News from Population Matters.
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Running to stand still? Meeting family planning targets.
A new report shows that the world is still not on track to meet contraceptive use goals by 2020, largely due to lack of government action and funding shortfalls. Slow progress The…
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What do declining global fertility rates really mean?
A new study published in The Lancet has highlighted how fertility rates have declined over the last generation. There are no significant surprises in the report – which uses slightly…
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The UK election, overseas aid and family planning
UPDATE, 21 April 2017: Since this item was written, the Prime Minister has confirmed that the commitment to current levels of aid spending will remain a part of the Conservative Party…
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US ends funding for United Nations Population Fund
On Monday, the US declared it was cutting its funds to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) – an agency that promotes family planning in more than 150 countries – threatening the health…
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Key WWF report fails to address overpopulation
WWF International’s latest report on the state of the world’s wildlife once again shies away from addressing the ‘elephant in the room’. As one of the world’s most influential and…
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One step forward, two steps back in African economic development?
Despite significant progress in recent years, Malawi’s government is concerned that young Malawis will inherit only poverty as economic gains are neutralised by population growth. Malawi sees an increase in…
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UN population report: progress, but much to do
Placeholder lead The new State of the World Population 2018 report published by the United Nations Population Fund highlights the importance of having the power to choose the timing, number, and spacing…
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Report: Ageing populations are good
A new opinion paper published in Trends in Ecology & Evolution argues that societies should embrace ageing populations instead of fearing them. The authors demonstrate multiple socio-economic and environmental benefits of shrinking, ageing populations…
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IPCC report: we need net zero by 2050
A crucial new report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says limiting global warming to 1.5°C requires “rapid and far-reaching” economic transitions. Disappointingly, the report does not call for…
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Tanzanian president: “birth control is for the lazy”
UPDATE 25 September 2018 Since this story was written, the Tanzanian government has ordered a US health charity to withdraw television advertisements promoting family planning. This worrying development suggests that…