Population Boom

How many people are too many? And who's one too many? Is this even the right question to ask? One thing is certain: 25 years ago there were five billion of us. Today, there are seven. Dwindling resources, mountains of toxic waste, hunger and climate change - the results of overpopulation? In "Population Boom" acclaimed director Werner Boote ("Plastic Planet") traverses the globe armed with a wry sense of humor, the Socratic Method, and a World Bank umbrella as questions the conventional wisdom on population growth. From Kenya's slums to Dhaka in Bangladesh to New York City, China, Japan and elsewhere, Boote speaks with everyone from demographic researchers to environmental activists, and comes to a surprising conclusion. It isn't overpopulation that threatens humanity's existence. Rather, it is the developed world's patterns of over-consumption and constant pursuit of immediate profit that looms over our future. Is overpopulation a myth that obscures more important problems and scapegoats the developing world? "Population Boom"starts with this as the basis for a debate, and becomes a cinematic journey between myth, facts and politics.