How to Defuse the Overpopulation Bomb

• This animated video on overpopulation details how Earth's population has changed over time, why these changes have occurred, and what this might mean for our future. 
• Increasing women's access to education is described as a key solution to curb population growth in parts of the developing world. 
• The video ends with a short interview of Bill Gates where he describes the relationship between improving health and curbing population growth.
  

Positives

• The video is optimistic when addressing the future health of our population and solutions for curbing population growth. 
• Women empowerment is highlighted as a climate change solution that also slows population growth. 

Additional Prerequisites

• There is an ad at the start of the video. 
• At 5 minutes, 50 seconds the first portion of the video ends and the interview with Bill Gates begins. 

Differentiation

• The interview with Bill Gates at the end of the video could be used in a health class to discuss life expectancy and the counterintuitive connection between improving health standards and decreasing fertility rates. 
• The video briefly introduces ethical issues around access to education, wealth inequality, and health in the developing world, which could be expanded on by the teacher. 
• Science classes could use this resources for lessons on ecological footprints, Earth overshoot day, population dynamics, biodiversity loss, or land-use changes.
  
• Other similar resources include the video Human Population Through Time, the article Health and Education, and the lesson plan Family Planning: Why It Matters. 

This resource addresses the listed standards. To fully meet standards, search for more related resources.