While nary a week goes by that we don’t get a new report of the destruction we’re wreaking on our home planet, the news has been particularly bad over the last few weeks. Plus: Bill Maher, usually praised by us for speaking the truth, needs to get there on the benefits of a shrinking economy.

On an overpopulated planet, does society have an obligation to make parenthood possible, practical, convenient, and/or affordable to all? Ethicist Philip Cafaro joins us to discuss the motivations and morality of public policies designed to make it easier for couples to have children.

We’re running out of booty on planet Earth, so billionaires are racing to mine and populate the rest of the universe.

“Once a species becomes powerful enough to take over a planet, then is it also intelligent enough to understand the limits to its own power?” This is a question posed in the new book, Power: Limits and Prospects for Human Survival.

Are Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson and Elon Musk doing civilization a favor and advancing science? Are they preparing to colonize space like the Borg in Star Trek: The Next Generation? Or are they seeking status and boosting their egos – AND their carbon footprints – with expensive toys?