NOVA - World in the Balance: The Population Paradox (2004)

It took all of human history until 1800 for the world’s population to reach its first billion. Now we add a new billion nearly every dozen years. Over the next half century, 98 percent of that growth will take place in our planet's poorest regions. And as the global total swells to nearly 9 billion by 2050, the social and environmental strains will be enormous.

Through vivid personal stories, The People Paradox reveals many startling trends. In Japan, Europe and Russia, birth rates are shrinking and the population is aging. But in parts of India and Africa, more than half of the still growing population is under 25. The surprising conclusion: world population is now careening in two dramatically different directions.

The second hour, China Revs Up, is an insider’s look at China’s booming economy and its growing impact on the environment. What will happen as China follows America’s affluent lifestyle and begins to rival the U.S. as the world’s biggest polluter?

In this groundbreaking, worldwide investigation of humanity’s future, NOVA shows how decisions made now will change the fate of everyone over the next fifty years.

Special DVD features include: materials and activities for educators; a link to the NOVA Web site; scene selections; closed captions; and described video for the visually impaired.

On one DVD5 disc. Region coding: All regions. Audio: Dolby stereo. Screen format: Letterboxed.

Informative and Eye-opening

I first watched this program on PBS. It was very compelling and telling about how our world and the people in this world are suffering as a result of population growth. I now share this DVD with friends and family that have children or who are planning to have children. Definitely had an impact on my own family planning. September 28, 2008

Contains Bad Assumptions and Poor Worldview

I have a few problems with the DVD.

1. It assumes that CO2 is causing global warming something that is not scientifically proven. Global temperatures peaked in 1998 and have declined since.

2. The DVD says that there is one thing worse than more people is affluence. The DVD believes that more people are bad. It is based on the belief that the earth can only support a certain number of people. People have been producing alarmist documents for 200 years warning of the impending limits on population growth. The earth could very well support 1 trillion people. July 15, 2008

World population concerns

Human population growth is a concern in many regions of the world. Some countries, however, are facing population declines. NOVA-World in the Balance highlights both of these aspects. It address population growth on continents such as Africa whereas Japan's classrooms are almost devoid of students. This video is appropriate for sociology and political science courses. December 1, 2007

WHERE IS MY DVD? Why is it not here?

I bought this and never received it. It said it was delivered, I was around all day and never received it. I would really like to write a review about this product but cannot. Where is my DVD amazon? where is it? October 14, 2007

Population

This is an excellent film for understanding the basics of population in today's world. It covers the most important points, such as the different birth patterns in developing versus developed countries, and the reasons for these differences. It clearly brings out the importance of women's education in lowering the birthrate. It also discusses environmental impact and popuation planning programs in different countries. It gives predictions for the future as well. I have used this film successfully in my Cultural Geography classes at the college level. October 9, 2007

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