"Mother" is a beautifully crafted, compassionate and uplifting journey through the issue of population growth, what it means for humanity's future prospects and what can be done. It features courageous women in Africa who are standing up to traditional views and who appreciate that family planning means more than their own reproductive rights, it is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty. Interviews with the greatest authorities on the subject are woven into a personal journey of one American mum facing up to her own cultural conditioning, and finding that concern for the next generation does not require parents to be constrained, but to be empowered.
15 Reviews
Woman Power Today; Freedom From Religion Tomorrow
rjsimpson94414 February 2013
First off; it is not, as advertised the only movie on population. It may be one of the few to discuss the connection between the empowerment of women leading to fewer children. As far as it went, it was an excellent film and I showed it legally to our local Sierra Club group. It was well received by all and I felt it was well made and made many good points. The only fault I had with the film was that while it was breaking one 'taboo', it was avoiding or ignoring an even stronger, more scary subject; that role which organized religion plays in controlling population. We will have to wait for that watershed moment and in the USA, the requirement for announcing your religious beliefs has become almost pandemic to the point where any politician not talking about their religion is akin to failing to praise the troops or not wearing a American flag lapel pin. There are many ways that population levels can start being reduced, but first people can't be afraid to talk about it. Without that next step being taken, very little progress can be made.
Good movie for population growth
bjyxszdybxz27 November 2022
Warning: Spoilers
The film "Mother: Caring for 7 Billion" is discussing population growth, one of the seven revolutions we are very concerned about now. These seven revolutions are very serious problems that our world is facing now, so we need to make some changes for our better future. I think the most important of these 7 revolutions is the population issue because the population issue will extend to other issues, such as food, resources, economy and so on. Since the first Earth Day in 1970, the world population has been at 3.7 billion and has continued to skyrocket, nearly doubling the world's population. This documentary is to make us think by first pointing out the problems we encounter, and then follow different people to tell their experiences on population issues, using very unique stories to infect people watching, and finally let some experts discuss And expressing their opinions to guide our future actions, I think this is the most important part of the whole film because it tells us what we can do to improve, gives us a good direction, and has the motivation to work hard.
As the film opens, we effectively see the issues women go through in childbirth in a visual way. Although technology advances over time, it is a double-edged sword because it can increase life expectancy on the one hand, but it can lead to population growth on the other hand. Immigration of course also drives population growth because everyone wants better education and better security. These continued population growth and human consumption will be major factors in our ongoing environmental crisis. It may take 100 years to achieve population balance on the earth, but because of the world's religious, economic, and gender inequalities, it is likely to lead to poverty and civil unrest. Because this matter is urgent and very serious, there are many respected experts in their respective fields to speak out about this matter, such as environmental writers, professors of population studies, economists, etc.
Because this problem needs to be solved urgently, this film focuses our attention on the only relatively peaceful way to reduce population that does not harm us, which is family planning. Family planning gives women their own reproductive rights and is a modest but effective solution. In fact, family planning is a national policy in China, which is to promote late marriage, late childbearing, fewer and better births, so as to control the population in a planned way. This not only empowered women with freedom but also improved economic development. If the population in very poor areas grows rapidly, they will continue to be poor because of the impact of education and health. On the contrary, if a more developed country has a larger population, it will also drive the world economy. Population growth will also make the world run out of food and resources, and the earth will become overloaded, which will cause it to collapse. Population growth is a matter of careful consideration and careful decision-making as it will have a large impact on the world. This film is also very good to let more people pay attention to this issue, so I like it very much.
As the film opens, we effectively see the issues women go through in childbirth in a visual way. Although technology advances over time, it is a double-edged sword because it can increase life expectancy on the one hand, but it can lead to population growth on the other hand. Immigration of course also drives population growth because everyone wants better education and better security. These continued population growth and human consumption will be major factors in our ongoing environmental crisis. It may take 100 years to achieve population balance on the earth, but because of the world's religious, economic, and gender inequalities, it is likely to lead to poverty and civil unrest. Because this matter is urgent and very serious, there are many respected experts in their respective fields to speak out about this matter, such as environmental writers, professors of population studies, economists, etc.
