Population: Giving Voice to the Elephant in the Room -Perspectives, Goals, and Action

The Millennium Alliance for Humanity and the Biosphere and the Population Media Center welcome you to the webpage from our March 23rd & 24th workshop, “Population: Giving Voice to the Elephant in the Room -Perspectives, Goals, and Action.”

We are excited to share the final report from the workshop. Please follow the link below to access the full report in PDF version:

A Population Conference: Perspectives Goals & Actions

We also continue to post readings below. These are intended to both focus and spur our mutual thinking following the conference deliberations. We urge you to check back periodically for additions to the reading list and hope that you will send in further suggestions.

Thank you for your participation. We were honored to have you join us for the workshop.

The final report from the workshop is now available. Please follow the link below to access the full report in PDF version: A Population Conference: Perspectives Goals & Actions

Workshop Follow-Up

The final report from the workshop is now available. Please follow the link below to access the full report in PDF version:

A Population Conference: Perspectives Goals & Actions

After the workshop, participant Dr. Alaka Basu of Cornell University’s Department of Development Sociology, suggested that the workshop organizers put together a document for UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network on additional indicators of sustainable development. The document sent to the UN-SDSN developed as a result of the workshop follows:

Statement for UN-SDSN

Recommended Readings

Revisiting the Environmental and Socioeconomic Effects of Population Growth: a Fundamental but Fading Issue in Modern Scientific, Public, and Political Circles C. Mora | Ecology and Society | 2014

The effort factor: Evaluating the increasing marginal impact of resource extraction over time D.J. Davidson, J. Andrews, and D. Pauly | Global Environmental Change | 2014

The Spector of Jevons’ Paradox J. Dardozzi

Workshop Presentations

March 23rd:

The Global Sustainability Challenge E. Barry | Sustainable World Initiative

Overview: Current Population Projections and Trends J. Bish | Population Media Center

Current Events in Family Planning K. Newman | Population and Sustainability Network

Reasons for Not Using Contraception, Sub-Saharan Africa

Day 1 Summary

March 24th:

Stop the War on International Law D. Kraus | Global Solutions Action Network

Great Old Broads For Wilderness S. Silbert | Great Old Broads For Wilderness

Workshop Readings

Please read in preparation:

When the Earth Moved: What happened to the environmental movement? N. Lemann | The New Yorker | 2013 :

“On September 20, 1969, Gaylord Nelson, a Democratic senator from Wisconsin, gave a lightly publicized speech in Seattle in which he remarked, ‘I am convinced that the same concern the youth of this nation took in changing this nation’s priorities on the war in Vietnam and on civil rights can be shown for the problem of the environment…'”

Can a Collapse of Global Civilization Be Avoided? P.R. Ehrlich and A.H. Ehrlich 2013 | Proceedings of the Royal Society B | 2013

Pervasive Externalities at the Population, Consumption, and Environment Nexus P.S. Dasgupta and P.R. Ehrlich | Science | 2013

Population: The Multiplier of Everything Else W.N. Ryerson | The Post Carbon Reader Series: Population | 2010

Too many bodies? The return and disavowal of the population question D. Coole | Environmental Politics | 2012

Additional reading:

Case study: fertility decline in Iran F. Vahidnia | Population and Environment | 2007

Securing Natural Capital and Expanding Equity to Rescale Civilization P.R. Ehrlich, P.M. Kareiva, and G.C. Daily | Nature | 2012

Pollvannas of Population Growth: Fooled bv the Culture Gap A.H. Ehrlich and P.R. Ehrlich | Population Press | 2012

Human Population as a Dynamic Factor in Environmental Degradation J. Harte | Population and Environment | 2007

The Population Factor: How does it related to climate change? M. Potts and L. Marsh | Climate Adaptation | 2010

Barriers to Fertility Regulation: A Review of the Literature M. Campbell, N.N. Sahin-Hodoglugil, and M. Potts | Studies in Family Planning | 2006

The impact of freedom on fertility decline M. Campbell, N. Prata, and M. Potts | Journal of Family Planning and Reproductive Health Care | 2013

Resource Sufficiency Evaluations: A means to define and manage human development within a ‘Safe Operating Space’ (SOS) E. Barry and R. Walker | 2014

A Strategy for Advancing Sustainable Consumption and Production at the Global Scale Sustainable World Initiative | 2014

Getting from Here to a Sustainable World: Why “Resource Sufficiency Evaluation” is Crucial Sustainable World Initiative [/learn_more]

Agenda

March 23rd Agenda | March 24th Agenda