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PRESS RELEASE
A Pivotal Moment:
Population, Justice and the Environmental Challenge
Edited by Laurie Mazur
“Here’s the book on population we’ve been waiting for–a clearheaded and smart look at the ways that justice, anti-materialism, and women’s rights can help limit both our numbers and their impact.”
— Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature and Deep Economy
“Should be required reading for national and global leaders …. a compelling, evidence-based case for reproductive health and rights”
—Geeta Rao Gupta, president, International Center for Research on Women
“People count and numbers matter – and this book is a classic call to action we cannot afford to ignore if we care about the well being of current and future generations.”
— Dr. Gill Greer, director-general, International Planned Parenthood Federation.
Washington, DC (November 9, 2009) — Did you know that…
- · We add 75 million to 80 million people to the world’s population every year, the equivalent of another U.S. every four years or so?
- · The largest generation of young people in history—three billion strong—is now coming of age?
- · Their choices–and their options– will shape their futures, and to some extent, the future for all of us?
We are living in a pivotal moment, say the authors of this groundbreaking collection of essays. Many are aware that we have a brief window of time to address climate change and other environmental problems. But it is less well known that we are at a similar moment for world population: choices made today will determine whether human numbers—now at 6.8 billion—grow to 8 billion or even 11 billion by 2050.
“Eight billion would be better than 11 billion–for human beings and the natural systems that sustain us,” says Laurie Mazur, editor of A Pivotal Moment: Population, Justice, and the Environmental Challenge. “The good news,” she adds, “is that the best means to slow population growth are all important ends in themselves.” Around the world, we must ensure access to family planning and reproductive health services, empower women, and promote sustainable, equitable development. We must invest in education and opportunity for the young men and women of the largest generation in history. In short, we must position social justice and human rights at the center of population policy.
A Pivotal Moment views the complex connection between population and the environment through a lens of social justice. The book includes contributions by a diverse group of demographers, environmentalists and reproductive health advocates. Essays include, among others:
- Foreword by Timothy E. Wirth;
- Joel E. Cohen on 21st century demographics;
- Robert Engelman on population growth and climate change;
- Carmen Barroso and Steven Sinding on the unfinished revolution in reproductive health;
- Susana Chavez Alvarado on the lessons learned from misguided “population control” in Peru;
- Lester R. Brown on the obstacles to feeding a growing population;
- Priscilla Huang on the “greening” of the anti-immigration movement;
- Adrienne Germain on mobilizing for reproductive health and rights;
- James Gustave Speth on moving from environmental crisis to sustainability; and
- Ellen Chesler on the central role of women in building a sustainable future.
With these essays and others, A Pivotal Moment presents the latest research on the relationship between population growth and climate change, ecosystem health and other environmental issues. It surveys the new demographic landscape–in which population growth rates have fallen, but human numbers continue to increase. It looks back at the troubling history of “population control,” and forward to population policies that are sustainable and just.
“Now, more than ever, population affects everything from the pressing threat of climate change to the drain on our dwindling natural resources,” says Charles Savitt, president and publisher of Island Press. “Population is a complicated issue, but Laurie Mazur and her team of experts present concrete solutions that will benefit both individuals and the planet.”
Editor Laurie Mazur is the director of the Population Justice Project. She is the editor of Beyond the Numbers: A Reader on Population, Consumption, and the Environment (Island Press, 1994) and co-author of Marketing Madness: A Survival Guide for a Consumer Society (Westview, 1995).
Island Press was established in 1984 to stimulate, shape, and communicate the ideas that are essential for solving environmental problems. Publishing approximately 40 books and other information tools a year, we use a multidisciplinary, peer-reviewed approach that brings practical solutions to complex challenges like climate change, the depletion of our oceans, sustainable energy and agriculture, and species extinction. A nonprofit 501(c)3 organization, Island Press publishes for scientists, policymakers, environmental practitioners, students, journalists, and the general public. Island Press – Solutions that inspire change.
A Pivotal Moment
Edited by Laurie Mazur
An Island Press Hardcover and Paperback
Publication Date: December 1, 2009
Available at www.islandpress.org or www.popjustice.org