We need to put our children first. Carter Dillard and Karin Kuhlemann of the non-profit, Having Kids, explain "child-first" family planning and how it will benefit our children and make human civilization more sustainable.

See episode website for show notes, links, and transcript: https://www.populationbalance.org/podcast/dillard-kuhlemann

ABOUT US

OVERSHOOT | Shrink Toward Abundance [Formerly The Overpopulation Podcast]

OVERSHOOT tackles today's interlocked social and ecological crises driven by humanity's excessive population and consumption. The podcast explores needed narrative, behavioral, and system shifts for recreating human life in balance with all life on Earth. With expert guests from wide-ranging disciplines, we examine the forces underlying overshoot: from patriarchal pronatalism that is fueling overpopulation, to growth-biased economic systems that lead to consumerism and social injustice, to the dominant worldview of human supremacy that subjugates animals and nature. Our vision of shrinking toward abundance inspires us to seek pathways of transformation that go beyond technological fixes toward a new humanity that honors our interconnectedness with all beings.

Hosted by Nandita Bajaj and Alan Ware. Brought to you by Population Balance.

*Episodes from 2016-2021 were hosted by former executive director Dave Gardner and later with co-host Erika Arias, and then with co-host Nandita Bajaj.

Learn more at populationbalance.org

Copyright 2025 Population Balance

We wanted to hear what you, our listeners, are thinking - about the challenges, the setbacks, and the wins in the race to achieve a sustainable world population. So we convened an online “Listeners Roundtable” for this episode.

Seven listeners joined the four members of our World Population Balance staff for this conversation, which covered: - Ways to break down the population taboo - How to improve “overpopulation literacy” around the world - Getting the topic addressed in schools - Changing the culture to make it okay again, like it was on the first Earth Day, to address overpopulation

Links:

A Call to Action on World Scientists’ Warning - The recent collaboration of several sustainable population groups:

World Population Simulator (website created by listener Christian Roehr)

GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth (film mentioned by Mike Hanauer) 

Graduate student Emma Spett was surprised not that people in their twenties aren’t interested in having kids, but that they have children in spite of that feeling. She thinks, “It’s not wise to NOT be deliberate about bringing children into this new world.” Her commentary published by Having Kids, Parenting in the Anthropocene, and this conversation on The Overpopulation Podcast, raised important questions like: “Why does everyone need their own genetic offspring to feel fulfilled?” “Is freedom to choose more important than the sustained existence of our ecological and human systems?”

It just doesn’t fly anymore to get pregnant and start a family without serious consideration of all the ramifications – for that child, for the family, and for the planet. Those ramifications include the fact that the Earth is buckling today under the pressure of 7.6 billion of us. Emma’s curiosity, sensibilities and articulate way of addressing this issue inspired us to invite her to have this conversation with World Population Balance Executive Director (and host of The Overpopulation Podcast) Dave Gardner. Emma Spett is a graduate student at the University of Vermont in community development and applied economics. She’s also a fellow at the Gund Institute for Ecological Economics.

Find us here: Population Balance

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Parenting in the Anthropocene by Emma Spett
• Learning How to Die in the Anthropocene by Roy Scranton
• We're Doomed. Now What? by Roy Scranton
• Learning to Die in the Anthropocene: Reflections on the End of a Civilization by Roy Scranton
• Gund Institute
• Share Your Thoughts With Us
• Join Our Monthly Podcast Club
• Support this Podcast

Can 7.6 billion or more people live sustainably and happily on the planet? Can we avoid the sensitive topic of choosing smaller families simply by eating less meat, taking public transportation and turning the thermostat down in winter and up in summer?

The World Population Balance staff kicks this subject around in response to a study that concluded resource use would need to decline by a factor of two to six times for all the world’s people to live well within planetary boundaries. 

LINKS:

Oxfam From Poverty to Power Blog: "If Everyone Lived Sustainably, What Would Their Lives Be Like?" by Andrew Fanning 

Global Footprint Network: National Footprint Accounts 

College students grieve when presented the facts about overshoot. World Population Balance Executive Director Dave Gardner picks the brain of a professor teaching a college course on human population. Chris Bystroff, Professor of Biological Sciences and Computer Science, and Director of the Bioinformatics Program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute shares what he’s observed about the knowledge and attitudes of young adults enrolled in his college course. Bystroff also shares exciting news about his research project to develop an easily reversible contraceptive vaccine.

See episode website for show notes, links, and transcript:

https://www.populationbalance.org/2018-04-03-chris-bystroff-teaching-students-about-overshoot

ABOUT US

The Overpopulation Podcast features enlightening conversations between Population Balance Executive Director Nandita Bajaj, cohost Alan Ware, and expert guests. We cover a broad variety of topics that explore the impacts of our expanding human footprint on human rights, animal protection, and environmental restoration, as well as individual and collective solutions. Learn more here: https://www.populationbalance.org/

Overpopulation and the impacts of human population growth have been getting more and more media coverage in recent years. World Population Balance thinks it’s important to have the resulting awareness, education and conversations. But how thorough, unbiased and accurate is the coverage?

For this roundtable episode of The Overpopulation Podcast, the World Population team examines two recent radio programs that took up the issue: More People, More Problems, on 1A, produced by WAMU and distributed by NPR; and Can We Avoid Global Catastrophe As the World Population Heads to 10 Billion? on the series, On Point, produced by WBUR and heard on over 290 NPR stations. The WPB staff at the roundtable: Dave Gardner, Alan Ware, Carolyn VandenDolder and Joan Philips.

