15 min listen
Does population control work?
Does population control work?
ratings:
Length:
24 minutes
Released:
Oct 28, 2021
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
A hundred years ago, there were roughly 2 billion people in the world. Today, there are almost 8 billion.
This rapid quadrupling of the world’s population has people asking, is the planet overpopulated? Some say, yes. Others say that it’s not so simple.
This isn’t a new question. Researchers in the 19th and 20th centuries warned that unfettered population growth would lead to famine, poverty, and climate destruction. Some governments and aid agencies took those warnings to heart, and implemented programs to try and lower fertility rates. These programs were sometimes coercive, often incentivizing poor people to be sterilized or have abortions they didn’t want. Some societies are still living with unintended consequences of these efforts to control population. Still, the question of whether the earth is overpopulated is still contested
UnTextbooked producer Oliver Wang had always been curious about population control. He’s Chinese American, and his family had been shaped by the One-Child policy. So he read the book Fatal Misconception by Dr. Matthew Connelly to learn more. On this episode of UnTextbooked, Oliver and Dr. Connelly explore the origin and impact of population control efforts.
Book: Fatal Misconception: The Struggle to Control World Population
Guest: Dr. Matthew Connelly
Producer: Oliver Wang
Music: Silas Bohen and Coleman Hamilton
Editors: Bethany Denton and Jeff Emtman
This rapid quadrupling of the world’s population has people asking, is the planet overpopulated? Some say, yes. Others say that it’s not so simple.
This isn’t a new question. Researchers in the 19th and 20th centuries warned that unfettered population growth would lead to famine, poverty, and climate destruction. Some governments and aid agencies took those warnings to heart, and implemented programs to try and lower fertility rates. These programs were sometimes coercive, often incentivizing poor people to be sterilized or have abortions they didn’t want. Some societies are still living with unintended consequences of these efforts to control population. Still, the question of whether the earth is overpopulated is still contested
UnTextbooked producer Oliver Wang had always been curious about population control. He’s Chinese American, and his family had been shaped by the One-Child policy. So he read the book Fatal Misconception by Dr. Matthew Connelly to learn more. On this episode of UnTextbooked, Oliver and Dr. Connelly explore the origin and impact of population control efforts.
Book: Fatal Misconception: The Struggle to Control World Population
Guest: Dr. Matthew Connelly
Producer: Oliver Wang
Music: Silas Bohen and Coleman Hamilton
Editors: Bethany Denton and Jeff Emtman
Released:
Oct 28, 2021
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (73)
Why do so many Westerners fear the veil?: There is no singular reason why Muslim women choose to wear hijab, and yet it’s often perceived by Westerners as just a symbol of oppression. UnTextbooked producer Jana Amin interviews Leila Ahmed about her book A Quiet Revolution: The Veil’s Resurgence, from the Middle East to America. by UnTextbooked | A history podcast for the future