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News from Population Matters.

  • “Bleakest warning yet”: UN climate report

    A major UN climate report was published last week, painting the direst picture yet of the impacts of climate breakdown. With the UN Secretary-General calling it “an atlas of human…

  • The Anthropocene’s emerging threats

    Humanity’s impact on our planet has profound and far-reaching consequences, some of which are less obvious than others. A new UN report shines a light on emerging environmental threats, including…

  • How China’s food demand will shape our future

    At close to 1.5 billion people, China is the world’s most populous nation, as well as a major and growing economy, with important environmental implications. A new study shows that…

  • Unwanted pregnancies, unsafe abortions and death: The impact of the UK aid cuts

    In November 2020, the UK Government announced a reduction in its foreign development aid from 0.7% of gross national income to 0.5%. Global family planning was one of the areas…

  • Gender equality: Have we made progress?

    A new UN report measures the progress made towards gender equality across all 17 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Due to a lack of investment and major setbacks precipitated…

  • Safeguarding rights, empowering communities

    As we mark World Contraception Day on September 26th and International Safe Abortion Day on September 28th, grassroots providers of sexual and reproductive health services continue to face unprecedented challenges…

  • More than half of all tree species could face extinction

    A comprehensive new assessment of the conservation status of all trees reveals that 30-60% of species are at risk of extinction, mainly due to habitat destruction for agriculture. Vanishing forests…

  • Europe’s biodiversity under pressure from growing food demand

    Increasing populations lead to a subsequent increase in food demand, but how will this impact biodiversity? A recent study, published in Nature, shows the continued conversion of land to agriculture…

  • “Code red for humanity”: UN climate report

    A major UN climate report was published last week, providing a dire warning about the worsening climate crisis. With the UN Secretary-General calling it a “code red for humanity”, the…

  • Heading towards collapse: two major warnings

    Updates to two landmark environmental studies were published in recent weeks: one examines the accuracy of the Club of Rome’s predictions in their bestselling 1972 book ‘Limits to Growth’, the…