Links:

More People, More Problems on NPR's 1A 

Can We Avoid Global Catastrophe As the World Population Heads to 10 Billion? on NPR's On Point 

Robin Maynard has tremendous faith that the young people of the world have both tremendous power and growing awareness and interest in getting humanity back onto a sustainable path. Our guest, the director of Population Matters, shares his thinking about human overpopulation and talks about the organization's goals, strategies, and tactics.

Like World Population Balance, his organization is working hard at "shifting those amplifiers in society who really could reach so many people and talk in a rational, humane and compassionate way about population." There is still a perplexing guilt, awkwardness and hesitation to talk about population, among both the general public and even among leaders of environmental organizations. The good news is people ARE becoming a little less cautious in discussing the subject.

See episode website for show notes, links, and transcript: https://www.populationbalance.org/podcast/robin-maynard

ABOUT US

OVERSHOOT | Shrink Toward Abundance [Formerly The Overpopulation Podcast]

OVERSHOOT tackles today's interlocked social and ecological crises driven by humanity's excessive population and consumption. The podcast explores needed narrative, behavioral, and system shifts for recreating human life in balance with all life on Earth. With expert guests from wide-ranging disciplines, we examine the forces underlying overshoot: from patriarchal pronatalism that is fueling overpopulation, to growth-biased economic systems that lead to consumerism and social injustice, to the dominant worldview of human supremacy that subjugates animals and nature. Our vision of shrinking toward abundance inspires us to seek pathways of transformation that go beyond technological fixes toward a new humanity that honors our interconnectedness with all beings.

Hosted by Nandita Bajaj and Alan Ware. Brought to you by Population Balance.

*Episodes from 2016-2021 were hosted by former executive director Dave Gardner and later with co-host Erika Arias, and then with co-host Nandita Bajaj.

Learn more at populationbalance.org

Copyright 2025 Population Balance

Is discussing overpopulation politically incorrect? Science tells us there are more people on the planet today than the Earth can sustainably support. Is avoiding the subject the best way to solve the problem?

The World Population Balance team tackles these questions in response to a column by journalist David Roberts explaining why he avoids the subject.

Plus: What do hurricanes Harvey and Irma have to do with overpopulation. And good news on the teen pregnancy front. A rousing discussion with Dave Gardner, Carolyn VandenDolder, Alan Ware and Joan Philips of World Population Balance.

Learn more at worldpopulationbalance.org.

Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist Joel Pett has long had our environment, sustainability and overpopulation on his mind. His cartoons have graced USA Today, the Washington Post, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, the Boston Globe and his hometown Lexington Herald-Leader for over three decades.

Frequently lampooning denial and other irrational human behavior disrespecting our critical, life-supporting ecosystems, Joel's deep connection with the natural world inspires him to use his creativity for good! Pett is also the winner of the 1999 Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award for cartooning, and a 1995 winner of the Global Media Award for cartoons on population issues.

In this charming conversation, Joel shares stories about some of his favorite cartoons and reacts to Overpopulation Podcast host Dave Gardner's analysis.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Joel Pett's Cartoons
• Joel Pett: Editorial Cartoons | Lexington Herald Leader
• Support this Podcast

ABOUT US

OVERSHOOT | Shrink Toward Abundance [Formerly The Overpopulation Podcast]

OVERSHOOT tackles today's interlocked social and ecological crises driven by humanity's excessive population and consumption. The podcast explores needed narrative, behavioral, and system shifts for recreating human life in balance with all life on Earth. With expert guests from wide-ranging disciplines, we examine the forces underlying overshoot: from patriarchal pronatalism that is fueling overpopulation, to growth-biased economic systems that lead to consumerism and social injustice, to the dominant worldview of human supremacy that subjugates animals and nature. Our vision of shrinking toward abundance inspires us to seek pathways of transformation that go beyond technological fixes toward a new humanity that honors our interconnectedness with all beings.

Hosted by Nandita Bajaj and Alan Ware. Brought to you by Population Balance.

*Episodes from 2016-2021 were hosted by former executive director Dave Gardner and later with co-host Erika Arias, and then with co-host Nandita Bajaj.

Learn more at populationbalance.org

Copyright 2025 Population Balance

Are there ethical and moral ways for governments to accelerate the move to smaller families in order to contract population? Ethicists Colin Hickey and Jake Earl weigh in on why this should be done and how we might do it fairly.

See episode website for show notes, links, and transcript: https://www.populationbalance.org/podcast/earl-hickey

ABOUT US

OVERSHOOT | Shrink Toward Abundance [Formerly The Overpopulation Podcast]

OVERSHOOT tackles today's interlocked social and ecological crises driven by humanity's excessive population and consumption. The podcast explores needed narrative, behavioral, and system shifts for recreating human life in balance with all life on Earth. With expert guests from wide-ranging disciplines, we examine the forces underlying overshoot: from patriarchal pronatalism that is fueling overpopulation, to growth-biased economic systems that lead to consumerism and social injustice, to the dominant worldview of human supremacy that subjugates animals and nature. Our vision of shrinking toward abundance inspires us to seek pathways of transformation that go beyond technological fixes toward a new humanity that honors our interconnectedness with all beings.

Hosted by Nandita Bajaj and Alan Ware. Brought to you by Population Balance.

*Episodes from 2016-2021 were hosted by former executive director Dave Gardner and later with co-host Erika Arias, and then with co-host Nandita Bajaj.

Learn more at populationbalance.org

Copyright 2025 Population Balance