A new study debunks depopulation panic. For decades economists have perpetuated the false narrative, “If population growth reverses and begins to decline, the economy is doomed.” This belief has so frequently been repeated by economists, politi

83: We Roasted Elon Musk, Raising the Curiosity of Thousands

Nov 16th, 2023 23m 50s

We made it VERY clear that Musk’s worries about population collapse are ill-founded, and that attracted thousands more listeners than usual to our podcast. How did that happen? What kind of comments did we get? Find out in this episode. And get

82: Governor Whitmer Unveils Ponzi Population Policy

Jul 14th, 2023 43m 48s

The Michigan Governor is apparently unaware that the world, the U.S. and even Michigan are overpopulated. Michigan population has been growing a little too slowly for her taste, so Whitmer has appointed a Chief Growth Officer and formed the Gro

Overpopulation Think Tank – Part 2

Jun 7th, 2023 1h 10m

Are many vegans self-righteous, overbearing and insufferable in their efforts to recruit us? Would you believe “overpopulation” is still a taboo word? Or that human population numbers are still an “off-limits” topic at some conferences? This ep

How Do We Get Out of This Mess? University Students Brainstorm

May 22nd, 2023 1h 23m

Students in a DU ecological economics class discuss their biggest concerns and how our society might overcome them. Overshoot, polarization, the American Dream, politics, selfish individualism, and the capitalism growth imperative are among the

Overpopulation Think Tank – Part 1

Apr 25th, 2023 1h 5m

Five thought leaders break the silence on the role of human overpopulation in ecological overshoot –with an informed, engaging conversation about the subject. This is what intelligent discourse sounds like. For thirty years, many people – some

Discussing Overpopulation: Let's Clear the Minefield

Mar 30th, 2023 1h 6m

Why do discussions of overpopulation often elicit emotional responses of fear, anger, or indignation? Are anger and indignation what prevents productive discussion of population? These responses in a graduate college class provide an opportunit

Fact-Checking News of China’s “Demographic Crisis”

Feb 11th, 2023 55m

The news that China’s massive population dropped by nearly a million people last year was almost universally reported as a “crisis.” In this episode we unpack the news coverage and take journalists to task for completely overlooking the fact th

Now Here's What We Call an Eco-Superhero

Jan 15th, 2023 1h 18m

Getting take-out in your own reusable container, recycling bubble-wrap properly, and getting arrested – it’s all in a day’s work for an eco-superhero. Stephanie and Dave learn about climate activism with Extinction Rebellion, sharing quirky sus

A Vasectomy Could Save Herschel Walker a Lot of Money

Dec 28th, 2022 6m 31s

More men are stepping up and taking responsibility for avoiding unplanned parenthood. Dave celebrates this trend as he shares GrowthBusters plans for the new year in this special year-end mini-episode. A typical vasectomy takes about ten minute

Bleak Friday, 8 Billion Post-Mortem and Damage Done by Guilt

Dec 1st, 2022 55m 13s

Examining news coverage and commentaries about human population passing 8 billion on November 15, we unpack the reasons far too many of us avoid discourse about human overpopulation. Why are we tap-dancing around the very dialogue needed so peo

8 Billion is Too Many: Don’t be a Twit About Overpopulation

Nov 9th, 2022 1h 8m

While Elon Musk erroneously claims population collapse is our biggest worry, world population is hitting 8 billion, adding the latest billion faster than any time in history. The UN has declared world population will surpass 8 billion on Novemb

Upping Our Game Alerting the World to Limits to Growth: New Online Community

Oct 5th, 2022 1h 14m

World population may peak this decade and start dropping, over 60% of Coloradans are fed up with the negative consequences of growth of their communities, a new online community and resource for sustainability advocates, Elon Musk keeps populat

World Population Day 2022: We’re Overpopulated. Pass It On.

Jul 9th, 2022 1h 9m

As we approach the 8 billion population milestone, activist/author Valorie Allen thinks it’s high time we stop avoiding the overpopulation subject. Yet here we are, on World Population Day 2022, and the UN is still beating around the bush, jour

Paul Ehrlich on The Limits to Growth

Jun 1st, 2022 1h 15m

Biologist Paul Ehrlich reflects on the 1972 MIT study, The Limits to Growth, on its 50th anniversary – including the fact that it has been refuted (poorly), ignored, and confirmed. The study was done by a team of scientists commissioned by the

69 Chickens are Coming Home to Roost

May 11th, 2022 53m 53s

While nary a week goes by that we don’t get a new report of the destruction we’re wreaking on our home planet, the news has been particularly bad over the last few weeks. Plus: Bill Maher, usually praised by us for speaking the truth, needs to

Paul Ehrlich, Unfiltered (Special Earth Day Episode)

Apr 19th, 2022 1h 20m

A reprise of Paul Ehrlich’s candid conversation with us on the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, in April of 2020. We discuss the COVID pandemic, overpopulation, The Population Bomb (including an amusing mistake on the cover), dinner with Johnny C

Obsessive-Compulsive’s Guide to Cutting Your Carbon Footprint

Mar 30th, 2022 1h 13m

Chickens, Tomatoes and Cars: The Wonky Numbers Behind Your Carbon Footprint We NEED to be obsessed with shrinking our footprint, and Lloyd Alter did the research, the spreadsheet, and the book to help us all do our part. Did you know you can cu

Can Living a 1.5 Degree Lifestyle Make a Difference?

Mar 9th, 2022 1h 14m

Should we be sitting around eating burgers and driving pickup trucks, and just wait for the system change needed to live sustainably on this planet? We attempt here to put to rest the tired and misdirected debate about whether individual footpr

What Do College Students Think Their Future Holds?

Feb 16th, 2022 1h 56m

OK, boomers, we blew it. Our best hope is that younger generations are aware and smart enough to save the planet. What do they know, and what are their planet-saving intentions? We went straight to the source, and sat down with a University of

64 Is Parenthood an Entitlement?

Jan 26th, 2022 1h 12m

Get married, buy a house, raise a family. For many of us, that’s the expected life trajectory. Are we entitled to meet that expectation? If many follow the typical trajectory, including having two or more children, then we drive human civilizat

Stuck in Traffic? Head to Mars

Dec 28th, 2021 1h 1m

“If people don’t have more children, civilization is going to crumble,” according to Time Magazine’s “Person of the Year” – Elon Musk. He is, of course, dead wrong. We briefly explore that in this episode, and offer our take on Musk’s stone-age

World Leaders COP Out

Dec 6th, 2021 1h 10m

The climate pact achieved at COP26 was woefully inadequate. We could be in for over four degrees Fahrenheit of warming this century over pre-industrial temperatures, and some scenarios would put us closer to eight degrees. In this episode, Paul

Rebelling Against Black Friday Consumerism

Nov 17th, 2021 49m 15s

We generate 23% more waste during December than other months of the year, but more than three in four Americans wish the holidays were less materialistic. Our retail and consumer culture have gotten out of hand over holiday gift-giving. 9 in 10

Populating and Plundering the Universe

Oct 27th, 2021 38m 5s

We’re running out of booty on planet Earth, so billionaires are racing to mine and populate the rest of the universe. In this follow-up to our Billionaires in Space episode, we examine and applaud points made by economist Tim Jackson in his rec