WOA! World Population Awareness

Time 2020-10-14 15:09:34

Web Name: WOA! World Population Awareness

WebSite: http://www.overpopulation.org

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A health care worker in Bangladesh gives a young pregnant woman a birthing kit for a safer delivery. It contains a sterile razor to cut the cord, a sterile plastic sheet to place under the birth area, and other simple, sanitary items - all which help save lives. The health care worker asks the young woman to come back with her baby for a post natal check after the birth. At that time, she asks the mom if she wants to have another child right away or if she wants to space her children. Usually the mom wants to wait, and gladly accepts contraception. The worker is prepared to give her pills, an injection, implants, or an IUD. The mother is instructed to come back if the baby shows signs of diarrhea or pneumonia, common infant killers.50 years ago, here in the USA, I was given the same option to space my births after the birth of my first baby. I gladly accepted contraceptive pills (which I hadn't known about at the time) .. Karen GaiaThe Cost of Child MarriageDevelopment experts have always measured the human costs of early marriage, but new data are shedding light on the practice's economic impact. As countries work to ban child marriage, advanced economies - led by the G7 - can help by financing programs proven to mitigate one of the most serious sMay 30, 2018, Project SyndicateBy: Henrietta H. Fore , Natalia Kanem , Mabel Van Oranje The International Center for Research on Women and the World Bank have reported that, by 2030, $4 trillion would be saved on welfare expenditures if child marriage was stopped.In Indonesia, where 14% of girls are married before their 18th birthday, President JokoWidodo has recognized the human and economic costs and has vowed to end the practice.However, in most developing countries, change is not occurring fast enough and funding for thiscause is inadequate. Worldwide, approximately one in five girls under 18 are married or in aunion and many are already mothers. The world's highest rate of child marriage is in Niger at76%.Now that the economic costs are clear, this is a good time to address the problem.Ensuring access to safe, quality education is a key to ending child marriage. Girls must begiven the tools for success. In order for this cause to be successful rich countries must join thefight. Justin Trudeau, the Canadian Prime Minister, has vowed to make gender equality atheme in discussions with other G7 ministers.The World Bank estimates that, by banning child marriage, Niger would save $1.7 billionin welfare costs. Bangladesh's savings would be approximately $4.8 billion, and Nigeria's $7.6billion.Even though the number of girls married is declining each year, change is occurring tooslowly. If the world does not act now and invest more in this cause, population growth willovertake gains and the number of child brides will be on the rise again.The Berkeley City Council addressed the issue of over-population as it relates to global warming in its declaration of a climate emergencyThe author called it a "breakthrough" that CO2 emissions are being considered, not only as a percapita function, but also as a function of the number of people doing the emitting. In thecampaign to reduce emissions the role of population has largely been ignored. Hybrid cars,solar energy, and using gas instead of coal are often the main topics of discussion.There were 2.5 billion people in the world in 1950, and they were responsible for 6 billionmetric tons of CO2 emissions. The world now has 7.6 billion people so, logically speaking, CO2emissions should triple. This isn't the case, however, CO2 emissions now measure 36 billiontons. This is largely due to countries with large populations, like China, becoming industrialized.China is now the world's largest emitter at 10 billion tons of CO2 annually.In 2009 Scientific American concluded that, to reverse the effects of global warming,emissions need to fall 50% below 1990 levels by 2050, or to approximately 12-13 billiontons of CO2 a year. Assuming half the world is still agrarian and half is industrialized, the authorhypothesized that emissions will fall to that level only if the world's population decreases to 2.55billion.For this reason, professional environmentalists advocate for both family planning andper capita carbon reducing. In 2014 the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimatedthat, if access to contraception was provided to women who said they needed it, CO2 emissionscould be lowered by 30% by 2100.The need to reduce population is often denied because many think it interferes witheconomic growth. In fact regions often pursue growth to stimulate their economies. In fact,"growth without end-point is unsustainable." Population reduction is essential in the climatechange solution.Karen Gaia says: Girls education is another important factor. See Masai-Harmonial.orgA new report from World Bank Group finds that if women worldwide had the same lifetime earnings as men, global wealth would increase by $23,620 per person, on average, for a total of $160 trillion. This would effect expand the middle class and eliminate some of the factors associated with social and political instability.To erase inequality, all women should have access to health care, proper nutrition, and safe and effective learning environments throughout the educational process. Also important are upholding sexual and reproductive rights and combating sexual and gender-based violence, including harmful practices like child, early or forced marriage.Women need to be given access