News | Population Matters

Why vegans should promote smaller families

21 June 2021

Ever more people are adopting plant-based diets for the planet, which leads many to believe that our consumption of animal products must be decreasing. Sadly, the opposite is true, with demand for meat and dairy continuing to shoot upwards due to a rapidly expanding middle class. Medical doctor and environmental filmmaker Sofia Pineda Ochoa explains why all vegans should also care about our unsustainable population growth.

Biodiversity Environment Families Food & water World population

Troubled Waters: Population growth and climate change

22 March 2021

The theme of this year’s UN World Water Day is ‘valuing water’. The impact of the climate crisis and population growth alongside lack of progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 6: ‘Water and sanitation for all’ shows we have a long way to go to learn the true value of the world’s most invaluable resource, writes Population Matters Campaigner Katrina Dixon.

Climate Environment Food & water World population

World Wildlife Day: 5 ways you can help forest species

3 March 2021

World Wildlife Day, falling on March 3rd every year, is a UN initiative that aims to celebrate wild species and raise awareness of their plight. This year’s theme, ‘Forests and Livelihoods: Sustaining People and Planet’, showcases humanity’s dependence on healthy forest ecosystems. Our Senior Communications Officer, Olivia Nater, examines the critical state of global forests and lists five actions we can take to help protect them and their inhabitants.

Biodiversity Climate Development Environment Food & water World population

To save biodiversity, we must transform our food systems

15 February 2021

A major new analysis highlights how current food production and consumption patterns are driving biodiversity loss, and proposes three key actions to turn the tide and create a healthier future: a shift towards more plant-based diets, setting aside more land as protected areas, and adopting more sustainable farming methods.

Biodiversity Climate Environment Food & water World population

Humanity headed towards ‘ghastly future’: Urgent warning from top scientists

14 January 2021

An important new study warns that the world is failing to grasp the gravity of our environmental crises, and that without urgent action on the underlying causes, population and consumption growth, we face catastrophic mass extinction, climate disruption, and human suffering.

Biodiversity Climate Development Economics Environment Family planning Food & water Women's rights World population

What COVID-19 has taught us about our relationship with nature

18 December 2020

As 2020 draws to a close, humanity is reflecting on a particularly difficult year. The slow but sure roll-out of COVID-19 vaccination programmes presents a light at the end of the tunnel, yet new pandemics are just around the corner unless we confront our broken relationship with nature. Population Matters Senior Communications Officer, Olivia Nater, reviews the evidence.

Biodiversity Development Environment Family planning Food & water Women's rights World population

Earth Overshoot Day: Five ways we can move the date

20 August 2020

Every year, Earth Overshoot Day marks the day when humanity has consumed all the resources that the planet can produce over the entire year. This year it falls on 22 August. Global Footprint Network CEO Laurel Hanscom lays out five steps we must take to shrink humanity's ecological footprint.

Biodiversity Climate Environment Food & water Women's rights World population

Eating the planet: what our diets and population growth mean for the environment

27 July 2020

A new report reveals that global adoption of current food consumption patterns in G20 countries would ruin our chance of meeting climate and sustainability targets, exceeding our food carbon budget by almost three-fold and requiring up to seven Earths to support.

Biodiversity Climate Development Environment Food & water World population

Population growth and environmental destruction fuel deadly diseases

13 March 2020

Our growing population and resulting overexploitation of nature are facilitating the emergence and spread of infectious diseases like COVID-19.

Africa population Asia population Biodiversity Development Environment Food & water World population

Larger population, larger people: humanity will require 80% more food by 2100

11 December 2019

A new study shows that increases in average human height and weight, alongside population growth, could cause global food demand to soar.

Africa population Development Food & water World population

Organic agriculture could increase climate emissions without changes in population and diet

25 October 2019

A new study shows that converting all farmland in England and Wales to organic agriculture could increase greenhouse gas emissions because meeting the food demands of the UK population would require using more land abroad.

Climate Environment Food & water UK population

Despite economic growth, billions won’t have enough fruit and veg by 2050

24 July 2019

A new Lancet study analysing the gap between future fruit and vegetable supply and recommended consumption levels found that even under the most optimistic socioeconomic growth scenarios, there won’t be enough to go around by mid-century.

Development Economics Environment Food & water World population

No water, no life: Population growth and climate change are fuelling the water crisis

21 June 2019

From India to sub-Saharan Africa to Britain, local water shortages are turning into a global water crisis due to population pressure and climate change.

Climate Development Environment Food & water World population

Population and consumption causing extinction crisis and water shortage

21 March 2019

The latest UN Global Resources Outlook report reveals that natural resource extraction and processing is responsible for 90% of water stress and biodiversity loss and is driven by the combination of rapid population and economic growth.

Biodiversity Economics Environment Food & water World population

How to feed the world without destroying it

7 December 2018

A new report investigates the enormous challenge of feeding our rapidly growing population without further damaging our environment and worsening climate change.

Development Environment Food & water World population

Livestock, extinction . . . and population

3 November 2018

Last week, Population Matters attended the high-profile Livestock and Extinction conference in London. The conference brought together experts on food production, wildlife, the environment, policymaking, and health to examine the impact of industrial agriculture on the natural world and identify solutions.

Environment Food & water UK population