U.S. presidential candidate Dave Gardner is determined to alert us that ecological overshoot is a profound emergency threatening to leave our children a dead planet. So it’s critical that everyone understand what ecological overshoot is. William E. Rees, the originator of ecological footprint analysis, provides a primer for the uninitiated – plus some advanced thinking for those already well aware of the metacrisis.

We’re exploring the topic now, since Earth Overshoot Day happens this week – on August 1.

Rees developed the concept of ecological footprint pre-1990, but in 1995, he and one of his doctoral students at University of British Columbia, Mathis Wackernagel, published the definitive book, Our Ecological Footprint: Reducing Human Impact on the Earth, introducing the concept to the world. Wackernagel went on to found Global Footprint Network, which collects and analyzes data to provide the best estimates of biocapacity and ecological footprint on a nation-by-nation basis.

The conversation digs into how long we’ve been in overshoot, the symptoms and consequences, and what is necessary in order to get out of overshoot and back into balance with nature. There are significant hurdles impeding our progress.

Rees is human ecologist, ecological economist, Professor Emeritus and former Director of the University of British Columbia’s School of Community and Regional Planning.

Dave Gardner promises to declare an ecological overshoot emergency and launch a national project to get the U.S. out of overshoot and lead the world in a global effort. Learn more about that national project at https://brightfutureproject.us

Some Recommended Resources, Viewing and Reading:

Earth Overshoot Day – official site

https://overshoot.footprintnetwork.org/

National Footprint and Biocapacity Accounts - Global Footprint Network Data

https://data.footprintnetwork.org

On Being a Snowflake in an Avalanche: The Catastrophe of Overshoot and How to Cope – by William E. Rees

https://www.resilience.org/stories/2024-07-11/on-being-a-snowflake-in-an-avalanche-the-catastrophe-of-overshoot-and-how-to-cope/

Earth Overshoot Day 2018 - YouTube video by Dave Gardner

https://youtu.be/Kfooegpo-Rg?si=2ZLJhtW21bk675OG

Spaceship Earth Passenger Safety Briefing – short film by Dave Gardner

http://youtu.be/e5s1i7vTSXk

GrowthBusters Playlist on Spotify

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0sOpYgT6oaJnDYIodhEHgy?si=3cf841e2dde745c5

Overshoot Playlist: Top 10 Environmental Songs – Episode 30 of GrowthBusters podcast

https://www.growthbusters.org/overshoot-playlist-top-10-environmental-songs/

YouTube playlist of Top 10

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLn8soDpwHB3HSuETzzb8ZC_ylk9g1tiGO

Top 10 podcast with complete songs

Independent presidential candidate Dave Gardner was prepared to step into Biden’s place on the Democratic ticket, but instead is pledging to vote for Kamala Harris. He’s not quitting the race, though. He says that’s because the conversation still has to change. Because we’re in ecological overshoot, we need to end the quest for robust economic growth, and begin living more lightly on the planet, so that our children can have decent lives on a healthy planet.

View video of Dave's statement: https://youtu.be/NVO_qUIUiVw

Check out The Bright Future Project at https://brightfutureproject.us

Follow this podcast for a ringside seat to Dave Gardner’s adventures running for U.S. President. If elected, Dave will declare an ecological overshoot emergency and launch a national project to get the nation out of overshoot. Podcast guests don't necessarily endorse Dave for president. We’ve got a planet to save, and the U.S. should do its part. Learn more, subscribe to campaign updates, volunteer, or donate to the campaign at https://davetheplanet2024.com

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 Cafaro

Professor of Philosophy, Colorado State University

Senior Researcher, The Overpopulation Project

Author:

How Many Is Too Many? The Progressive Argument for Reducing Immigration into the United States

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20948687-how-many-is-too-many

Life on the Brink: Environmentalists Confront Overpopulation

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14984966-life-on-the-brink

Carter Dillard

Policy Director and Board Member, Fair Start Movement

Author: Justice as a Fair Start in Life: Understanding the Right to Have Children

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62140570-justice-as-a-fair-start-in-life

Trevor Hedberg, PhD

Assistant Professor of Practice, W.A Franke Honors College, Philosophy Department, University of Arizona

Author: The Environmental Impact of Overpopulation: The Ethics of Procreation

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50552291-the-environmental-impact-of-overpopulation

Karin Kuhlemann

Author:

Overpopulation, Or the Stories We Tell Ourselves

https://www.academia.edu/35846301/Overpopulation_or_the_stories_we_tell_ourselves

Population Governance

https://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...