SG01920176
MOTHER: CARING FOR 7 BILLION
By Christophe Fauchere and Joyce Johnson

Since the 1960's world population has nearly doubled and now tops 7 billion. Population growth, though little discussed, is putting an unprecedented burden on the planet's life systems.

Mother: Caring for 7 Billion brings to light the connection between overpopulation and our most pressing environmental and humanitarian problems, as well as the solutions.

The film begins with a striking animated timeline of population growth over the last 500,000 years with key historical references. Mother then looks at the how the population issue first arrived on the public agenda in the 1960's, and reviews the various ways in which population impacts the global environment.

The second part of the film follows Beth, an American mother and child rights advocate, who grew up in a large family of 12. She travels to Africa to witness first-hand the impact of population growth in the developing world and its role in exacerbating poverty. While there, she meets a young Ethiopian woman, Zinet, who comes from a poor family of 12, but has found the courage to break free from long-held cultural barriers holding back women. Beth learns from Zinet and others that a primary solution to the population issue is raising the status of women worldwide through education and empowerment, an essential step to ease population growth and reduce poverty worldwide.

The final section of Mother features a broader discussion of the solutions to overpopulation in both the developed and developing world.

The film features commentary from many world-renowned experts and scientists, including Stanford biologist Paul Ehrlich, author of "The Population Bomb"; economist Mathis Wackernagel, creator of the Global Footprint Network; Dr. Malcolm Potts, Chair, UC Berkeley Bixby Center for Population, Health and Sustainability; Riane Eisler, best-selling author and President of the Center for Partnership Studies; and Dr. Aminata Toure, Chief of the Gender, Human rights and Culture Branch, United Nations Population Fund.

Reviews
~ "Recommended. Addresses perhaps the most important, although frequently overlooked, environmental issue ¡ª population. This film is ideal for a classroom setting, where it is guaranteed to spark discussion." - Educational Media Reviews Online

~ "Recommended. A sobering and thought-provoking look at the population issue, especially timely given the recent milestone of 7 billion people on Earth." - Video Librarian

~ "The film focuses on overpopulation but also addresses the very complex problems that have led us to our crowded world. Mother is a timely choice for academic libraries, middle school and up, and all viewers concerned with global affairs and our own future." - Library Journal

Awards
~ Best Social Issue Documentary, DocuFest Atlanta
~ Best Film, The Population Institute Media Awards
DVD (Region 1, Closed Captioned)
Grades 8 - Adult
105 minutes
2011
USD 195.00
 
Requirement :
Qty :