Friday, May 25, 2012
9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at High Camp (Telluride Conference Center)
-- 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Lunch Break --
2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Breakout Sessions

SPONSORED BY VENTUREWEB

“A world from which solitude is extirpated, is a very poor ideal. Solitude, in the sense of being often alone, is essential to any depth of meditation or of character; and solitude in the presence of natural beauty and grandeur, is the cradle of thought and aspirations which are not only good for the individual, but which society could ill do without.”
— John Stuart Mill, Principles of Political Economy (1848)

This “solitude” that Mill writes of is increasingly hard to find on a planet with a population of 7 billion. It's a staggering number, double the count from the mid-1970s and growing quickly. The big — really big — question is where will we top out? The answer has massive implications with infinite complications. Europe’s population is cratering, while much of the developing world grows. Climate change and resource depletion add uncertain but major factors to the answer.

Recent Moving Mountains Symposia have focused on energy, water, food and extinction, but many of you strongly suggested that we examine population, arguing that the ever-growing number of people on the planet is the key underlying element to previous symposium topics. In response, we’ve assembled a stellar roster of demographers, scientists, economists and activists. These experts will attempt to answer the big question about maximum population, and they will also tell us what can be done to ensure we live in a tenable world, one in which solitude is not extirpated.

The morning speakers will present at High Camp from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Mountain Village. We’ll break for a bag lunch from 12:30 to 2 p.m. and then reconvene in Telluride at the Sheridan Opera House, The Nugget Theater and the Masons from 2 to 3:30 p.m. for breakout sessions.

For the complete event schedule, please use the following links:

Moving Mountains Symposium: Population (Morning Session)
Moving Mountains Symposium: The Great Southwest (Breakout Session)
Moving Mountains Symposium: Resources Running Out (Breakout Session)
Moving Mountains Symposium: Case Studies (Breakout Session)

(The symposium is included with some passes. Tickets are for sale online for $65.)

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