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OVERSHOOT | Shrink Toward Abundance
OVERSHOOT tackles today’s social and ecological crises driven by our excessive population and consumption and explores the paradigm shifts needed to bring our human footprint into balance with all life on Earth. With expert guests, hosts Nandita Bajaj and Alan Ware examine the drivers of overshoot: from the pronatalism fueling overpopulation, to economies based on consumerism and social injustice, to the worldview of human supremacy that exploits animals and nature. Our vision of shrinking toward abundance offers transformative pathways beyond technological fixes, toward interconnectedness with all beings. With a global rank of 1.5%, we draw listeners from across 150 countries.
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There are over 90 episodes of OVERSHOOT. If you are new to the podcast and looking for a good place to start, we recommend you listen to these episodes first.
Episodes
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The Perils of Population Denial
Human overpopulation creates habitat destruction and species extinction. Physician turned documentarian Sofia Pineda Ochoa joins us to expose the harms of population denialism on other species and future generations.
Pronatalism and Overpopulation
Pronatalism and overpopulation webinar : The decision to have children or not is largely regarded as an isolated personal decision, but how personal is it really? We are joined by four expert international panelists to unpack the pervasive and oppressive powers of pronatalism.
Overdrafting Earth’s Ecosystems
“The only way out of overshoot is less production and less consumption, so it means a much smaller economy and far fewer people.” William Rees, ecologist and co-creator of ecological footprint analysis, joins us.
The Unmet Need for Family Planning
Great strides have been made in advancing women’s reproductive autonomy, but there is still much to accomplish. Kathleen Mogelgaard, president of the Population Institute, joins us.
Untucking Overpopulation
It’s an insane world where speaking the scientific truth is an act of courage. Alexandra Paul, actor and outspoken advocate for sustainable population, animal rights, and the childfree choice, joins us.
Meet our New Executive Director
New Executive Director and podcast co-host Nandita Bajaj shares her brief history and the evolving path that led her to becoming a sustainable population advocate.
Reflections from our Former Executive Director
Podcast co-host Dave Gardner reflects on the agony and the ecstasy of working to alert, educate, and inspire action to end our overpopulation crisis for the last six years as executive director of WPB.
Sex, Religion, Politics and Overpopulation
In part two of our conversation with Chris Tucker, author of A Planet of 3 Billion, we continue exploring how to make the “uncomfortable” conversation more comfortable. He explains that we must absolutely figure out how to run a prosperous global economy under continuous population decline.
A Planet of 3 Billion
What is a sustainable human population? Chris Tucker, author of A Planet of 3 Billion, joins us.
Embracing an Aging Population
Are nations with low birth rates going to collapse due to a temporary bulge in the ranks of the elderly? Jane O’Sullivan, lead author of Silver Tsunami or Silver Lining? Why we should not fear an ageing population, joins us.
Are There Too Many of Us?
A recent report on Deutsche Welle’s Eco India environmental news magazine recently asked, “Are There Too Many of Us on Our Planet?” Bajaj helps put to rest the false dichotomy between overpopulation and overconsumption and argues that we must address both.
Separating Sex from Conception
Sex and conception are separated by contraception. Malcolm Potts and Alisha Graves, experts in reproductive health and sustainable population advocates, join us.
Busting Only-Child Myths
Journalist and author of One and Only: The Freedom of Having an Only Child, and the Joy of Being One, Lauren Sandler tells us there is “a lot of data supporting the one-child family as a healthy, important choice.”
To Kid or Not to Kid
Is motherhood an essential part of womanhood? Filmmaker Maxine Trump joins us to discuss the enduringly strong pronatalist pressures in her documentary film, To Kid or Not to Kid.
Child-Centric Family Planning
The decision to have a child should include consideration of the rights of the child to be born into a supportive community and a healthy environment. Sarah Bexell and Catharina Graff-Hughey join us to discuss their paper, A Human Rights Approach to Planning Families.
Embracing Fertility Decline
An aging and shrinking population is good for both humanity and the Earth. Philip Cafaro, philosopher and environmental ethicist, joins us.
Child-First Family Planning
We need to put our children first. Carter Dillard and Karin Kuhlemann of the non-profit, Having Kids, join host Dave Gardner to explain "child-first" family planning and how it will benefit our children and make human civilization more sustainable.
Small Families, Small Planet
Robin Maynard, the director of Population Matters, shares his thinking about human overpopulation and talks about the organization's goals, strategies, and tactics.
Small Family Campaigns and Incentives
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.
Toward a Small Family Ethic
Everyone should consider the ethics of having children on an overpopulated, climate-disrupted planet. Travis Rieder, bioethicist and author of Toward a Small Family Ethic: How Overpopulation and Climate Change are Affecting the Morality of Procreation, joins us.