Canada and the World, Ep. 35: Rethinking population growth

With the release of their new book, Empty Planet, authors Darrell Bricker and John Ibbitson join podcast host Bessma Momani in Waterloo, Ontario, for a discussion on questioning what appears to be “settled science” around population growth. Will the world’s population continue to grow until it hits 11 billion, or will it plateau around 9 billion and then start to decline? The authors share stories and insights from their research for their book, which took them to all corners of the world, and explain how women in very different economic circumstances are offering the same message: as the world becomes increasingly urban, they want to limit the number of children they will have. How does such a projection reshape the way we understand environmental and economic policy? What have projections until now not taken into account? Listen this week to find out.

Our host

Bessma Momani is professor at the Balsillie School of International Affairs and University of Waterloo and a senior fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation. She’s also a non-resident senior fellow at the Stimson Center in Washington, D.C. and a Fulbright Scholar. She has been non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. and a 2015 Fellow at the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation. She’s a frequent analyst and expert on international affairs in Canadian and global media.

This week’s guests

Darrell Bricker is chief executive officer of Ipsos Public Affairs, the world’s leading social and opinion research firm. Prior to joining Ipsos, Bricker was director of Public Opinion Research in the Office of the Prime Minister of Canada. He holds a Ph.D. in political science from Carleton University.

John Ibbitson is writer-at-large for The Globe and Mail, having also served as chief political writer, political affairs columnist and bureau chief in Washington and Ottawa. His previous political books include the national number-one bestselling The Big Shift (with Darrell Bricker), The Polite Revolution: Perfecting the Canadian Dream and Open and Shut: Why America Has Barack Obama and Canada Has Stephen Harper.

Canada and The World is produced by Trevor Hunsberger and edited by Francy Goudreault. Each episode can be found on iTunes, Play Music, Spotify and other podcasting applications.