Mission Sustainability: Population vs Planet

Leveraging Mass Media Platforms on Educating the Public About the Environmental Impacts of Overpopulation

A national multimedia awareness campaign addressing the urgent need to balance population growth with the planet’s finite resources.

Our Footprint

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Overview

With the Earth’s natural resources under increasing strain due to population growth, Mobius Foundation, in partnership with Zee Media, launched Mission Sustainability – Population vs. Planet, a 15-month nationwide initiative focus

The campaign aired in English on WION and in Hindi/regional languages as “संभलना ज़रूरी है – जनसंख्या बनाम प्रकृति” across Zee’s regional networks.

Through expert-led discussions, real-world insights, and community engagement, the campaign explored the connection between overpopulation and critical challenges, including climate change, biodiversity loss, air and water pollution, energy crises, unemployment, and overconsumption. It also emphasized actionable solutions for sustainable development, with a strong focus on education, family planning, renewable energy, and recycling.

How We Did It

Launch Event

The campaign kicked off on February 20, 2021, with a Thought Leadership Conclave featuring senior government leaders, scientists, and social change-makers. The event was headlined by Dr. Harsh Vardhan and Amitabh Kant, who emphasized the critical link between population, environment, and national development. Discussion segments were also held, focused on family planning, environmental sustainability, and education as transformative tools.

Ten Thematic Episodes

Airing between April 2021 and April 2022, the campaign released 10 documentary-style episodes tackling key sustainability themes – from climate change, biodiversity loss, and air pollution to food security, waste management, and migration. Each episode combined expert insights, real-life stories, and global data to raise awareness and inspire responsible action.

Episodes

Episode 1 | Launch

Episode 2 | Population and Climate Change

Episode 3 | People, Biodiversity and Natural Resources

Episode 4 | Population and Energy Crisis

Episode 5 | Education & Empowerment – Key to Population Stabilisation

Episode 6 | Running Dry: Population and Water Crisis

Episode 7 | Out of Breath: Population and Air Pollution

Episode 8 | Population, Over-Consumption, and Waste

Episode 9 | Waste Warriors

Episode 10 | Food for Thought

Episode 11 | Housing, Jobs and Migration

Episode 12 | Conclave

The population explosion is a burning issue for every nation in the world, and it is also a global, social and economic problem. There is a greater need for discussion and awareness regarding the population problem. The National Population Policy (NPP) finally came into force in 2000. The Policy states that the immediate objective of the NPP 2000 is to address the unmet needs for contraception, healthcare infrastructure and health personnel and to provide integrated service delivery for basic reproductive and child healthcare.

Family planning is considered the smartest development investment universally. For India to realize its sustainable development goals and economic aspirations, it is important to ensure that people have informed access to contraception and quality family planning services.