“The great under-discussed factor in the climate crisis is there are just too many of us, and we use too much shit.” Comedian and social critic Bill Maher said it well. Yes, our profligate lifestyles have a big carbon footprint. And if they do, then the number of footprints makes a big difference, and it is undoubtedly “under-discussed.” So, in this episode, we discuss it.

We also give a big shout-out to Jane Garvey and Anna Lacey of BBC Woman’s Hour. Their radio program/podcast is a gleaming (and rare) example of mainstream media treating the overpopulation topic from an informed perspective, with integrity. Link below.

 

DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE:

Programs and Studies Getting it Right:

Reproduction and the Carbon Legacies of Individuals
Oregon State University study

The Climate Mitigation Gap
Lund University research letter

Worksheets from the Lund University work

Project Drawdown Solutions List

Jeff Bezos Commits $10 Billion to New Bezos Earth Fund

Bill Maher: Masturbate, Don't Procreate
(“The great under-discussed factor in the climate crisis is there are just too many of us….”)

BBC Woman’s Hour: Would You Stop Having Kids to Save the Planet?

BBC Woman’s Hour: Choreographer Cathy Marston & 'The Cellist', her new ballet inspired by Jacqueline du Pre

Below-Replacement-Level Fertility: Don’t Fear It, Ross Douthat - Joe Bish of Population Media Center rebuts New York Times opinion piece listed below

 

Programs and People Missing the Mark:

The Chinese Population Crisis by Ross Douthat in The New York Times

Climate Changers: The 100% Solution with Solomon Goldstein-Rose

Vox: Having Fewer Kids Will Not Save the Climate by Sigal Samuel

The Overpopulation Podcast is produced by World Population Balance, a non-profit organization committed to alerting and educating that overpopulation is the root cause of resource depletion, species extinction, poverty, and climate change. Our mission is to chart a path for human civilization that – rather than causing greater misery – enables good lives on a healthy planet. We advocate and support a smaller, truly sustainable human population – through dramatic and voluntary reduction in birth rates. 

We envision a world where no one suffers in dire poverty and misery for lack of enough food, water, and other basic needs. We see a world where all species thrive and where lower consumption and population are in balance with Earth’s finite resources.

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