The new and widely-reported EAT-Lancet report concludes that a “Great Food Transformation” involving profound changes in diet and food production could allow a global human population of 10bn to be fed without causing devastating damage to the environment. Crucially, it also warns that if population exceeds 10bn this is “increasingly unlikely”.

The unstated but unavoidable conclusion is that unless additional action is taken to curtail human population growth, malnutrition or irreversible environmental damage are inevitable.

Recently documented insect population crashes in Puerto Rico and Germany reflect a worrying global trend that is gaining increasing media coverage for good reason: insects are essential for the healthy function of ecosystems.

The named culprits are climate change, habitat destruction and pesticides use, all of which are driven and amplified by our growing numbers.

Tens of millions of married women in sub-Saharan Africa are not using effective, modern contraception.

A new study provides insights on the reasons, and reveals how the barriers might be overcome.