to land ownership, credit, insurance, and savings, and the social norms that "relegate" women to lower paid professions need to be changed.It is imperative that the priorities of women be put at the forefront of the consideration of all governments and international entities. Canada is one country that has done this with its Feminist International Assistance Policy that seeks to ensure equal rights and economic opportunities for all women and girls. Another initiative that addresses inequality is the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative, which is based at the World Bank and supported by 14 governments. It loans money to women-owned or women-led businesses in developing countries."Only by unleashing the full potential of all people to participate fully in the economy canwe strengthen growth, eliminate poverty and respond effectively to mounting global challenges,from conflict to climate change."A recent Wilson Center event focused on the development of a more resilient worldthrough sustainable development. "Community mobilization, local capacity-building, andinnovation are the cornerstones of successful development," according to Franklin Moore,Africare's Chief of Programs. And, he believes "tailored education campaigns" are necessaryfor change.One of the biggest hurdles to achieving resilience is water security. Water is essential for life, and each person in the developed world uses enough water to fill an Olympic swimming pool every year. As the population grows so does the demand for water. The ongoing water crisis in Pakistan, where the population is predicted to reach 300 million by 2050, "has brought the population issue also on to the table," said Zeba Sathar of the Population Council.Changing farms to feed families is another way to contribute to the stability of communities. Seventy percent of water usage goes to food production, so Africare is encouraging farmers to plant drought-resistant plants to feed livestock. And, to address the problem of population growth exceeding food supply, family planning is being promoted along with changes in agricultural practices that increase nutritious food production.Displacement due to extreme weather has caused additional instability in undeveloped regions. In Nigeria droughts have contributed to this problem, and in Pakistan flooding has led to destroyed homes and livelihoods."Seventy percent of water we use on this planet goes to food production," said Eric Viala, Director of the Sustainable Water Partnership.. "If you don't have the water to produce food, you can't eat.” Severe droughts can lead to hunger, even famine; while too much water-floods-can swamp farmland.Zeba Sathar reported that the African Union has seen success "linking the reduction in fertility, and favorable birth spacing patterns, with a demographic dividend...with positive development outcomes.” Jason Bremmer of Family Planning 2020 believes that to achieve resilience "it is really critical that we understand these interlinked challenges and we find new ways of doing business, as business as usual - standard family planning programs, our standard efforts of reaching communities with water and environmental issues - are going to be further stressed.”New World Atlas of Desertification Shows Unprecedented Pressure on Planet's ResourcesOn June 21, 2018, the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission published the World Atlas of Desertification, offering a tool for improving local responses to soil loss and land degradationJune 21, 2018, EurekaAlert!In June, a new edition of the Atlas of Desertification was released by the Joint Research Centreof the European Commission. Since the last edition (20 years ago), soil loss and landdegradation have increased dramatically, and the the new findings highlight an urgent need tocorrect land usage worldwide. The atlas shows that 75% of the land area is already degraded, and over 90% could become degraded by 2050. Land degradation and climate change are estimated to lead to a reduction of global crop yields by about 10% by 2050. Worldwide, a total area of half the European Union is degraded annually. Soil degradation for the EU alone costs tens of billions euros a year. An uptick in deforestation makes it difficult to minimize climate change. And, by 2050, 700 million people are estimated to be displaced due to land issues. On the global level, under the United Nations' Sustainable Development Agenda, world leaders have committed to "combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil, including land affected by desertification, drought and floods, and strive to achieve a land degradation-neutral world" by 2030. Local solutions and cooperation are also needed. Increasing farming yields, changing toplant based diets, and eating animal proteins from sustainable sources only are advised locally.US Agency for International Development (USAID) cuts imposed by President Donald Trump'sMexico City policy have led to more abortions (mostly backstreet) as a form of birth control.Many in undeveloped countries like Kenya relied on that aid to provide women with birth control.Without it many cannot afford contraceptives, are becoming pregnant, and are then resorting tobackstreet abortions to terminate the pregnancy.In Kenya, where abortion is illegal, Khadijah Dija used to visit a family clinic to get freeinjectable birth control every three months. With the cuts in place, it now costs her $4, moneyshe does not have. Without birth control, she became pregnant and had to pay $10 for illegalabortion pills, as she cannot support another child and gets no help from her husband. She isstill bleeding a month after taking the