16: Population Policies the U.S. Needs

In order to get the nation out of ecological overshoot, we need to stop pursuing population growth and adopt a population policy that will voluntarily and ethically contract our population. This is, of course, in addition to policies to reduce our material and energy consumption. Presidential candidate Dave Gardner invited a few of the experts he would appoint to a President’s Council on Population Policy, to make a start at sketching out the needed policies. After a century mistakenly celebrating and pursuing population growth, we need to turn things upside down, root out pronatalist policies, and implement policies that encourage and reward small-family choices.We’re publishing this episode of the Dave the Planet podcast in observance of World Population Day, July 11. World Population Day has been the day most news media ignore the topic of human overpopulation, just as they do the other 364 days of the year. It’s the day the United Nations tap-dances around the subject, as well. One discussion point in this conversation is the need for open, honest conversation acknowledging the overpopulation and ecological overshoot crises. Dave Gardner promises to do that if elected U.S. President.Here are the expert advisors convened for this workshop to begin crafting 21st century population policy: Phil CafaroProfessor of Philosophy, Colorado State UniversitySenior Researcher, The Overpopulation ProjectAuthor:How Many Is Too Many? The Progressive Argument for Reducing Immigration into the United Stateshttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20948687-how-many-is-too-manyLife on the Brink: Environmentalists Confront Overpopulationhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14984966-life-on-the-brink Carter DillardPolicy Director and Board Member, Fair Start MovementAuthor: Justice as a Fair Start in Life: Understanding the Right to Have Childrenhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62140570-justice-as-a-fair-start-in-life Trevor Hedberg, PhDAssistant Professor of Practice, W.A Franke Honors College, Philosophy Department, University of ArizonaAuthor: The Environmental Impact of Overpopulation: The Ethics of Procreationhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50552291-the-environmental-impact-of-overpopulation Karin KuhlemannAuthor: Overpopulation, Or the Stories We Tell Ourselveshttps://www.academia.edu/35846301/Overpopulation_or_the_stories_we_tell_ourselvesPopulation Governancehttps://www.academia.edu/103990219/Population_Governance_Authors_manuscript_The Right to Procreate and the Legitimate Scope of Anti-natalist Policies https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10165577/2/K%20Kuhlemann%20manuscript%20clean%202023.pdf UK-based Attorney We didn’t finalize specific policies, but we asked all the right questions and examined the critical issues, a major step in...