The discussion paper ‘Population and Climate Change’ can be downloaded from the Sustainable Population Australia website here. You can find out more about SPA and their recent campaigns here and here.

Ian was recently interviewed on ABC’s Radio National Science Show on the ‘Population and Climate Change’ discussion paper here. As a patron for Sustainable Population Australia, Ian was also interviewed for SPA’s ‘Meet the Patrons’ series of short videos here.
Ian’s interview can be heard between 00:07:10 and 00:29:52

Jane has just had a very topical article published in The Overpopulation Project: “Ukraine war: temporary glitch or tipping point?” Last year, she was guest on the award winning US based podcast “This Sustainable Life” to discuss SPA’s previous commissioned report “Silver Tsunami Or Silver Lining: Why We Should Not Fear an Ageing Population” - which Jane authored.
Jane’s interview can be heard between 00:33:08 and 01: 01: 50

I note that the New Economy Network Australia (NENA) were very kind in sharing the ‘Population and Climate Change’ discussion paper. Their director, Dr. Michelle Maloney was one of the first guests on PGAP and both Jane and I have presented at NENA run conferences. NENA is collaborating with Griffith University's Yunus Centre to deliver a short course: " Building the Wellbeing Economy: Foundations for Learning and Practice." The course brings together 21 thought-leaders over 8 weeks to discuss how we might reshape the economy in which both people and the planet thrive. This is critical for any Post-Growth person to consider. To register go here, or follow the poster below!

Loved the episode? Hated it? Love the episode but hate PGAP? Firecely undecided? We’d love to hear your (constructive) thoughts and feedback by contacting us here. Word of mouth is our main tool to crack the mainstream, so please consider sharing this episode, subscribe to PGAP or rate and reviewing this episode on Apple Podcasts.

Want to find out more about the host? Check out my website here.

Special Guests: Dr. Jane O'Sullivcan and Prof. Ian Lowe.

Meet John Coulter. Truly an elder for the post-growth movement who spent a good chunk of his past nine decades on earth as an activist for conservation, the environment and limits to growth. As a keen scientist, diver and environmental activist, he formed ZPG (Zero Population Growth) in the 1970s. John took his politics to parliament, where he was elected as a federal senator for The Democrats in the 80s and was briefly the leader of the party in the 90s. John has since been involved with Sustainable Population Australia (SPA) has tirelessly undertaken many roles within the national executive committee to this day.

I caught up with John at his home in the Adelaide hills. It is an amazing heritage property with acres of preserved native bushland. Unfortunately, a bushfire came through the property a couple of month before we recorded the episode, leaving much of the land scarred. It was a sobering experience to walk through the property and a stark reminder that change is happening as society’s growth experiment hits the decade of consequence. John also showed me an advertisement he had printed in the Australian in 1971 which was titled:
“To those who shape Australia’s destiny.”
It goes on to say:
“We believe that western technological society has ignored two basic facts: (1) The resources of planet earth are finite; (2) the capacity of the environment to renew resources that are used up and to repair the damage causes by the exploitation of those resources is limited and decreasing.”

Signed by hundreds of esteemed scientists, John goes to share what has changed since the ad was published 50 years ago and what has stayed 'business as usual' due to the vested interests of big business, mainstream politicians and mainstream media.

Meet Dubhaltagh O Hearcain of ‘Nature’s Way.’ From the USA, he has launched a new documentary on overpopulation, ‘The Way To Live.’ This documentary joins a (ha ha) growing parthenon of inspiring documentaries over the last few years which dare to focus on the limits to growth. ‘The Way To Live’ goes deeper to look to the cause roots of modern human psychology that result in us living beyond the planet’s physical means. With interviews with Dave Gardner, Karen Shragg and David Paxton from World Population Balance - as well as the inspiring FIGU community in Switzerland - Dubhaltagh shares the inner workings towards making this thought provoking film.

I would like to take this opportunity to give my hats off to Sustainable Population Australia, who make this podcast possible and who have courage to support a project which goes beyond population to explore the wider world of post-growth. These have included discussions with interviewees who may not see eye to eye with SPA on the issue of overpopulation. After an entire year of their support, it was high time to focus an episode toward the amazing minds and talent that emanate from this amazing organisation.

Population has recently come into the spotlights in the Australian media with the release of the federal government’s Intergenerational Report 2021. The IGR bemoaned that the closure of the borders since COVID are going to lead to an Ageing demographic nightmare. SPA wrote a media release in opposition to the claims by the IGR and the good news is that the media responded, with offers for interviews, references in opinion columns and published letters to the editor. SPA is also looking forward to supporting a conference on Sustainable Agriculture later in September. We’re crossing both hands behind our collective back to ward off another round of lockdown and PGAP will provide updates in the leadup to this impressive conference.

Speaking of down under, it is also NAIDOC week and PGAP would like to pay respect to elders past, present an emerging on lands that were never ceded. PGAP recognises that First Nation contribution to a new post-growth world is critical, and we are proud to include two perspectives from two amazing Indigenous women here and here.

What was that you say? 1 hour and 10 minutes of PGAP is just barely enough and you want to read up on more of the stuff raised in this episode? Well, glad you asked.