Because this problem needs to be solved urgently, this film focuses our attention on the only relatively peaceful way to reduce population that does not harm us, which is family planning. Family planning gives women their own reproductive rights and is a modest but effective solution. In fact, family planning is a national policy in China, which is to promote late marriage, late childbearing, fewer and better births, so as to control the population in a planned way. This not only empowered women with freedom but also improved economic development. If the population in very poor areas grows rapidly, they will continue to be poor because of the impact of education and health. On the contrary, if a more developed country has a larger population, it will also drive the world economy. Population growth will also make the world run out of food and resources, and the earth will become overloaded, which will cause it to collapse. Population growth is a matter of careful consideration and careful decision-making as it will have a large impact on the world. This film is also very good to let more people pay attention to this issue, so I like it very much.
This movie begins a century-long discussion
bystrc-457-65687523 August 2012
It will probably take about 100 years to reach population equilibrium on Earth, and then only if we consciously seek it, starting now. "Mother" starts the discussion by pointing out, first, that we have a very serious problem, and then through the voices of experts and visionaries Mother tells us what will happen if we don't address the problem. Then the movie focuses our attention on the one and only way to peacefully and painlessly decrease the population -- through family planning. And family planning requires female empowerment. The movie tears away the curtain of despair and denial, eschews violent and unethical reactions, avoids placing the blame, and shows us how to navigate though these uncertain times by empowering women.
I wish I could see a sequel. It would cover the technology of contraception, the demographic pyramid, and the belief systems that stand in the way of controlling our reproduction rate. To answer the question of the previous reviewer, yes, zero population growth could be attained today if no pregnancies were unplanned.
I wish I could see a sequel. It would cover the technology of contraception, the demographic pyramid, and the belief systems that stand in the way of controlling our reproduction rate. To answer the question of the previous reviewer, yes, zero population growth could be attained today if no pregnancies were unplanned.
An absolute MUST SEE for anyone caring about the future of humanity and the planet
izzy7-685-45996114 May 2013
Finally, a film which connects the dots between women's rights - populations growth - growth of environmental degradation and poverty.
It breaks the 'taboo' of the real main factors behind ecological degradation and the ongoing (and growing!) abject poverty for let's not forget: 1 in 7 people today! Real main factors people have either never connected together, or are choosing denial. Seriously, since we are not TODAY managing and sharing our limited resources properly, how on earth do we expect we will all 'magically' manage and share better when the number of people in need have doubled by 2050 in some places? It's just not realistic, whether we like it or not, and we need to take responsibility NOW.
Please watch and show to your local media and political representatives; family, friends and colleagues!
It breaks the 'taboo' of the real main factors behind ecological degradation and the ongoing (and growing!) abject poverty for let's not forget: 1 in 7 people today! Real main factors people have either never connected together, or are choosing denial. Seriously, since we are not TODAY managing and sharing our limited resources properly, how on earth do we expect we will all 'magically' manage and share better when the number of people in need have doubled by 2050 in some places? It's just not realistic, whether we like it or not, and we need to take responsibility NOW.
Please watch and show to your local media and political representatives; family, friends and colleagues!
'Mother – Caring for 7 Billion' Brings Humanity to Biggest Challenge
mariaf-835-8286488 February 2013
"Population growth and human consumption are the major factors in our ongoing environmental crisis."
We've reached the unfortunate state in America of polarization on most issues. Polls conducted on many topics bear that out. The issue of overpopulation certainly fits in this category – if it's talked about at all. Add to this that it's nearly impossible to talk about overpopulation without also discussing immigration, since immigration drives most of the population growth in the United States. And immigration has been nothing but super-polarized.
So it's most refreshing to see the topic of overpopulation addressed in a very accessible, very human manner with an extreme amount of pathos in a way that offers a positive, hopeful message. That's what the documentary film, "Mother – Caring for 7 Billion," does.
The filmmakers, who have made other environmental films, said they made "Mother" because they couldn't "make another film on sustainability without dealing with the subject of human population. Too much is at stake to keep ignoring that issue.
"It's misunderstood and highly stigmatized, and we felt the need to produce a comprehensive film to help bring the issue back into the public conversation. It doesn't have to be the elephant in the room anymore."
"Mother" does an excellent job of telling the story of population growth. In a visually and verbally effective manner at film opening, we see that for hundreds of thousands of years, women probably had four to six children, with half dying before they could reproduce. So for most of history, most women had two children who lived – or we'd have had a population explosion before now.
With the advent of fixed agriculture and, more recently, proper sanitation, vaccination, famine relief, basic levels of health care and the addition of fossil fuels to agricultural processes to increase yield have come the "unintended consequence of our best intentions" – vast human population. Just even from the first Earth Day in 1970, when world population was 3.7 billion, growth has rocketed on to the current population of more than 7 billion.
