. In theory you could just let the first settlers reproduce without attempting to bring in more people. The issues with this are two-fold: 1. Its a slow way to increase a population and 2. if the original population is too small you run into issues of genetic diversity within a few generations. So I would argue that it is necessary to have a steady immigration rate. Population OutflowAnother factor to consider regarding population growth is decreasing the number of people emigrating away from the settlement. Extreme latitude settlements in the north often have high emigration numbers as the youth leave due to lack of economic or social opportunities. Decreasing the population loss due to people seeking 'sunnier shores' will go a long way towards growing the population. Dealing With the Above ProblemsBuilding population numbers will likely require several strategies. Below are a few to consider. Refugee Resettlement In 2020 there were over 80 million refugees. A fairly large number of whom were Christian. The offer to settle families and individuals in the new settlement is a hard sell but not an impossible one. Climate change has only exacerbated the problems facing Christian minorities in many, equatorial, nations. In this there are three principles should be observed: 1. Recruiters should never lie about the settlement or the conditions in Antarctica, 2. Refugees who do not wish to return to their country of origin should be preferred, and 3. families wishing to immigrate should be preferred over single individuals. By observing these three principles of recruitment the amount of disillusionment and stress that can sometimes accompany immigration can be lessened and a rough 1:1 gender ratio can be more easily maintained. Incentives Many countries offer incentives to have children. These incentives can be in the form of grants, forgivable loans, subsidized daycare, etc. If a country wants its population to grow it should both make sure there are no systematic problems that discourage people from starting new families and that there are the supports available to help these new families grow. In addition, the abundance of space on the continent will allow land grants to be given out to settlers which are larger than they could hope to receive in their home countries. Managing Outflow Antarctica will not be for everyone. Even the most successful administration will still face some population loss due to emigration. The counters for this are wide-ranging and include both social and institutional actions. But to put it simply, the Antarctic settlement must become a place where people can see spending the rest of their lives. They must be able to see raising a family there. They must become invested in the future of the settlement. Transport Many of the above ideas require being able to transport people and supplies to the continent. See The Antarctic Treaty, Secrecy, and Diplomatic Recognition for more info on the benefits of secrecy in the settlement's early years and The Settlement's Economy for information on how the settlers might support themselves.
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Published ResearchAs the project develops and gaps in understanding are filled finalized plans will be posted here. The end goal being a comprehensive plan for settling Antarctica. All plans subject to update as new information is learned. Archives
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