The gift of plastic – viral video diver talks to PM
British diver Rich Horner captured film of himself swimming through plastic and waste. Long deeply concerned about the environment and population,he contacted PM to let us know he is a supporter and to offer us use of the video to spread the population message.
Empowering women and melted ice: PM conference 2018
On Saturday, Population Matters’s 2018 conference, Climate change and Us: more feet, more heat? took place in London. Hundreds of people turned up. Our international panel covered a wide range of topics, including the effects of climate change, its impacts on food supply, the challenges of empowering women and the future paths of population and emissions.
A year on, the effects of US President Trump's reinstated and expanded Mexico City Policy are starting to be seen. The most vulnerable countries, those for whom family planning saved lives and helped lift people out of poverty, are most affected.
UK Sustainable Population Policy needed now – not in 25 years
Population Matters director Robin Maynard has written to the Secretary of State for the Environment and Rural Affairs, Michael Gove, to urge him to address population pressures on the UK environment.
A hidden agenda? What population campaigners really want
'Witches’ brew of eugenics, colonialism, coercion, hypocrisy, scientific fallacy and blaming the poor.' the Sunday Times criticisms echo those which population concern campaigners face almost every day.
Progress in family planning – but a long road ahead
Last week, Family Planning 2020 released its annual report. The project is designed to enable 120 more million women and girls in the world’s poorest countries to use modern contraception by 2020.
With a rightful focus on women’s unmet need for contraception and the roles of female education and women’s empowerment in family planning, the importance of male contraception can sometimes be neglected.
“Time is running out”: 15,000 scientists demand action
15,000 scientists signed onto a letter warning that the Earth faces environmental disaster unless action is taken. The latest warning reports that “time is running out”.
Two senior green campaigners have today released a paper calling on UK environmentalists and people on the political left to recognise the need for action on immigration.
A century of growth: latest UK population projections
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today released its projections for population in the UK over the next 100 years. They show a slowdown in anticipated population growth in comparison to the previous projections (issued in 2015) – but nevertheless, anticipate a population of nearly 73m by 2041.
Accelerated population growth poses major challenges worldwide, especially for countries with high growth and few resources to cope. In response to these pressures, initiatives across the globe are underway to provide people with the knowledge and tools they need to help turn the tide of overpopulation.
Smaller families most effective action on global warming
Last week, researchers from Lund University and University of British Columbia published a widely-reported article highlighting the top ‘high-impact’ actions individuals can take to reduce their carbon emissions and fight climate change. They concluded that having fewer children would have the greatest impact over the long term.
In a week in which scientists warned that other species are facing “biological annihilation”, Population Matters is urging organisations which educate the public about natural history to stop pulling their punches and tell people what’s really going on.
Africa: Demographic dividend or population disaster?
By 2050, more than half of the anticipated growth in global population is expected to occur in Africa. While some leaders see this as an economic opportunity, others can sense a looming disaster unless measures to control population and support family planning are put into place.
16bn or 7.3bn in 2100? New UN figures say both possible
The United Nations has today released new projections for global population growth up until 2100. Issued every two years, the projections for 2017 show slight increases over those produced in 2015 – increases measured, however, in hundreds of millions of people.
Report: Population key to controlling climate change
Analysis undertaken for a comprehensive new plan to reverse global warming, Drawdown, has identified family planning and educating girls as among the top 10 workable solutions available today. Together, they would reduce CO2 emissions by 120 gigatons by 2050 — more than onshore and offshore wind power combined.