The creators of the film make terrific use of numerous experts respected in their fields. Among the many great voices are environmental writer John Feeney; Paul Ehrlich, the population studies professor at Stanford University who early sounded the overpopulation alarm; Mathis Wackernagel, economist and co-creator of the environmental footprint; Lyuba Zarsky, economist and associate professor at the Monterey Institute of International Studies and Bill Ryerson, president of the Population Media Center.
Enhancing the narrative are the very personal and moving stories of two women. One is an American, Beth Osnes, who comes from a family of ten children. She shares her parents' story, and how she and her husband, who had strong views on family size, chose to have two children and adopt one child. The other story is that of Zinet, the oldest girl in an Ethiopian family of 12 living in poverty. At an early age, she refused to marry; instead choosing school, which helped break a cycle of poverty and early pregnancy. In the film, Osnes travels to Ethiopia and meets Zinet, learning her story first-hand.
The information, presented so brilliantly in "Mother," is so clear on how empowering women can make all the difference in how our world evolves. According to the United Nations Population Fund, if women's needs were met for family planning, population growth would be reduced by 28 percent, plus lives would be saved and advances would be made in human rights.
Dr. Martha Campbell, an international public health and reproductive rights policy expert, says in the film, "It's difficult or impossible to achieve economic development as long as birth rates are very high in the least developed countries – education and health cannot keep up, and poverty goes right along with this." And Esraa Bani of Population Action International says, "If you think that this is an isolated problem, and it's only Africa's problem, think again." (Africa has one of the highest fertility rates in the world.) The loss of land around the world to commercial interests (thus pushing out local farmers), increasing food prices due to growing markets and increasing demand, and climate change are just three reasons (three very big reasons) the filmmakers cite for why everyone should be concerned about overpopulation.
One of the most powerful commentaries in the film comes from Rev. Peter S. Sawtell, executive director for Eco-Justice Ministries. He says, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it. It's time for us to recognize that that be one Biblical commandment where you can say, 'Check, we've done that what else should we do?' I don't see how we can look at the devastation that's happening to the planet and the poor quality of life that many people have and still say that basic levels of birth control and family planning are inappropriate. I find that a morally very confusing stance."
If there's a film that can break through the polarization on the topic of overpopulation, "Mother" may be it!
We've reached the unfortunate state in America of polarization on most issues. Polls conducted on many topics bear that out. The issue of overpopulation certainly fits in this category – if it's talked about at all. Add to this that it's nearly impossible to talk about overpopulation without also discussing immigration, since immigration drives most of the population growth in the United States. And immigration has been nothing but super-polarized.
So it's most refreshing to see the topic of overpopulation addressed in a very accessible, very human manner with an extreme amount of pathos in a way that offers a positive, hopeful message. That's what the documentary film, "Mother – Caring for 7 Billion," does.
The filmmakers, who have made other environmental films, said they made "Mother" because they couldn't "make another film on sustainability without dealing with the subject of human population. Too much is at stake to keep ignoring that issue.
"It's misunderstood and highly stigmatized, and we felt the need to produce a comprehensive film to help bring the issue back into the public conversation. It doesn't have to be the elephant in the room anymore."
"Mother" does an excellent job of telling the story of population growth. In a visually and verbally effective manner at film opening, we see that for hundreds of thousands of years, women probably had four to six children, with half dying before they could reproduce. So for most of history, most women had two children who lived – or we'd have had a population explosion before now.
With the advent of fixed agriculture and, more recently, proper sanitation, vaccination, famine relief, basic levels of health care and the addition of fossil fuels to agricultural processes to increase yield have come the "unintended consequence of our best intentions" – vast human population. Just even from the first Earth Day in 1970, when world population was 3.7 billion, growth has rocketed on to the current population of more than 7 billion.
The creators of the film make terrific use of numerous experts respected in their fields. Among the many great voices are environmental writer John Feeney; Paul Ehrlich, the population studies professor at Stanford University who early sounded the overpopulation alarm; Mathis Wackernagel, economist and co-creator of the environmental footprint; Lyuba Zarsky, economist and associate professor at the Monterey Institute of International Studies and Bill Ryerson, president of the Population Media Center.
Enhancing the narrative are the very personal and moving stories of two women. One is an American, Beth Osnes, who comes from a family of ten children. She shares her parents' story, and how she and her husband, who had strong views on family size, chose to have two children and adopt one child. The other story is that of Zinet, the oldest girl in an Ethiopian family of 12 living in poverty. At an early age, she refused to marry; instead choosing school, which helped break a cycle of poverty and early pregnancy. In the film, Osnes travels to Ethiopia and meets Zinet, learning her story first-hand.
