News | Population Matters

You can't stop extinctions by ignoring the number of people

11 September 2020

WWF’s new Living Planet Report provides a clear picture of humanity’s destruction of nature, but doesn’t provide us with the missing link – solving population growth.

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The Kibra youths protecting their communities and environment

7 September 2020

Population Matters Campaigner Katrina Dixon reflects on what we have achieved through our Empower to Plan programme so far this year, and the continued support needed for the people of Kibra slum in Kenya.

Africa population Biodiversity Environment Family planning World population

It's time to end harmful population denial

28 August 2020

Population Matters Director Robin Maynard debunks writer George Monbiot's claims that addressing the population issue is "blaming the poor" and "racist", and explains why population denial hurts everyone, especially the world's most vulnerable.

Biodiversity Climate Development Environment Family planning Women's rights World population

Earth Overshoot Day: How smaller families shrink our ecological footprint

21 August 2020

Today is Earth Overshoot Day, the day on which humanity has used up all the natural resources that the Earth can produce within a year. This means that from tomorrow, we are effectively in ecological overshoot, leading to resource depletion and destruction of nature. Population Matters Senior Communications Officer Olivia Nater explains how empowering people to choose a small family size helps us live within our planetary boundaries.

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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

Investing in contraception would save billions of dollars

Senegalese woman learning about modern contraceptives

10 August 2020

A new report estimates that fulfilling the unmet need for modern contraception in developing countries would save $16 billion a year in maternal healthcare by reducing the number of unintended pregnancies.

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Small island, big population – why the UK needs a Sustainable Population Policy

6 August 2020

With the United Kingdom already considered one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, unabated population growth poses a real threat to remaining ecosystems and human health and wellbeing. Population Matters Director Robin Maynard takes a look at a UK politician’s new proposal to set up a governmental body tasked with monitoring national population trends and developing policy recommendations.

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Championing better choices: My work as a young population activist

4 August 2020

The theme of this year's International Youth Day is "Youth Engagement for Global Action". Stella Wright, a member of the Population Matters London Local Group, is one of an increasing number of young people around the world concerned about the impact of global population growth. Here, she explains what motivated her to become an environmental activist.

Biodiversity Climate Environment Family planning 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

International Childfree Day: Childfree Stories

21 July 2020

To mark this year’s International Childfree Day, we have selected some of our favourite testimonials from Population Matters supporters who have made the choice to live their lives without having children.

Families Family planning Women's rights World population

Two billion fewer people?

20 July 2020

A new study published in The Lancet projects that the global population will peak at 9.7bn in 2064 and be 8.8bn by the end of the century. That's 2bn below the United Nations projection. Can it be true?

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World Population Day 2020 – sustainable development needs a sustainable population

14 July 2020

Saturday 11 July marked World Population Day and for us it was the culmination of a series of digital events that we hope will encourage and inspire people to talk about population issues. This year our theme and activities centred around the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Biodiversity Climate Development Environment Families Family planning Women's rights World population

Violated rights: the governments controlling women’s bodies

7 July 2020

China and Iran have made the headlines in the last few days for two very contrasting examples of a return to the dark ages of controlling women’s wombs. Population Matters Communications Officer Olivia Nater investigates.

Development Family planning Women's rights World population

Number of women and girls subjected to harmful practices still growing

2 July 2020

The latest UNFPA State of the World Population report shows that every year, millions of women and girls across the world are still subjected to violent and harmful practices. Due to population growth and stagnating progress towards gender equality, the number of victims is still on the rise.

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Can relationships & sex education help save the planet?

16 June 2020

On the UK's Relationships and Sex Education Day, Population Matters Campaigner Katrina Dixon lays out why quality sex education is key to protecting lives and the environment.

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Human-caused mass extinction still accelerating

9 June 2020

A new analysis shows the sixth mass extinction is accelerating, with more than 500 vertebrate species at risk of becoming extinct in less than 20 years – as many as were lost over the entire course of the last century.

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Easing our impact on biodiversity and nature

4 June 2020

On World Environment Day, conservationist and forestry expert Dr Edu Effiom explains why protecting biodiversity requires improving access to sexual and reproductive healthcare alongside more sustainable production and consumption patterns.

Africa population Biodiversity Development Environment Family planning Women's rights World population

How much would it cost to end the worst gender inequalities?

29 May 2020

A new UN report summarises last year's Nairobi Summit on ICPD25, which aimed to boost global progress on women’s rights and sexual and reproductive health. One key outcome of the meeting was its revelation that ending maternal deaths, gender-based violence and unmet family planning needs is affordable and within reach, but desperately needs more funding.

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Population Matters demands action on biodiversity

21 May 2020

To mark the International Day for Biological Diversity on May 22nd, Population Matters is writing to governments across the world to demand action on human population. Our message is simple: continued mass extinction is inevitable unless we address human numbers. Our Head of Campaigns and Communications, Alistair Currie, explains more.