Paul Ehrlich | Sawing off the Limb on Which We are Perched

To commemorate the 32nd World Population Day on July 11, 2022, we are honored to be joined by the legendary Paul Ehrlich, who also celebrates his 90th birthday this year. Author of over 40 books, including the best-selling book The Population Bomb, published in 1968, Dr. Ehrlich was made more famous by numerous appearances on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson - the largest late night show in the 1960’s and 70’s. We got the rare opportunity to chat with him about his decades-long career in sustainable population advocacy, his studies on natural butterfly populations, as well as his interest in cultural evolution with respect to environmental ethics. We delved into: - Why the population bomb was not a dud - A 50,000-ft view of humanity’s evolution over the last 300,000 years and the misunderstood and manufactured “normal” that currently defines us - The need to end the unhelpful consumption vs. population debate - Optimal population size and wealth redistribution for a decent standard of living for all - The ethics of nation states and borders - Rights to nature - The threat of a nuclear war - The impacts of the agricultural revolution on the human jaw - The maddening rate of planetary degradation and biodiversity loss - A variety of urgent solutions that must be undertaken See episode website for show notes, links, and transcript: https://www.populationbalance.org/podcast/paul-ehrlich   ABOUT US The Overpopulation Podcast features enlightening conversations between Population Balance Executive Director Nandita Bajaj, cohost Alan Ware, and expert guests. We cover a broad variety of topics that explore the impacts of our expanding human footprint on human rights, animal protection, and environmental restoration, as well as individual and collective solutions. Learn more here: https://www.populationbalance.org/