The Overpopulation Podcast features enlightening conversations between Population Balance executive director Nandita Bajaj, researcher Alan Ware, and expert gue...
Hannah Evans and Pam Wasserman | Progressive Pathways for a Smaller Population
Population dynamics are deeply connected to environmental sustainability and social justice. That's the message of Pam Wasserman and Hannah Evans from Population Connection - the oldest grassroots population organization in the U.S. Highlights include: The origins of Population Connection and its evolution from ZPG (Zero Population Growth) to a broader mission addressing the intersections of population, environment, and social justice; How their K-12 education program trains thousands of teachers annually to teach students the importance of population dynamics within the broader issues of environmental sustainability; The connections between population growth, resource consumption, and climate vulnerability, and how addressing reproductive health and gender equality is key to mitigating these challenges; Insights into the challenges of discussing population in today’s polarized political climate and how depopulation panic gets in the way of meaningful dialogue; The impact of global partnerships and advocacy efforts, including family planning initiatives and tackling patriarchal norms for the sake of community empowerment and environmental protection. See episode website for show notes, links, and transcript: https://www.populationbalance.org/podcast/hannah-evans-pam-wasserman ABOUT US The Overpopulation Podcast features enlightening conversations between Population Balance executive director Nandita Bajaj, researcher Alan Ware, and expert guests that draw the connections between pronatalism, human supremacy, social inequalities, and ecological overshoot. Population Balance's mission to inspire narrative, behavioral, and system change that shrinks our human impact and elevates the rights and wellbeing of people, animals, and the planet. Learn more here: https://www.populationbalance.org/ Copyright 2024 Population Balance
--------
55:30
Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka | Gorilla Conservation, Coffee, and Family Planning
Healthy and thriving animal communities depend on healthy and thriving human communities. That’s the message from this week’s guest, Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, Uganda’s first wildlife veterinarian and founder of Conservation Through Public Health. Highlights include: How a scabies outbreak among gorillas reshaped her approach to conservation, linking human health to the health of the gorillas; The role of family planning and community health education in reducing human population pressure, human-wildlife conflict and improving both conservation outcomes and local livelihoods; The balance between the benefits of ecotourism for funding conservation and the risks it poses to gorilla health; How Gorilla Conservation Coffee provides alternative livelihoods for farmers while supporting endangered gorillas and their habitats. See episode website for show notes, links, and transcript: https://www.populationbalance.org/podcast/gladys-kalema-zikusoka ABOUT US The Overpopulation Podcast features enlightening conversations between Population Balance executive director Nandita Bajaj, researcher Alan Ware, and expert guests that draw the connections between pronatalism, human supremacy, social inequalities, and ecological overshoot. Population Balance's mission to inspire narrative, behavioral, and system change that shrinks our human impact and elevates the rights and wellbeing of people, animals, and the planet. Learn more here: https://www.populationbalance.org/ Copyright 2024 Population Balance
--------
51:55
Olivier De Schutter | The Poverty of Growth
Obsession with growth is enriching elites and killing the planet. That’s the message of this week’s guest, Olivier De Schutter, UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights and author of The Poverty of Growth. Highlights include: Why poverty is about more than low income and how unequal economic growth creates greater social exclusion and status anxiety for the majority of people that growth leaves behind; How global trade practices benefit corporations over workers, especially in low-income countries, driving inequality and limiting worker protections; Why ‘green growth’ is a myth and that economic growth continues to be tied to both resource depletion and environmental damage; How the commodification of life drives consumption and inequality, with more services that were once free or communal now privatized, creating a need for income rather than creating greater wellbeing; How adopting norms of sufficiency could shift economies to focus on collective wellbeing and fair resource distribution over perpetual growth. See episode website for show notes, links, and transcript: https://www.populationbalance.org/podcast/olivier-de-schutter ABOUT US The Overpopulation Podcast features enlightening conversations between Population Balance executive director Nandita Bajaj, researcher Alan Ware, and expert guests that draw the connections between pronatalism, human supremacy, social inequalities, and ecological overshoot. Population Balance's mission to inspire narrative, behavioral, and system change that shrinks our human impact and elevates the rights and wellbeing of people, animals, and the planet. Learn more here: https://www.populationbalance.org/ Copyright 2024 Population Balance
--------
46:43
Melanie Joy | We Can Fight Each Other Or We Can End Injustice
In this episode, we sit down with social psychologist, Dr. Melanie Joy, to explore her groundbreaking concept of “carnism” - the belief system that conditions people to see eating animals as normal, natural, and necessary. Dr. Joy offers insights into how hidden ideologies shape behavior, and how building relational literacy can foster healthier relationships across social movements. Highlights include: How the three 'N's’ - normal, natural, necessary - are used to justify systems like carnism and pronatalism, and how dismantling these myths creates space for more compassionate choices; How cognitive distortions like objectification and dichotomization impact both human and animal relationships, perpetuating cycles of violence and oppression; Why dysregulated people dysregulate people and the formula for healthy relating; How relational literacy can empower activists to communicate skillfully, avoid burnout, and avoid infighting. See episode website for show notes, links, and transcript: https://www.populationbalance.org/podcast/melanie-joy ABOUT US The Overpopulation Podcast features enlightening conversations between Population Balance executive director Nandita Bajaj, researcher Alan Ware, and expert guests that draw the connections between pronatalism, human supremacy, social inequalities, and ecological overshoot. Population Balance's mission to inspire narrative, behavioral, and system change that shrinks our human impact and elevates the rights and wellbeing of people, animals, and the planet. Learn more here: https://www.populationbalance.org/ Copyright 2024 Population Balance
--------
50:53
Marc Bekoff | Understanding the Emotional Lives of Animals
In this episode, we talk with animal behavior expert Dr. Marc Bekoff about the emotional lives of animals and the urgent need for a shift in how we treat them. A pioneer in the field of cognitive ethology, Dr. Bekoff shares his insights on animal emotions, the interconnectedness of animal rights and environmental sustainability, and how we can better understand and care for the incredible beings with whom we share the planet. Highlights include: How cognitive ethology helps us understand the minds and emotions of animals, and why this understanding is essential for improving their wellbeing; What is wrong with the traditional animal welfare approach and why Dr. Bekoff advocates for a science of animal well-being that values each individual animal’s life; Why human overpopulation exacerbates habitat destruction and the suffering of animals, stressing the need to reduce human impact on ecosystems; Why the language we use to describe animals, such as referring to them as “who” instead of “it,” plays a crucial role in shaping our perceptions and treatment of them. See episode website for show notes, links, and transcript: https://www.populationbalance.org/podcast/marc-bekoff ABOUT US The Overpopulation Podcast features enlightening conversations between Population Balance executive director Nandita Bajaj, researcher Alan Ware, and expert guests that draw the connections between pronatalism, human supremacy, social inequalities, and ecological overshoot. Population Balance's mission to inspire narrative, behavioral, and system change that shrinks our human impact and elevates the rights and wellbeing of people, animals, and the planet. Learn more here: https://www.populationbalance.org/ Copyright 2024 Population Balance
The Overpopulation Podcast features enlightening conversations between Population Balance executive director Nandita Bajaj, researcher Alan Ware, and expert guests that draw the connections between pronatalism, human supremacy, social inequalities, and ecological overshoot. Population Balance's mission to inspire narrative, behavioral, and system change that shrinks our human impact and elevates the rights and wellbeing of people, animals, and the planet.