--- title: "Emails Show Epstein Scheming That Environmental Destruction Could Solve “Overpopulation”" description: "Recently spotted emails from 2016 show Jeffrey Epstein suggesting that climate change could be the answer to \"overpopulation.\"" date: "2026-02-15" modified: "2026-02-15" authors: - name: "Joe Wilkins" job_title: "Correspondent" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jwilkins" url: "https://futurism.com/science-energy/epstein-climate-change-population" categories: - "Climate Change" - "Energy" - "Environment" - "Future Society" - "Global Warming" - "Science & Energy" --- # Emails Show Epstein Scheming That Environmental Destruction Could Solve “Overpopulation” ![A devastated landscape showing extensive destruction of houses and trees, likely caused by a natural disaster such as a tornado or hurricane. The area is filled with debris, broken tree trunks, and remnants of buildings, with some vehicles partially buried under rubble. The sky is overcast, adding to the somber atmosphere.]() *Getty / Futurism* For all the horrible stuff crammed into the Epstein files, they sure have a way of making even the most crazed conspiracy theorist look credible. A fresh vein of emails, [unearthed by *Fast Company*](), features the sex criminal financier arguing that [climate change]() could be a tidy answer to the question of "overpopulation." In a [startling 2016 exchange]() with German philosopher and AI researcher Joscha Bach, Epstein pontificates that climate change may be necessary for the survival of humans as a "species." "Maybe climate change is a good way of dealing with overpopulation," Epstein wrote. "The earths forest fire. potentially a good thing for the species." He continues in characteristically typo-laden prose: "too many people, so many mass executions of the elderly and infirm make sense is the fundamental fact that everyone dies at some time .make it imporrisbole to ask so why not earilier. if the brain discards unused neurons, why sholdsociety keep their equivalent." As climatologist Michael Mann told *FC*, the vile screed isn't a surprising belief for someone like Epstein to hold. In fact, Mann said, the rant is "entirely keeping with the ethos" of Epstein and his elite friends. For an example, Mann points to climate denier Bjorn Lomborg, an Epstein associate who also appeared in the infamous emails. Lomborg has previously been criticized for [spreading misinformation]() on climate change, helping undermine progress on clean energy and environmentalism. "Lomborg cynically uses his feigned concern for the poor and downtrodden people of the Global South to justify continued fossil fuel dependence," Mann asserts, "when in fact it is they who will suffer the most from continued planetary warming." What's particularly grim about this discovery is that "overpopulation" — the whole impetus behind the screed in the first place — has an easy solution. And it isn't culling the poor, but ensuring they have an equal piece of the pie: as countries become affluent, they [virtually always end up]() with a birth rate that levels off and then declines — which, while it creates its own [vexing policy headaches](), neatly solves any concerns about overpopulation. Global affluence isn't a science fiction concept, either. The world produces [more than enough food]() for everybody, for example, yet some [673 million people]() go hungry every day. There is likewise no shortage of housing for all, [especially in the US](), where some [771,000 people]() have suffered with homelessness since 2007. Indeed, the question isn't whether there are too many people, but whether each person has access to the wealth of the world's resources. Ironically, Epstein and his billionaire friends are the source of that inequality — hoarding the very resources whose scarcity is used to justify letting the rest of us die. **More on Epstein:** *[Jeffrey Epstein Had a Bizarre Obsession With “Improving” Human DNA, and He Was Emailing With Top Scientists About It]()* ## Author At Futurism, I focus on the intersection of technology and power — examining the economics, history, and politics behind today’s dystopian headlines. As a writer, I’m interested in topics ranging from AI’s impact on labor to startups nobody asked for. My prior work includes bylines in Jacobin, Verso, and Blue Labyrinths. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Forbes, The Guardian, MIT Technology Review, Time, The Nation, Mother Jones, The Verge, and Wired. I grew up in Michigan, attending Central Michigan University as well as Ball State University, where I earned a master of music. I now live in Brooklyn with my girlfriend and our cat Ziti. On weekends, you can find me hunched over a cold pint arguing geopolitics with the other transplants. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()