The information, presented so brilliantly in "Mother," is so clear on how empowering women can make all the difference in how our world evolves. According to the United Nations Population Fund, if women's needs were met for family planning, population growth would be reduced by 28 percent, plus lives would be saved and advances would be made in human rights.
Dr. Martha Campbell, an international public health and reproductive rights policy expert, says in the film, "It's difficult or impossible to achieve economic development as long as birth rates are very high in the least developed countries – education and health cannot keep up, and poverty goes right along with this." And Esraa Bani of Population Action International says, "If you think that this is an isolated problem, and it's only Africa's problem, think again." (Africa has one of the highest fertility rates in the world.) The loss of land around the world to commercial interests (thus pushing out local farmers), increasing food prices due to growing markets and increasing demand, and climate change are just three reasons (three very big reasons) the filmmakers cite for why everyone should be concerned about overpopulation.
One of the most powerful commentaries in the film comes from Rev. Peter S. Sawtell, executive director for Eco-Justice Ministries. He says, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it. It's time for us to recognize that that be one Biblical commandment where you can say, 'Check, we've done that what else should we do?' I don't see how we can look at the devastation that's happening to the planet and the poor quality of life that many people have and still say that basic levels of birth control and family planning are inappropriate. I find that a morally very confusing stance."
If there's a film that can break through the polarization on the topic of overpopulation, "Mother" may be it!
Raising awareness, but no new message
timothysvh23 May 2012
Warning: Spoilers
A new documentary on population growth is always welcome, since talking about 'population' remains a taboo. I sincerely hoped that Mother: Caring for 7 Billion would add some critical thought to the population debate, but have to admit I came away a bit disappointed.
There appear to be two parts to the documentary. The first part started extremely promising with a succinct but clear history of the population explosion, framed in the thought of people like Paul Erlich, Lester Brown, and John Feeney. But then, after a good ten minutes, part two begins, which follow the story of Beth Osnes. The story develops by slowly building the case for the empowerment of women, the 'Girl- Effect', and birth control. To me, this is not a new argument and I question if this truly will solve the population problem. Perhaps, this approach is part of the solution, but I would have liked some more critical thought on the subject, for instance some input from Daniel Quinn, and Timothy Bennett. Still, I was certainly glad to see Professor Albert Bartlett make an appearance, although is was very brief.
The bottom-line: the documentary is good at raising awareness, but lacks in terms of adding any new critical thought to the population debate.
There appear to be two parts to the documentary. The first part started extremely promising with a succinct but clear history of the population explosion, framed in the thought of people like Paul Erlich, Lester Brown, and John Feeney. But then, after a good ten minutes, part two begins, which follow the story of Beth Osnes. The story develops by slowly building the case for the empowerment of women, the 'Girl- Effect', and birth control. To me, this is not a new argument and I question if this truly will solve the population problem. Perhaps, this approach is part of the solution, but I would have liked some more critical thought on the subject, for instance some input from Daniel Quinn, and Timothy Bennett. Still, I was certainly glad to see Professor Albert Bartlett make an appearance, although is was very brief.
The bottom-line: the documentary is good at raising awareness, but lacks in terms of adding any new critical thought to the population debate.
There is no more important issue
jolynnewhiting8 February 2013
This film is so refreshing because it highlights a very important issue that is not talked about enough.
Population growth is a seismic driver of so much poverty for individual women and their families, so much civil unrest (16 of top 20 failed states have a fertility rate over 4) and so much environmental degradation. And yet it has been hushed and does not appear in our daily news.
Mother is a very engaging film that pulled me in on an emotional and intellectual basis.
And, like good documentaries do, gave me the motivation to make a greater difference on this issue.
Being sure that every one of the 200+ million women that want family planning and do not have access get the access they need is the least we can do.
Population growth is a seismic driver of so much poverty for individual women and their families, so much civil unrest (16 of top 20 failed states have a fertility rate over 4) and so much environmental degradation. And yet it has been hushed and does not appear in our daily news.
Mother is a very engaging film that pulled me in on an emotional and intellectual basis.
And, like good documentaries do, gave me the motivation to make a greater difference on this issue.
