News from Population Matters.
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Making our mark on World Population Day
On World Population Day 2018, Population Matters took to the streets of London with a truck-mounted mobile digital display of the “population clock” – global population growth live. People reacted with surprise, disbelief, and shock. Watch the video, see the reactions – and see the numbers tick up and up. Population clock on tour We…
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Poll: 74% want to see a UK population strategy
The Union Flag flies against an open sky. Photo by Joanna Zduńczyk / Pexels. According to a national YouGov poll commissioned by Population Matters, 74% of UK adults believe the government should have a national strategy for addressing population, while 64% think the rate of population growth projected by the Office for National Statistics is…
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Population and family size – tapping into the zeitgeist?
The past few months have seen an unprecedented level of attention on population and family size in the media. With articles in The Times, the Washington Post, the New York Times, The Guardian, the BBC, and many other outlets, could it be that this long-neglected issue is finally getting the attention it deserves? Population and the impact of family size…
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One-in-five UK mammals facing extinction – urgent action now
A recent study has found that one in five mammals in the UK face extinction. Climate change, loss of habitat, use of pesticides and disease were identified as main factors. PM patron Chris Packham has warned that the UK faces “an ecological apocalypse” – but one we can fix. The Red Squirrel is listed as critically endangered – photo by Malcolm…
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Plastic pollution – viral video diver talks to PM
When British diver Rich Horner captured film of himself swimming through plastic pollution off the coast of Bali, he didn’t expect it to be viewed millions of times.
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Ending child marriage “morally right, economically smart”
A new report examining the impact of child marriage in Ethiopia has highlighted the many devastating impacts it has on individuals and society. More than one-in-three girls are married below the age of 18 in Ethiopia. Girls married young have larger families, increasing population growth as well as making it more difficult for their families…
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Global Gag Rule – one year on
A year ago, US President Trump reinstated and expanded the Mexico City Policy. This led to major funding cuts to family planning services globally. A year on, the effects are starting to be seen. As feared, the most vulnerable communities and countries, those for whom family planning saved lives and helped lift people out of poverty,…
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Imams support family planning in Senegal
Public health officials and NGOs in Senegal turn to mosques to expand the provision of family planning, The Christian Science Monitor reports. A key first step, results indicate. Senegal is over 90% Muslim and has a fertility rate of 4.8, nearly double the global average. It has one of the lowest rates of contraceptive use in the world.…
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“Time is running out”: 15,000 scientists demand action
15,000 scientists have signed onto a letter warning that the Earth faces environmental disaster unless action is taken to prevent it. Their warning was published 25 years after the Union of Concerned Scientists published a similar warning in 1992. The latest warning reports that in almost every respect, our environmental crisis has worsened since then, and that “time…
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UK population growth highest in 70 years
Last week, the Office for National Statistics released its mid-2016 Population Estimates for UK, England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. These statistics reveal that the number of people residing in the UK increased by 538,000 over the previous year, the largest rise in actual numbers seen in nearly 70 years. Net international migration continues to…