The Student Union Board’s Awareness Committee put on a show for nearly 100 people on the night of Thursday, Sept. 13, in the Gallery Room of the Memorial Union. At 7 p.m., the documentary “Mother: Caring for 7 Billion” aired.

The documentary discussed the topic of overpopulation and the doomsday that could follow if our global projected population growth continues. It suggested the environmental message has not changed but has been pushed to the side by other, seemingly more important, topics. The film fights this push by bringing several topics to the forefront, among them: our demand being greater than our supply, blame on others and the lack of empowerment of women.

According the film, the world’s population sees 50 million people added to the middle class each year — creating a ticking time bomb for civilization. As more people join the middle class and the demand for goods grows, the supply of natural resources is diminished, and will soon be depleted: Global demand is larger than what nature can generate.

No one is ready to accept blame for this population growth crisis; many countries often point the finger at others for being the problem. The film uses the United States as an example: The country doesn’t have the fastest growing population, but if everyone lived American lifestyles, it would take about six planets like Earth to regenerate the resources we consume on earth, according to the film. Because of this, the film claims, it is our responsibility to set the example and stop our own population growth.

Another issue the film addresses is that of the role of women as reproduction tools and homemakers, especially in undeveloped countries. Along with this mentality, there are a large number of barriers standing between women and contraception.

As an example, the film addresses the problem of lack of education, rapes and unsafe abortions occurring in Africa — contributing to nearly 350,000 birth-related deaths of women every year. These women have no status, according to the film, and even sometimes status lower than cattle. Without raising the status of women worldwide, we cannot begin to see a change in the problem of overbreeding.

One of the main problems, though, is the topic of overpopulation has become taboo for many societies. People are so concerned with the fear of being out of line of what is socially acceptable that they are too afraid to speak out. If we have more dialogue and reprioritize to continue to focus on the crisis of population growth, the film claims, we can change our future.

There was a discussion following the film between audience members and a panel of three professors, a librarian and one student. Deepak Premkumar, senior in economics; Tobie Matava, assistant professor and librarian; Dorothy Masinde, lecturer of agriculture education and studies; Jane Dusselier assistant professor of anthropology; and Richard Schultz, university professor of natural resource ecology and management.

The discussion revisited many of the topics discussed in the movie, but an important message came from Dusselier when she emphasized it is everyone’s personal responsibility to get this movement going. She said there is no excuse: There are things you can be doing that are right in front of you.

“If you want a different world you’ll have a different world,” Dusselier said. “Don’t sit there and be apathetic, there’s a million things you can do every single day. … If you don’t start doing it now you’ll fall into the hole — it’s your world, you’ll shape it. … You are the privileged; you are the elite: Act like it.”

Briana Haguewood, awareness director of the SUB’s Awareness Committee and junior in journalism and international studies, said she was really thrilled with the turn out. She said that in showing this documentary, the intent was to bring global issues currently facing our world back into conversation. She said she believes students can really change the world and make a difference with these important issues.