Population Growth, Modern Slavery, and Ecocide | Kevin Bales

Modern-day slavery persists as a global tragedy, violating fundamental human rights and causing widespread ecological destruction. Kevin Bales, Professor of Contemporary Slavery and Research Director of the Rights Lab at the University of Nottingham, UK and an expert on modern day slavery, joins us. Highlights include:  How population growth, pronatalism, religion, economic systems, and war have sustained slavery in the past and present; Why modern slavery is often difficult to identify due to cultural practices and laws such debt bondage, forced marriage, and labor exploitation that are provided cultural and legal camouflage;  How modern slavery contributes disproportionately to environmental harm, including CO₂ emissions and biodiversity loss; What it takes to dismantle slavery today and the joy that Kevin feels in helping free thousands of people from slavery. See episode website for show notes, links, and transcript: https://www.populationbalance.org/podcast/kevin-bales   ABOUT US OVERSHOOT | Shrink Toward Abundance [Formerly The Overpopulation Podcast] OVERSHOOT tackles today’s interlocked social and ecological crises driven by humanity’s excessive population and consumption. The podcast explores needed narrative, behavioral, and system shifts for recreating human life in balance with all life on Earth. With expert guests from wide-ranging disciplines, we examine the forces underlying overshoot: from patriarchal pronatalism that is fueling overpopulation, to growth-biased economic systems that lead to consumerism and social injustice, to the dominant worldview of human supremacy that subjugates animals and nature. Our vision of shrinking toward abundance inspires us to seek pathways of transformation that go beyond technological fixes toward a new humanity that honors our interconnectedness with all beings.  Hosted by Nandita Bajaj and Alan Ware. Brought to you by Population Balance.  Learn more at populationbalance.org Copyright 2025 Population Balance