pills. Wilson Bunde of Family Health Options Kenya(FHOK) reports that women who were coming to clinics for contraceptives are now coming to betreated for botched abortions instead. Botched abortions cost Kenya approximately $6.3 millionin 2016.International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), a global provider of contraceptivesand reproductive health services, will lose $100 million after refusing to abide by the terms of Trump'spolicy. That forced FHOK to stop offering free or reduced cost contraception, close a clinic, andcut a community outreach program. Because of those cuts, Bunde estimated that 36,000women went without family planning last year.The Mexico City policy, otherwise known as the 'global gag rule', has been in place on and off since President Ronald Reagan introduced it in 1984. Generally over the years, it has been rescinded byDemocratic administrations and reinstated by Republicans, but it has never before been appliedto this extent. Trump's policy cuts an estimated $8.8 billion in assistance -- funding that applies not only to family planning, as it has previously, but extends to prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, infectious diseases, and even hygiene programs, while the 2001 Bushadministration cut only about $600 million. A 2011 Stanford University study found that, when the Mexico City policy is in place, women were up to 2.73 times more likely to get abortions.Trump is also considering similar changes in the US. Recently his administrationproposed a new rule that would bar abortions or abortion advice at facilities receiving federalfamily planning funds. Those who don't comply would lose federal funding. It would be adomestic version of the global gag policy.There's No Such Thing as Sustainable BeefDespite industry hype, burgers are still eating up the environmentMay 18, 2018, MediumBy: Dr. Jennifer Molidor Dr. Jennifer Molidor, writer, professor, and wildlife advocate, said that "there's no such thing as sustainable beef with our current rates of consumption and its impact on the planet."The beef industry has been trying to convince us that beef is the new "eco-friendly" food. The U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (USRSB), with McDonalds, Taco Bell, Walmart, and Costco as some of its members, wants the consumer to believe that he can eat an unlimited amount of meat and still have a healthy planet. The USRSB's framework "lacks transparency and teeth needed to hold beef producers responsible for the damage they do to our land, water, air, climate.”The truth is the beef industry is riddled with waste and is a model of inefficiency. The average American's annual hamburger appetite adds up to 1,050 pounds of carbon dioxide equivalents (C02e) 2, 2.13 acres of habitat, 66,300 gallons of water and 1,530 pounds of manure. To gain a pound, a cow has to eat about 6 pounds of feed. Grass-fed beef requires about five times more water to produce than industrial beef.The beef industry is currently pressuring the Environmental Protection Agency to do away with the Clean Water Rule, which hold farms accountable for polluting waterways, and are against pollution reporting requirements. The industry is also doing their best to inhibit Earth-friendly alternatives in the marketplace by disallowing those who produce plant-based food from using the words "meat” or "dairy” on their labeling.Molidor believes that "a lot can be done to make meat production less destructive to the climate.” Sustainable certification, like the Canadian model, could have a positive effect on the nature of production. However, the only way to make the beef industry truly sustainable is for consumers to eat less and decrease production. India's first census counted 356 million people in 1951 - one-seventh of the world's population. Nearly 9 million kids had married before age 14. The population was projected to grow by 500,000 per year. How could India feed all those people? Better to sterilize anyone with three or more kids. Sterilization seemed simple, safe, cheap, and effective. M.C. Chagla, a former ambassador to the U.S., said, "Until we develop an oral contraceptive that works and that we can afford, we must encourage sterilization.... It must be voluntary." However, in 1976 politicians went from a policy of giving transistor radios to men who submitted to vasectomies to compulsory sterilization. The police "literally dragged people in from the fields to the vasectomy table," one medical officer told the New York Times. In all, more than 6 million people were sterilized that year, causing violent protests and stalled measures to reduce birth rates for decades. The population now is nearly 1.3 billion. India has been more successful at reducing death rates than fertility rates. Since the sterilization policy began, growth has vastly exceeded projections. An old man stated that when he was a boy a cholera epidemic would kill up to 50 people in his village every ten years. "Now they come and vaccinate our children. I have lived here almost 70 years. The biggest change in my time has been health. We've learned how to keep from dying."Today, programs have returned to incentives. In most Indian states women who opt for sterilization earn about $23 - almost one month's income in rural India. But in the district of Bilaspur, a sterilization procedure sickened 60 women and killed 13. Authorities first charged the doctor for failing to sterilize the sterilization instruments. But the doctor blamed "the village quacks who gave them antibiotics." Later, an Indian health official said a preliminary finding suggested that a poisonous zinc phosphate compound got mixed with the drugs, so the