What’s the UN saying about World Population Day 2021 anyway? Found out more here

This is a fascinating biography on John Coulter’s political legacy.

You can find out everything you need to know about the documentary ‘The Way to Live’ and ‘Nature’s Way’ website here.

The Intergenerational Report 2021 can be found here. More importantly, SPA’s media release can be found here, and a summary of the community response to the media release here.

Have I helped to make SPA sound like a good thing to you? It’s true! Like all good movements, they can only benefit from your support to a good cause. Find out more about supporting SPA here.

Suggestions or feedback for PGAP as we enter our second year? Contact us here

Want to be our 11th 5 star reviewer (or our first 1 star reviewer)? This and more on Apple Podcast here

Special Guests: Dubhaltagh O Hearcain and John Coulter.

The previous three ‘Tasmanian Perspectives’ episodes of PGAP included interviews with amazing people doing amazing local projects in amazing practical ways within their local communities. While this was all very encouraging, some of the interviewees also expressed some grave concerns for the future for the planet and our well-being.
From my perspective, it was great to follow these interviews up with one of my heroes, Dr. Ted Trainer, who provides a broad picture theoretical framework to the many exciting transition projects already happening at the grass roots.He also shares a sense of cautious optimism to the seismic shift in collective consciousness since he began advocating for limits to growth in the 70s.

After the interview, I reflect a little on my own personal journey over the last 10 years in intentional communities, permaculture projects, urban gardening project and system change organisations. I reflect on the many positives and ‘wins’ for the communities, as well as the challenges as we try to relearn how to live and work together in community in balance with the rigours and demands of the current, modern society.

I also keep everyone up to date with one of my favourite love/hate obsessions, that being the utter ridiculousness of the housing market. Normally I’d apologise for using a public soapbox as a therapeutic catharsis tool, but given my many conversations with people on this issue, I somehow don’t think I’m just speaking for myself here!

Did you enjoy the interview with Ted Trainer and want to find out more? Glad you asked!

A link to The Simpler Way can be found here and here
A link to The Simplicity Institute can be found here. Ted has a profile page here
To find out more about Ted himself, he has a Wikipedia page
I really love his book Transition to a Sustainable and Just World
The transition town movement was discussed in the interview. Find out more at the Transition Network
Paul Ehrlich is an inspiration to Ted Trainer and to Sustainable Population Australia who support this Podcast (Thanks SPA!). Find out more about Erlich’s pioneering work here.

There was an article in the Scientific American bunking growth based economics. Essential reading here
In the intro I mentioned the shortage of timber. Read more about that here

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PGAP would like to thank Sustainable Population Australia for supporting this podcast, and for allowing a platform to explore the broader post-growth landscape.

Special Guest: Ted Trainer.

In the 'Tasmanian Perspectives’ series, PGAP host Michael Bayliss travels around the Apple Isle to interview Post-Growth mainlanders who have resettled in Tasmania and to discuss their reasons why.
In this episode, I travel to the Huon Valley to meet with Michel Stasse, long-time Degrowth advocate, founder of the 'Damn The Matrix' blog and DIO superhero who self-built an impressive self-sufficient, off-grid eco home in the Huon Valley.

Mike kindly took some time aside for giving me a tour of his home where the on-site interview took place and discussed with me his reasons for moving from Queensland to Tasmania. We then discuss his life journey towards understanding limits to growth, standing for politics in Queensland, to his current advocacy for Degrowth and his reasons why electric cars and the green new deal won’t save us.

I interviewed Mike in February on a hot day for Tasmania - mid 30s - and the day in which Australia endured the Facebook kerfuffle, including the removal of content from Australian activist groups and organisations. As such, there was a whiff of apocalypse already in the air, and during the interview Mike certainly doesn't mince words as he takes us somewhere down the deep end. So a 'health warning’ for anyone expecting a utopian outlook for this episode.

Also a slight 'sound warning’ - the episode was recording on site in a dynamic living environment so there is the occasional background sound during the interview. The intro and outro are recorded in my current house-sit in Adelaide, which is right near a main road and right near an operational quarry. So there is the occasional background traffic rumble. Some may call it unfortunate recording conditions - I prefer to call it 'character.' Anyone listening who would prefer pristine recording conditions is always more than welcome to buy me a house somewhere nice ANYTIME.

Did this episode scratch the surface leaving you wanting more? Want to find out more about Mike Stasse or Professor Ian Lowe, who is mentioned in my discussions with Mike and who I include an interview excerpt at the start of the episode? Well I'm glad you asked!

The blog 'Damn The Matrix’ can be found here

Michel discusses peak oil (and other fun things!) on YouTube here

I interviewed Professor Ian Lowe as part of Sustainable Population Australia's 'meet our patrons' video series that can be found on the YouTube channel here. Excerpts from that interview were played at the start of this episode. More information on Ian Lowe can be found on the SPA website here.

Also....if you liked the music track of choice Epi-Primate, I am relived that the band Heytesburg still have a presence on BandCamp here, even though they are on indefinite hiatus. I can't believe this track is almost a decade old now.

Special Guest: Michael Stasse.