Perhaps you saw the recent headlines pointing out that "Most couples may have to use assisted reproduction by 2045." Even if you somehow missed that reporting—which featured quotes from Dr. Swan based on her research for this book—you'll already know the main thesis of Count Down from my work on demographic winter and the underpopulation crisis (in contrast to the overpopulation myth). In short, modern manufacturing processes have flooded the developed world in endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) over the past half century and the demonstrable decline in human fertility in that same period is the alarming result. Of course there are economic and societal reasons for declining birth rates, but Dr. Swan marshals a raft of scientific evidence to show that EDCs and other chemical products are ravaging the human population, not only undermining our ability to reproduce but also contributing to the rise in "gender fluidity." This book is a great one to share with all of those who think "they're turning the frickin' frogs gay" is just a meme. Even more importantly, it ends with practical tips about what products to avoid and what changes to make in order to reduce your exposure to these harmful compounds. ~ James Corbett
In 2017, author Shanna Swan and her team of researchers completed a major study. They found that over the past four decades, sperm levels among men in Western countries have dropped by more than 50 percent. They came to this conclusion after examining 185 studies involving close to 45,000 healthy men. The result sent shockwaves around the globe—but the story didn’t end there. It turns out our sexual development is changing in broader ways, for both men and women and even other species, and that the modern world is on pace to become an infertile one.
How and why could this happen? What is hijacking our fertility and our health? Count Down unpacks these questions, revealing what Swan and other researchers have learned about how both lifestyle and chemical exposures are affecting our fertility, sexual development—potentially including the increase in gender fluidity—and general health as a species. Engagingly explaining the science and repercussions of these worldwide threats and providing simple and practical guidelines for effectively avoiding chemical goods (from water bottles to shaving cream) both as individuals and societies, Count Down is “staggering in its findings” (Erin Brockovich, The Guardian) and “will serve as an awakening” (The New York Times BookReview).
