Kevin Bales | Population Growth, Modern Slavery, and Ecocide

The Overpopulation Podcast

Dr. Kevin Bales, world-renowned expert on contemporary global slavery, shines a light on the human rights violations and ecocidal impacts of modern day slavery, which tragically still exists in much of the world today. Dr. Bales discusses the history of slavery, from ancient civilizations to modern times, highlighting how it has evolved over time, including the role that population growth, patriarchal pronatalism, religion, political regimes, global and local economies, and conflict play in perpetuating it. With practices such as debt bondage, forced marriage, and labor exploitation, modern enslavement is often difficult to identify as it is often camouflaged within cultural and linguistic norms and policies. He also illuminates the disproportionate environmental impact resulting from global slavery, in terms of CO2 emissions, destruction of natural habitats, and decimation of non-human species populations. He concludes the interview by highlighting the support needed to end this practice, and sharing his joyful experiences of helping thousands of individuals transition from slavery to freedom.

See episode website for show notes, links, and transcript: https://www.populationbalance.org/podcast/kevin-bales

ABOUT US The Overpopulation Podcast features enlightening conversations between Population Balance executive director Nandita Bajaj, researcher Alan Ware, and expert guests. We cover a broad variety of topics that explore the impacts of our expanding human footprint on human rights, animal protection, and environmental restoration, as well as individual and collective solutions. Learn more here: https://www.populationbalance.org/