Should We Stop Worrying and Love the Population Bomb? Asks Overpopulation Expert and GrowthBusters Director Dave Gardner

New World Population Day video uses hard facts and humor to demonstrate the dangers of overpopulation

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Jul 10, 2013, 08:35 ET

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., July 10, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The world needs frank talk about overpopulation, according to a non-profit whose mission is to inspire the world to "end its outdated love affair with economic and population growth." To increase awareness about the state of the world's population, and the ramifications of continued growth, GrowthBusters released a new video today on YouTube and its population awareness campaign website, worldpopulationday.org. The video, titled Should We Stop Worrying and Love the Population Bomb?, offers startling statistics about how fast world population is growing, how it's expected to swell, and why that's bad news for future generations.

The video contrasts the worrisome statistics with lighthearted moments, quizzing people on the street about world population. The interviews are conducted by GrowthBusters founder Dave Gardner, who directed the documentary GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth (2011). Gardner's easy-going style draws people out, providing a thought-provoking glimpse of what average people know and think about population growth.

"This video is a response to the wave of sermons from growth apologists trying to comfort us that population growth is projected to end in 100 years," explains Gardner. "They want us to relax, to remain complacent while another century of population growth increases their markets but destroys vital natural life-support systems." The campaign and video are designed to provoke informed public thought and dialog. "The United Nations (which established World Population Day), environmental and sustainability groups, and media tap-dance around the fact the world is overpopulated," explains Gardner. "Continued growth in the scale of humanity – our population and consumption level – is not a path to good lives on a full planet," explains project Co-Producer Lynsey Jones.

Gardner continues, "We're adults. We can handle the truth. Our future depends on acknowledging we've over-achieved in the be-fruitful-and-multiply department, so we can begin changing that behavior." Jones sums up the campaign's goal: "Couples around the world, armed with knowledge about the state of the world's population, will be better equipped to make the loving, compassionate decision to limit how many children they conceive."

Reaching the 10 billion world population mark (which the latest UN mid-range scenario estimates could happen by 2061), is not pre-destined, Gardner assures. "We have the power to end human overpopulation in this century. But the UN assumes we will continue to beat around the bush on the subject of population, and we will therefore have a largely uninformed and unmotivated public. If that's all we expect, that is what we'll get."

GrowthBusters' World Population Day campaign will raise awareness and encourage couples to plan smaller families through:

1. Videos, essays and news stories published at www.worldpopulationday.org
2. Top 10 Reasons to Choose a Small Family published on the organization's websites, Facebook and Twitter
3. Top 10 Population Films (the public is invited to vote) on Gardner's blog

In addition, the GrowthBusters team recently launched www.growthbiasbusted.org, a website that encourages accurate reporting and commentary on issues of growth in population, economies and consumption. Growth Bias Busted spotlights examples of pro-growth bias on its "Wall of Shame," and celebrates balanced and accurate reporting on the "Wall of Fame."

The GrowthBusters film and ongoing public education efforts are projects of non-profit Citizen-Powered Media.

Dave Gardner is available for interviews.

Video - Should We Stop Worrying and Love the Population Bomb?:
http://worldpopulationday.org/should-we-stop-worrying-and-love-the-population-bomb

Top 10 Reasons to Choose a Small Family: http://www.growthbusters.org/2013/06/top-10-reasons-to-choose-a-small-family

Top 10 Population Films: http://www.growthbusters.org/2013/06/vote-for-top-10-population-films/

Growth Bias Busted Website: http://www.growthbiasbusted.org

Media Resources: http://www.growthbiasbusted.org/media-resources
http://www.growthbusters.org/media