“This book, with chapters by world-renowned experts, should be required reading for national and global leaders …. It provides a compelling, evidence-based case for reproductive health and rights as a critical part of the solution to build a better and more sustainable future for all.”
Geeta Rao Gupta, president, International Center for Research on WomenPopulation growth has slowed, but it has not ended. Decisions made today will determine whether world population grows by one billion, two billion, or almost four billion by 2050. Most growth will take place in urban areas of the developing world. World population is still growing. Most people assume the “population bomb” has been defused. But... MORE
Population growth has a significant impact on the natural environment, but that impact is shaped by a wide range of mediating factors — including technology, consumption patterns, economic policies and political choices. Slower population growth alone will not solve today’s environmental challenges. But slower growth—together with reduced resource consumption in affluent countries–could help give us... MORE
Water is essential to survival. But as demand for clean, fresh water grows, supplies are dwindling. Climate change is melting the glaciers and snowpack that supply the world’s great river basins, including the Ganges, Nile and Yangtze. Pollution, waste and mismanagement also take a toll on the availability of this vital resource. The next century... MORE
Human history is replete with dire warnings of mass famine, and, frequently, the real thing. And ever since Thomas Malthus observed that population growth tends to outstrip food production, debate has raged over whether an ever-growing human population will be able to feed itself. But the links between population growth and hunger are complex. Famine... MORE
Slowing population growth can make a significant contribution to climate change mitigation. Moreover, the means to slow population growth—family planning and reproductive health services, girls’ education, and poverty alleviation—can help societies adapt to climate change by bolstering resilience. Slowing population growth is a piece of the mitigation “pie.” Slower population growth could make a substantial... MORE
The best way to slow population growth is by ensuring that all people have the means and the power to make real choices about childbearing. That means access to family planning and other reproductive health services. It also means addressing the economic and gender inequities that limit choices for so many of the world’s... MORE
The relationship between population growth and poverty is complex, but it is fair to say that rapid population growth is both a cause and an effect of poverty and inequality, and slower growth can help close the gaps that divide men and women, rich and poor. ... MORE