authorities arrested the director of a drug-making firm that supplied the clinic. However, according to USA Today, the doctor, who was trying to meet the demands of sterilization quotas mandated by local authorities, had spent only minutes on each patient, doing 83 surgeries in six hours. He is under pressure to complete 15,000 sterilizations and was recently praised for performing 50,000 laparoscopic tubectomies.Local residents now distrust the program.Gauri Bai, 54, said he suspected his daughter-in-law "is already dead," after the 27-year-old woman fell sick. "We thought the government is running the program for the benefit of the poor, but they have cheated us. We want the guilty to be punished. They have destroyed my family. Who will take care of these little children?"This is Really An Effort to Undermine People's Access to Birth ControlCounterSpin interview with Kinsey Hasstedt on reproductive health restrictionsMay 29, 2018, FAIR.orgBy: Janine Jackson In May, President Trump proposed new restrictions on federally funded family planning by barring doctors from advising a woman pondering an abortion about where she could receive one. In response to the Trump administration's proposed changes, Kinsey Hasstedt, a senior policy manager in the Guttmacher Institute's Washington DC Office was interviewed.Hasstedt was asked what she believes the changes would actually mean "on the ground." She said she fears that the proposals are a "revival of the domestic gag rule first proposed by President Reagan." It "would ban referral for abortion" and "require that pregnant patients be referred for prenatal services and other care related to delivery, regardless of their wishes." Patients would no longer receive "nondirective counseling.”Hasstedt theorized that the Trump administration intends to "totally reshape the network of entities and the scope of services that have long been supported by this Title X publicly funded family planning program. They are seeking to disadvantage providers who focus on reproductive health... and in fact are opening the door to Title X funds to ideologically motivated entities that are actually unwilling or unable to provide a broad range of contraceptive-method options. These rules also promote other ideologically motivated approaches to family planning, such as abstinence until marriage, and take away the guarantee of contraceptive access for many... At the end of the day we are talking about denying women access to information and services that are necessary in their own right to self-determination.”Interview Janine Jackson of Counterspin accused the media of "narrowly diving into this latest thing” and worries that focusing too closely on the the details might cause people to miss what's really happening. Hasstedt advised that we should all "step back” and recognize the Trump administration's "coercive agenda against individuals' reproductive health and rights.” This agenda includes "seeking to roll back affordable health coverage, undermining people's access to affordable contraceptive coverage under the ACA, trying to undercut comprehensive sex education programs, and now this most recent attack on publicly funded family planning.” Jackson discussed the existence of an anti-abortion space on evening cable news, but nearly no pro-abortion space. She pointed out that "as the restrictions on reproductive rights go up, the sheer amount of coverage goes down, and in that silence, misinformation can grow like mildew...” Hasstedt shared the concern in that many who get "lost in the narrative are the people who rely on publicly funded planning for care.” She added, "The whole point of Title X, in the beginning, was to close the resource gap between women and couples who have more resources, and those who have less and face systemic barriers to accessing affordable and high quality care. Because everyone has the right to determine for themselves whether and when to have children... and ultimately we are jeopardizing the health and well being of millions of people, who are largely low-income, largely people of color and people who are otherwise underserved...” In light of 20 state attorneys supporting a nationwide preliminary injunction to stop Trump, Jackson asked Hasstedt to speculate what might be next. Haastedt said we'll have to wait and "see how this network starts to shape up over the course of the next few months, to see "Which type of entities apply for Title X funding will matter” And when we see these "proposed regulations actually published in the Federal Register, if they look like this draft does, there will be mass outcry from professional medical associations, public health experts, providers, advocates, and people themselves.”Humanae VitaeThe Story Behind the Ban on ContraceptionApril 29, 2018, The Story Behind the Ban on ContraceptionIn 1968, Pope Paul VI went against the findings of his own Papal Birth Control Commission and rejected an opportunity to create a modern and compassionate doctrine on birth control which would appeal to its faithful.Instead, he launched the church backwards toward staunch orthodoxy with his encyclical titled Humanae Vitae. "The Church...in urging men to the observance of the precepts of the natural law, which it interprets by its constant doctrine, teaches that each and every marital act must of necessity retain its intrinsic relationship to the procreation of human life." For the past 50 years these words have come to influence the church's stance on public health challenges that relate to sex, and have affected the way Catholics around the world view birth control.How did the church come to reject modern contraception, and why does it continue