Issue 37 Autumn 2020 WORLD POPULATION DAY 2020 Family planning, education and boosting gender equality are the key solutions that empower people to take charge of their lives and protect our only planet ISSN 2053-0412 (Print) ISSN 2053-0420 (Online) every choice counts CONTENTS | PAGES 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Contents 10 3 From the Director About Population Robin Maynard looks at how, Matters thanks to growing support from Population Matters is a UK-based charity individuals and organisations working globally to achieve our vision of across the globe, PM is adding humanity co-existing in harmony with nature to its capacity to bring positive and prospering on a healthy planet. We drive changes for people and planet. positive action through fostering choices that will help achieve a sustainable human 4 News round-up population and regenerate our environment. Population news stories We promote positive, practical, ethical and introducing some new solutions – encouraging people to choose members of the PM team. smaller families and inspiring people to consume sustainably – to enable everyone to enjoy a decent quality of life whilst sustaining 6 Population crash? the natural ecosystems upon which all life Alistair Currie reports on why media depends. We support human rights, women’s scare stories are detracting from the empowerment and global justice. real issues. Population Matters is a registered charity in England and 7 UK focus Wales (1114109) and a company limited by guarantee in England (3019081) registered address 135-137 Station Despite strategies and prevention Road, London, E4 6AG. Population Matters is the working frameworks, teenage pregnancy rates name of the Optimum Population Trust continue to be high, plus our view on Lord 8 Registered trademark. Hodgson’s recently published analysis of the UK’s projected population growth. Magazine Printed in the UK by Jamm Print & 8 On the brink of extinction Productions using vegetable-based inks on The evidence of the impact of human 100% recycled paper. population on biodiversity loss continues Design, infographics & illustrations: to pile up, yet almost nothing is being Miller Design done. Population Matters is taking a stand. Editor: Anna Harris Cover image: ©grigoryepremyan/Adobe 10 World Population Population Matters Magazine is produced twice a year by Day 2020 Population Matters, 135-137 Station Road, London E4 6AG With only 10 years left to meet the UN’s 17 Registered charity: 1114109 Tel: 020 8123 9116 goals of achieving decent lives for all on a For further information, e-versions and back copies log onto populationmatters.org/members-magazine healthy planet, are we running out of time? 13 13 Childfree by choice Stay connected Award-winning documentary filmmaker populationmatters.org Maxine Trump tackles one of the most PopulationMatters taboo subjects and asks: “Why can’t we PopnMatters talk about not having children?” popnmatters 14 The social network PopulationMatters Q&A with Argentinian activist Pablo Meglioli t: 020 8123 9116 about how he’s using social media to e: [email protected] engage Spanish-speaking audiences. ed: [email protected] a: 135-137 Station Road, London E4 6AG 15 India’s population drive From coercion to education – activist and 16 writer Mari Thekaekara explores India’s approach to managing its population over WORLD the decades. POPULATION 16 Pandemic fallout Across the world, COVID-19 has THIS ISSUE: exacerbated existing inequalities. Find out how Empower to Plan responded 7,813,967,000 to a health emergency in Kenya. 18 In conversation Robin Maynard speaks with Laurel WHEN YOU HAVE FINISHED READING Hanscom, CEO of the Global Footprint THIS MAGAZINE PLEASE RECYCLE IT Network, about Earth Overshoot Day 2020 BY PASSING IT ON and how the barriers that obstruct tackling population can be overcome. CONTENTS | PAGES 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 From the Director Almost 30 years after Population Matters was founded, we’re gaining increased support from scientists, environmental and conservation bodies and women’s empowerment groups. © Florence Blondel © Florence information and support to avoid unplanned pregnancies. The positive impact is clear from 17-year-old Katie’s reaction, after viewing PM’s Smaller Families’ video: “These facts and figures (environmental and population) should be taught alongside sex education and made compulsory.” FIRM FOUNDATIONS Next year marks three decades since Population Matters was conceived (sic) by a small group of far-sighted individuals, working with great individual energy but few resources and little money. The next issue of Today, diverse, globally the magazine, which falls in 2021, will This issue contains some shocking mark that anniversary and acknowledge numbers, some of which will be representative, those individuals’ efforts. Thanks to familiar – such as a 68% decline in wild significant voices are the foundations they laid, Population