News | Population Matters

An Act of Love: Vasectomies and positive masculinity

20 November 2020

On 18 October 2013, filmmaker Jonathan Stack and urologist Dr. Doug Stein launched the first ever World Vasectomy Day. This week, they are celebrating the 8th annual event with close to 1,000 participating physicians in 30 countries committed to doing 10,000 vasectomies – WVD is now the largest male-oriented family planning event in history. Jonathan reveals what motivates them and recounts their inspiring journey so far.

Environment Families Family planning Women's rights World population

"The best decision of my life": The men who chose a vasectomy

17 November 2020

World Vasectomy Day is an annual celebration of the men who choose a vasectomy to help share the burden of contraception and responsible family planning. We gathered testimonies from men across the world about their personal experiences of getting "the snip".

Climate Environment Families Family planning Women's rights World population

Population must play a role in the climate conversation

14 November 2020

How does population growth affect climate change? For this week's London Climate Action Week, PM Board Member and Director of Flight Free UK, Anna Hughes, reflects on her decision not to have children to reduce her carbon footprint.

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Biden’s victory: What does it mean for women’s rights and the environment?

10 November 2020

Sexual and reproductive health and rights and the environment saw several significant setbacks under the Trump administration. Now that Joe Biden and running mate Kamala Harris have won the US presidential election, what is likely to change? Senior Communications Officer Olivia Nater takes a look at key international policy issues.

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UK report: Next generation will inherit worse environment

6 November 2020

A new report shows the UK Government is way off course to meet its goal of improving the state of the environment for the next generation, with many areas continuing to deteriorate, including biodiversity, water pollution, and soil depletion.

Biodiversity Climate Environment UK population

Birth control: where are the male options?

22 October 2020

There is now a whole buffet of female contraceptive methods on the market, yet there remain only two options for men: condoms and vasectomy. Why is this? Population Matters Senior Communications Officer Olivia Nater investigates.

Families Family planning Women's rights

Can we shrink our energy footprint?

10 October 2020

A new study suggests we can reduce global energy consumption by 75% and still lead comfortable lives. To achieve that, the authors say we need "radical action on all fronts", including addressing vast disparities in consumption across the world. Can we do it?

Climate Development Economics Environment

Attenborough film: Saving our planet requires ending population growth

7 October 2020

David Attenborough's 'A Life On Our Planet' highlights the rampant destruction of nature caused by human population growth and unsustainable consumption, as well as the positive and urgently needed actions we must take to save our one and only planet. Population Matters Director Robin Maynard reviews the film.

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

Heed Attenborough: poll shows people want action on extinctions

4 October 2020

As David Attenborough's documentaries highlight the crisis, a Population Matters poll shows two-thirds of people in the UK want the same or more priority on species loss as on climate change.

Biodiversity Environment

PM supporters call for UN action

Population Matters campaigners in New York

24 September 2020

Last year we launched a petition calling on the United Nations to take action on population. People from 128 countries signed up, and we have submitted it to the UN today, to mark five years since the Sustainable Development Goals were introduced.

Development Environment Family planning Women's rights World population

Reproductive Healthcare: The Missing Link

22 September 2020

A new study released highlights the importance of ensuring universal access to modern reproductive healthcare to achieving the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. To mark World Contraception Day, Population Matters calls for increased funding to the UNFPA to fulfill unmet modern contraceptive needs.

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The impact of COVID-19 on women’s reproductive health in India: Safeguarding women’s rights

21 September 2020

In this guest blog post marking International Safe Abortion Day, Sanghamitra Singh of the Population Foundation of India examines the impact of the pandemic on women's rights and sexual and reproductive health care, including abortion services, in India.

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Relationships & Sex Education: Teach Everyone Every Aspect

14 September 2020

The theme of this year's UK Sexual Health Week is relationships and sex education. In this guest blog post, Dr. Rebecca Foljambe, founder of RSE charity and Empower to Plan partner You Before Two, reflects on a discussion with some of her young students.

Biodiversity Environment Families Family planning UK population Women's rights

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.

Biodiversity Environment World population

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.

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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.

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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.

Development Environment Families Family planning 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

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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