by Marsha Rakestraw
There have never been more people on the planet at the same time, and never so many challenges for figuring out how to live in a way that does the most good and least harm for people, the planet, and animals.
Our current human population is more than 7.5 billion, and it is expected to exceed 10 billion by 2100.
The number of people on the earth affects everything from climate change to public health to environmental sustainability, to poverty, to animal cruelty, to wildlife extinction.
Population is definitely a topic worth exploring with students.
Here are 7 resources that can help:
1. Hear the People – A humane education activity created by one of IHE’s graduates, this excellent, brief icebreaker uses sound and BBs (the small copper pellets used in BB guns) to help stimulate thinking about the human population issue. (Also check out other activities like Leave Only Footprints, Sustainer, and A Gathering Crowd: Functions and Rates of Change to expand the discussion.)
2. Human Population Growth video (10:52 min) – This video shares “the specifics of why and how human population growth has happened over the past hundred and fifty years or so, and how those specifics relate to ecology.”
3. World of 7 Billion – Population Connection offers numerous lesson plans for exploring population issues with middle and high school students.
4. How to Teach … Population – The Guardian offers lesson ideas and resources for teaching primary and secondary students about issues related to an “ever-growing global society.”
5. National Geographic Population 7 Billion series – If you need articles, photos, maps, and other graphics to spark discussion (and provide background) about the population issue, National Geographic created a feature series on population.
6. World Population video – This short video (about 5 min) graphically represents world population growth from 1 A.D. to (projected) 2050, using dots on a map of the world. It may be a little boring for some students, (so you can always speed up the slower parts), but especially when you get to the 16th century and beyond, it’s eye-opening.
7. United Nations Population Division – This website includes reports and other information about world population statistics, trends, and policies.
Find more resources about population and overpopulation issues in our curated Pinterest board.
Talking about population can be challenging because of issues surrounding personal choice, family planning, eugenics, immigration, inequities in resource use, neglect in considering the impact of human population on animals, and more.
But it’s essential that we grapple with the myriad issues and challenges involved, because it’s a topic that affects every being on the planet, especially future generations.
Be sure to forward this to at least ONE person who would benefit from one of these resources.
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The post 7 Resources for 7.5 Billion: Teaching About Human Population and Overpopulation appeared first on Institute for Humane Education.