vertebrate populations since 1970, up supporting our agenda, Matters has been able to extend its from 60% reported in 2018 – as detailed reach, activities and influence. in WWF’s latest Living Planet Report. adding to our capacity Today, diverse, globally Having failed to mention that to bring positive representative, significant voices are population growth is one of the key supporting our agenda, adding to our drivers for those losses in previous changes for people capacity to bring positive changes for reports, this year, the Panda places a and planet. people and planet. These include a tentative paw on the ‘p’ word, stating: large and growing body of scientists; “Since 1970, these trends have been writer Mari Thekaekara explores in her environmental and conservation bodies driven in large part by a doubling of the personal account of India’s population based outside the UK, Europe and the world’s human population, a fourfold drive on page 15, which recounts the US; women’s grassroots empowerment increase in the global economy, and a country’s troubled history and raises and rights’ groups; and a growing tenfold increase in trade.” important issues about education and number of supporters globally who It’s high time that conservation the empowerment of women and girls. understand that achieving sustainability bodies acknowledge this connection – Worldwide, a significant number live and justice demands we consider both these numbers are not opinions they in the US and UK – shockingly high for individual footprint and collective feet. are facts endorsed by leading scientific two of the richest, most developed I’ll leave the final word to our bodies such as the Intergovernmental countries in the world. As Kat Dixon colleague Florence Blondel, who has left Panel on Biological Diversity and reports on page 7, although England PM to move to the US but has clearly Ecosystem Services. The connection has reduced the teenage pregnancy rate not left the movement: “It’s not rocket is affirmed in the 50 peer-reviewed by nearly two-thirds over the last two science that the more of us there are, studies collated by the Centre for decades, it’s still higher than most of the more we consume and the fewer the Biological Diversity for their Crowded our European neighbours. What’s more, natural resources. We are decimating Planet resource library. while child marriage is most common in forests and having endless wars with South Asia and sub- Saharan Africa, wildlife – wars we always win. Worse POSITIVE SOLUTIONS research carried out by Unchained At is the fact that young girls and women What’s still lacking is the promotion of Last – an organisation dedicated to are held back as fertility is sadly largely positive solutions, such as improving ending child marriage– states that, socially determined. This is not okay.” the wellbeing and life opportunities between 2000 and 2015, more than of women and girls globally. There 200,000 minors were legally married in Robin Maynard are 272 million girls and women the USA. Director, Population Matters currently lacking access to safe, modern Through our Empower to Plan contraception and, thereby, choice over crowdfunding initiative we support whether, when and how many children groups such as You Before Two, which to have. This is something that guest provides young girls (and boys) with populationmatters.org every choice counts 3 CONTENTS | PAGES 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Population Matters news round-up © Unsplash/Markus Spiske Human-caused extinction accelerating A new analysis shows the sixth mass There have already been five mass extinction is accelerating, with extinction episodes over the last more than 500 vertebrate species at 450 million years – each caused by risk of becoming extinct in less than catastrophic environmental changes 20 years – as many as were lost over such as volcanic activity or an asteroid the entire course of the last century. strike. The sixth mass extinction is due to human activity. The study published in Proceedings The authors point out that the human of the National Academy of Sciences population explosion is making it (PNAS) by scientists, including PM increasingly difficult for other species Patron Paul Ehrlich, found that out of to thrive, warning: “The window of almost 30,000 species of land-dwelling opportunity is almost closed. We Link to page 8 to read more about vertebrates, 515 already have fewer than must save what we can or lose the the connection between biodiversity 1,000 individuals left. More than half of opportunity to do so forever. What is at and population >> these species have been reduced to 250 stake is the fate of humanity and future or fewer individuals. generations deserve better from us.” How will we feed the world? How the Global adoption of G20 countries’ food consumption numbers patterns would ruin our chances of meeting climate Viktor © Unsplash/Szabo and sustainability targets, according to a new report.