World Population Day 2022: We’re Overpopulated, Pass It On.
As we approach the 8 billion population milestone, activist/author Valorie Allen thinks it’s high time we stop avoiding the overpopulation subject. Yet here we are, on World Population Day 2022, and the UN is still beating around the bush, journalists rarely report on the subject (when they do, it is usually with a pro-growth bias), and most environmental groups run and hide from it.
Allen believes that we can bend the long-rising population curve soon and begin the needed contraction. But we must stop avoiding the subject, and we need to make a project of it.
As we observe World Population Day 2022, we share this insightful conversation with Valorie Allen, author of the new book, 8 Billion Reasons Population Matters: The Defining Issue of the 21st Century. This is a rich and comprehensive encyclopedia of history, information, opinion and inspiration.
After this conversation, Stephanie and Dave review recent “GrowthBusting News,” including new insanity from Elon Musk, outrageous ideas for overconsumption on hyperdrive, a new paper by Paul and Anne Ehrlich, and sad words of wisdom from actor Jeff Goldblum.
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
UNFPA World Population Day 2022 Statement
UN Secretary-General’s World Population Day Statement
8 Billion Reasons Population Matters – new book by Valorie Allen
Surviving the 21st Century – by Julian Cribb
Population in Sync – Valorie Allen’s website
Paul Ehrlich on Limits to Growth – Episode 70 of the GrowthBusters podcast
Leaked Amazon Memo Warns the Company is Running Out of People to Hire
Elon Musk Breaks Silence on Birth of Secret Twins with ‘Overpopulation’ Joke
Elon Musk is Wrong: We Need Smaller Families
Climate Damage Caused by Growing Space Tourism Needs Urgent Mitigation
Let Them Eat Fermented Protein – Review of Monbiot book, Regenesis: Feeding the World without Devouring the Planet
Returning to “Normal”? Evolutionary Roots of the Human Prospect – by Paul and Anne Ehrlich
Your Kids Are Not Doomed – uninformed column by Ezra Klein
Current Policies Will Bring ‘Catastrophic’ Climate Breakdown, Warn Former UN Leaders
For 50 Years, Governments Have Failed to Act on Climate Change. No More Excuses – by Christiana Figueres, Yvo de Boer and Michael Zammit Cutajar
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On the GrowthBusters podcast, we come to terms with the limits to growth, explore the joy of sustainable living, and provide a recovery program from our society’s growth addiction (economic/consumption and population). This podcast is part of the GrowthBusters project to raise awareness of overshoot and end our culture’s obsession with, and pursuit of, growth.
Dave Gardner directed the documentary GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth, which Stanford Biologist Paul Ehrlich declared “could be the most important film ever made.” Co-host Stephanie Gardner has degrees in Environmental Studies and Environmental Law & Policy.
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Tags: Climate Change, contraception, family planning, family size, overpopulation, overshoot, population growth, public policy, sustainability
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Peter
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At 27 minutes the discussion on the Roe v Wade decision being overturned by the US Supreme Court would have been different if more women were making the judgement is incorrect. A 2017 Pew Centre study on attitudes to abortion showed there is no gender divide on abortion. Men and women were as likely to support the right to abortion as each other. The divide is better predicted by religiosity. Conservative Christians are more likely to oppose abortion no matter what the gender.
Your guest said we can maintain our current standard of living but I think this is something we will have to let go with baked in global warming and peak oil and other resources being finite. We will need to let go of anything which is dependent on rare earth minerals since these are both finite and their extraction is fossil fuel dependent. Think electronics and so much more. This ultimately applies to solar and wind power technology which are necessary transitional technologies but are not sustainable into the deep future. As much as we can recycle there can not be 100% perfect recycling. That’s how the universe rolls.
As for the idea of recruiting the daughter of Bill Gates to the cause I would give this advice. Beware of billionaires baring gifts. Billionaires do not give gifts. The gift is most likely to be a grift. Billionaires make investments on which they expect returns. I would no more want Gate’s daughter to be influencing the environmental agenda any more than I like her father setting himself up as the de facto global health minister.
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Paul Block
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“World Population Day 2022” – C’mon World OVERpopulation day is what it is…and shouldn’t that be EVERY day? Like Earth “Day”, or American Indian Eradication (I made that one up) “Day”?
keep up the good fight
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