VIDEO: Is Overpopulation Really a Problem?


A few years back, in “The Last Taboo,” MoJo‘s Julia Whitty wrote about the thorny issue of overpopulation—and the “conspiracy of silence” that surrounds it. The topic has become so controversial that hardly anyone (not the Vatican, lefties, conservatives, environmentalists, or even scientists) is willing to talk about it. But not everyone believes that the world has too many people. Last week, Julia was on PBS Need to Know facing off with Phillip Longman, author of the book The Empty Cradle: How Falling Birthrates Threaten World Prosperity and What To Do About It. Longman argues that not only have we solved the problem, we’re actually in the midst of a precipitous population decline. Here’s the segment:

 

Watch the full episode. See more Need To Know.

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BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things they don’t like—which is most things that are true.

No one gets to tell Mother Jones what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

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