News | Population Matters

Population Matters sends “Fake News” award to Elon Musk

12 August 2022

As we have previously reported, the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, has an increasing preoccupation with population. With his tweets and comments showing no sign of diminishing or becoming more reasonable, PM has published a new report analysing his claims, Which planet is he on? Elon Musk and the population apocalypse. To bring home the message, we have also sent a uniquely-designed Fake News award to Mr Musk, care of Tesla’s HQ.

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Exploring the links between environment and human well-being

29 July 2022

In June, Population Matters’ Researcher and Policy Adviser Monica Scigliano travelled to Finland to present a paper at the Planetary Futures of Health and Wellbeing conference. In this blog post, she reflects on highlights from the conference, her paper, and Finland as a model of sustainability and well-being.

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As progress continues to falter, how do the SDGs get back on track?

22 July 2022

The UN’s Sustainable Development Report assesses progress in meeting the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that aim to achieve peace and prosperity for people and the planet.

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THE CLIMATE CRISIS: ETHICAL POPULATION ACTION A KEY SOLUTION

19 July 2022

Project Drawdown, the world-leading study of climate change solutions, has rated family planning and education, resulting in slower population growth, as key to tackling the climate crisis. Read more here.

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Too fast, too slow, just right? The UN's 2022 population projections

11 July 2022

Published today, the long-awaited United Nations global population projections are causing plenty of debate. PM's Alistair Currie looks behind the numbers to see what the lines on the graph mean for people, planet and our future.

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WORLD POPULATION DAY 2022: CHANGE CHAMPIONS

7 July 2022

For the second year running, to mark World Population Day on 11 July, we are giving our Change Champions awards to individuals and organisations across the globe for their progressive, effective and brave work promoting reproductive rights, defending the environment, and enlightening the public about the challenges we face and the solutions that are available. Read more about the winners here.

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Joan Kembabazi: girls' education is key

Population Matters Choice Ambassadors Joan Kembabazi

17 June 2022

At the beginning of June, girls' and women's rights activist Joan Kembabazi, who is also one of our Choice Ambassadors, attended the Stockholm 50+ environment conference. In this guest blog, she writes about the conference and her message to it.

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One school, one tree at a time: climate campaigning in Uganda

Population Matters Choice Ambassadors Nyombi Morris

8 June 2022

Voted Environmentalist of Tomorrow by CNN in 2021, Nyombi Morris is a climate change activist from Uganda. With a mission to educate and inspire young people, he’s one of our Choice Ambassadors.

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Children at risk from overconsumption by the richest

31 May 2022

A majority of wealthy countries are creating unhealthy and dangerous conditions for children across the world, according to a new report by UNICEF. Overconsumption is identified as a key driver of the destruction of children's environments.

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UN: Population growth driving drought

18 May 2022

A new UN report foresees a future in which droughts may affect over three-quarters of the world’s population, unless we take action. In 23 countries, population growth will be the primary driver.

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The elephant in the womb: unintended pregnancies

22 April 2022

This year’s UN State of the World Population (SWP) report focuses on the worrying issue of unintended pregnancies. Still approximately half of all pregnancies today are unplanned and the number of affected women is increasing. Tackling this crisis is key to achieving a better future and should be an utmost priority.

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Four key ways in which human and environmental health are linked

7 April 2022

The way we are treating the planet is not just bad for the environment – we are actively undermining our own health and well-being too. This year’s World Health Day draws attention to this crucial fact with the theme ‘Our Planet, Our Health’. Communications Manager Olivia Nater looks at four critical planetary health issues.

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Between the bedrock and a hard place: the future of groundwater

22 March 2022

Today is World Water Day, a global observance day to raise awareness of water-related issues and inspire action to preserve this most precious of resources. This year’s theme is ‘Groundwater, making the invisible visible’. Communications Manager Olivia Nater explores the facts around groundwater use and what it means for global water security.

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"Bleakest warning yet": UN climate report

10 March 2022

A major UN climate report was published last week, painting the direst picture yet of the impacts of climate breakdown. It also stresses that to avoid mounting loss of life, biodiversity and infrastructure, the world needs to undertake ambitious, accelerated action to adapt to climate change, while at the same time making rapid, deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.

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Empower women, save the planet

8 March 2022

Today is International Women’s Day with the theme “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow”. The event aims to showcase how critical advancing women’s rights is to solving our environmental crises – something we do every day at Population Matters! Communications Manager Olivia Nater summarises the evidence.

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Squeezing out the wild things

3 March 2022

Today is World Wildlife Day, the most important annual observance day dedicated to wild species. The event draws attention to the conservation status of some of the most critically endangered species, and drives discussions towards finding and implementing solutions to conserve them. Senior Campaigner Andrew Howard looks at how human population growth is impacting three iconic mammals.

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The Anthropocene's emerging threats

25 February 2022

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 noise pollution, wildfires and shifts in the timing of key seasonal events.

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Fat cats and fossil fuel companies: Who's to blame for climate change?

18 February 2022

The wealthiest people drive climate change and the poorest suffer most from it. In fact, the inequality and injustice is greater than many people think. But it's not the whole story. We look at the numbers and try to identify what's really going on.

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UN report: Food systems “at breaking point”

4 February 2022

A new report by the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) warns that our modern agricultural systems are stretched to breaking point, spelling worsening environmental impacts and an increasing threat to food and water security. This is particularly alarming as continued population growth will lead to even higher food demand.