Being sure that every one of the 200+ million women that want family planning and do not have access get the access they need is the least we can do.
superb piece of work
methylisocyanate16 February 2013
I had a biological mother, but I've never met her, I'm an adoptee. I was two months old when I was adopted, so my mom is my mom. Nowadays, some people can watch video of themselves being born; not sure if that wouldn't creep me out a bit. Some things should be left in the realm of the mysterious.
In the early days of the environmental movement, a key plank in the platform was ZPG, or zero population growth. As I've said on my blog,the Hazard Hot Sheet, we wouldn't have the enviro problems that we do if there weren't just too damn many of us. We're depleting aquifers, energy sources, the soil's capacity to feed us, you name it. The so-called Green Revolution was going to feed everybody (yeah, right) that's when we had only about half the everybodies we have today.
Barry Commoner's book, "The Closing Circle," Paul Ehrlich's "The Population Bomb," and Andrew Goudie's "The Human Impact" pointed out that we don't have an infinite carrying capacity, and the Club of Rome's "Limits to Growth" report, and its two sequels, fleshed it out. Politicians of a different stripe from mine decry and condemn that attitude as negative, and that it's all about economic growth, growth, growth. But, dammit, there are only so many resources to exploit. I know some fatalistic conservatives who figure that humans won't be around much longer, so let's just use up everything we can while we can. That's not my approach, obviously.
The nice thing about "Mother" is that it ties in all the old ZPG ideas with the current women's issues and reproductive health ones. AND drags Ehrlich out of mothballs, lol. I wish I had a teaching gig at Stanford. My brother-in-law does.
I have no kids, that I'm aware of, anyway, so my impact is low. Chairman Mao tried to impose limits on China's population, with mixed results. (I'm working on a blog post on the pros and cons of Chinese medicine I'm a fan of the culture, but some of their "remedies" are way toxic, and wiping out endangered species to make "aphrodisiacs" for an overpopulated country isn't a plan I'd write.) What I liked about the film is the message, and how viscerally it was delivered, through fine cinematography and narration. It's visually and aurally arresting, and I think anyone who sees it will GET the message. Great job by all involved.
Gaia = Mom.
In the early days of the environmental movement, a key plank in the platform was ZPG, or zero population growth. As I've said on my blog,the Hazard Hot Sheet, we wouldn't have the enviro problems that we do if there weren't just too damn many of us. We're depleting aquifers, energy sources, the soil's capacity to feed us, you name it. The so-called Green Revolution was going to feed everybody (yeah, right) that's when we had only about half the everybodies we have today.
Barry Commoner's book, "The Closing Circle," Paul Ehrlich's "The Population Bomb," and Andrew Goudie's "The Human Impact" pointed out that we don't have an infinite carrying capacity, and the Club of Rome's "Limits to Growth" report, and its two sequels, fleshed it out. Politicians of a different stripe from mine decry and condemn that attitude as negative, and that it's all about economic growth, growth, growth. But, dammit, there are only so many resources to exploit. I know some fatalistic conservatives who figure that humans won't be around much longer, so let's just use up everything we can while we can. That's not my approach, obviously.
The nice thing about "Mother" is that it ties in all the old ZPG ideas with the current women's issues and reproductive health ones. AND drags Ehrlich out of mothballs, lol. I wish I had a teaching gig at Stanford. My brother-in-law does.
I have no kids, that I'm aware of, anyway, so my impact is low. Chairman Mao tried to impose limits on China's population, with mixed results. (I'm working on a blog post on the pros and cons of Chinese medicine I'm a fan of the culture, but some of their "remedies" are way toxic, and wiping out endangered species to make "aphrodisiacs" for an overpopulated country isn't a plan I'd write.) What I liked about the film is the message, and how viscerally it was delivered, through fine cinematography and narration. It's visually and aurally arresting, and I think anyone who sees it will GET the message. Great job by all involved.
Gaia = Mom.
Mother: Caring for 7 Billion is a thoughtful documentary about a critical challenge: population
rjwalker1238 February 2013
In a world plagued with innumerable and seemingly insurmountable problems, it's nice to view a film that tackles a formidable problem (i.e. population growth) in a positive manner. While the film certainly describes the many challenges that are associated with population growth, it leaves the viewer with a clearer understanding of what can be done to lower fertility rates while respecting individual choice and also improving the lives of people in the developed world. I particularly enjoyed the scenes that were filmed on location in Ethiopia. They gave me a far greater appreciation for the benefits that can be derived from educating girls, empowering women, and giving couples access to modern contraceptive methods. I was particularly interested to learn more about the role that entertainment media is playing in Ethiopia.
The United Nations predicts that the population of the world will be 9 billion by 2045. The film discusses the unsustainability of this projection and offers the solution.
rmaskell-459-84143525 August 2012
In 1970, world population was 3.7 billion which was then regarded as a major contributor to the global environmental crisis. By 2011, world population has risen to 6.8 billion and technology has proved to be a double-edged sword: on one hand, increasing life expectancy, food and goods production; on the other, resulting in unsustainable population growth with concomitant major problems for humanity's continued existence. Infrastructure in most countries has failed to keep pace with the growth being relentlessly promoted by various pressure groups, and in some countries, aspirational middle classes that previously did not exist, all wishing to live at the massively unsustainable consumption level of the United States, have been created.
Empowerment and education of women is seen as the primary solution to this impending disaster. Despite advances in contraceptive methods, many pregnancies are unplanned even in advanced societies. However, population growth is greatest in patriarchal societies where women are uneducated and disempowered. If fertility rates can be reduced and the present insatiable urge for growth be curbed, the concepts of Mother Earth and women as agents of global survival are twinned.
Empowerment and education of women is seen as the primary solution to this impending disaster. Despite advances in contraceptive methods, many pregnancies are unplanned even in advanced societies. However, population growth is greatest in patriarchal societies where women are uneducated and disempowered. If fertility rates can be reduced and the present insatiable urge for growth be curbed, the concepts of Mother Earth and women as agents of global survival are twinned.
Population Taboo Unwound
gaiapitts-facebook23 August 2012
This film examines world population that has grown much too fast in recent years; it adequately warns us of the very serious impacts that will result from this growth; and unwinds the mystery of the population taboo that has kept the subject under wraps for a least a couple of decades.
The film interviews some of the early population activists and shows how the opinion of these activists has changed, in the 40 years - since the first Earth Day in 1970 - from the idea of 'population control' to a more gentle but effective solution: women's empowerment, voluntary family planning, and women's control over their reproductive function.
The film gives a powerful message that says, when women are informed about the freedom of choice that is given by modern birth control, they usually choose to have smaller families - if they have access to birth control - for the health and well-being of all family members. It tells us that 'population control' is not at all necessary, and leaves us with the idea that the population taboo, if everyone watches this film, will be lifted.
The film interviews some of the early population activists and shows how the opinion of these activists has changed, in the 40 years - since the first Earth Day in 1970 - from the idea of 'population control' to a more gentle but effective solution: women's empowerment, voluntary family planning, and women's control over their reproductive function.
The film gives a powerful message that says, when women are informed about the freedom of choice that is given by modern birth control, they usually choose to have smaller families - if they have access to birth control - for the health and well-being of all family members. It tells us that 'population control' is not at all necessary, and leaves us with the idea that the population taboo, if everyone watches this film, will be lifted.
Mother: Caring for 7 Billion
harrington-rebecca3 January 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Mother: Caring for 7 Billion is a thoughtful, engaging documentary about the ever increasing consequences of rapid population growth. Through the use of expert interviews, as well as human stories, the film powerfully advocates for access to comprehensive family planning and education for girls and women as the antidote to explosive population growth, which contributes to environmental degradation, maternal and child mortality, and the cycle of poverty facing many in the developing world. It also draws attention to vast over-consumption and a focus on growth, in which some countries, like the United States, account for a relatively small proportion of the global population, but a large proportion of global resource consumption.
Mother is factual, and grounded in a thoughtful theoretical framework; it also tells a story that is powerful and emotional, and that highlights that these issues have real world and real life implications.
Mother is factual, and grounded in a thoughtful theoretical framework; it also tells a story that is powerful and emotional, and that highlights that these issues have real world and real life implications.
Film correlates environmental destruction with consumerism, world overpopulation
revwin-457-274423 August 2012
This film reveals the devastating environmental stresses caused by a large and growing world population. It shows that this is not just a problem for "others" to solve. Over-consumption is also addressed effectively in the film. Respected economist Mathis Wackernagel points out that continuing consumption growth "...just doesn't make sense mathematically." Women's empowerment and responsible family planning decisions are emphasized. The film observes that we must convert our conquering mindset into a nurturing one.
The film is appropriate for high school and college students. A shorter version, perhaps 30 minutes, would be useful for such audiences, and would allow for discussion in a 50 minute class.
The film is appropriate for high school and college students. A shorter version, perhaps 30 minutes, would be useful for such audiences, and would allow for discussion in a 50 minute class.
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