to make it a central part of its theology? Five years before Humanae Vitae, the papal commission was examining its view on marriage and looking to update its teachings. At this time it was feared that the more liberal members of the commission would push to revisit the church's ban an "artificial" birth control that was established in the 1930 encyclical Casti Connubii. The birth control pill had been introduced and, because it used naturally occurring hormones, many conservative members were concerned that its use would be approved for Catholic couples. Instead of considering the issue, the Papal Birth Control Commission was established as a concession.After much study, it was the commission's opinion that the prohibition of contraception was faulty and outdated. It found that in many cases it strained marriages instead of making them stronger. Contrary to the assertion of the hierarchy that natural family planning brought couples closer together, it was found that it drove them apart. Couples became obsessed with sex because of the unnatural restrictions placed upon spontaneous demonstrations of affection. Women spoke of the many roles they played as wives and of the importance of the non-procreative sexual bond to marriage.Even though the commission overwhelmingly agreed to advise the church to change its stance on the matter, many within the church rejected the change because it would be an admission that the church had been wrong.The church demoted the commission members and appointed 15 bishops to make a final report on the matter. The bishops were also convinced by the case for modern contraception. They argued that the interpretation of the biblical story of Onan and his spilled seed was fallible, birth control is necessary for responsible parenting, and marriage should be based on "mutual love within the totality of marriage." There was a report issued by the dissenting bishops, but its only basis for opposition was that if the church changed its view, it would have to admit that it was wrong. And if it was wrong, it would lead to questioning on all "moral matters."Although the commission and bishops overwhelmingly advised the hierarchy to change its stance, Pope Paul ignored the recommendations. He declared that the findings were not unanimous, and that the the recommendation disagreed with previous teaching and could not be changed.Reaction to Humanae Vitae was not favorable. Many Catholics had expected Pope Paul to rescind the ban and had already made up their minds about birth control. There was also dissent from inside the church and by the world's theologians, most of it asserting that Catholics were free to make their own decisions on the issue. The reaction was as described by Father Curran. "All the hope and enthusiasm, all the sense that things had changed and that birth control teaching could change were crushed by the document. In a sense, there was one positive outcome from the encyclical in that Catholics realized that they could disagree with the pope on non-fallible issues and still remain a good Catholic. However, the negative outcome was that it created a lot of tension regarding credibility of the church.” In the face of much dissent and disobedience, the church refused to alter its stance, and many Catholics have made their own decisions on contraceptives, especially in developed countries. Of the sexually active Catholic women in the US, 99% have used a method of birth control other than natural family planning. In developing countries Humanae Vitae still has an impact on health policies and foreign assistance for such. This has led to an unmet need for family planning, increased abortion, death and disability for women denied the ability to limit pregnancies, and has hurt efforts to stem the spread of HIV/AIDS. The Catholic hierarchy continues to oppose modern contraception in Africa, which has the world's lowest rate of contraceptive use. Bishops regularly mislead those in developing countries by telling them that contraception is harmful to women's health, it leads to higher levels of abortion, and that international family planning programs are western plots to destroy their society. Some developing countries have had some success in overcoming the Catholic church. Despite its large Catholic population, Kenya has successfully promoted contraceptive use. By 2015 52% of married women were using contraceptives and it is on target to get to 60% by 2018.In the Philippines, according to a 2014 poll, 68% of Catholics support contraceptive use, but have unmet need due to the rate of poverty. In 2017, however, the president of the Philippines issued an executive order calling for the full implementation of the Reproductive Health Law. The Catholic church responded by blocking the distribution of condoms in schools. Over the last 50 years, the impact of Humanae Vitae has been immeasurable. Despite its existence, Catholics continue to use contraceptives, dismissing a central tenet of the church, and the divide between its doctrine and reality continues to widen. The ideology has also hampered women's health and family planning causes around the world. The need for a more modern sexual ethic is long overdue, and, in order for the church to move forward, a reexamination of Humanae Vitae is imperative. According to a recent report by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, in 2017 the U.S. saw the fewest newborns since 1987, and the birthrate dropped for almost every group of women. In 2017 the total number of births was down 2% from 2016, and the fertility rate fell to a record low. These new numbers put the U.S. further away from a viable replacement rate, which has not been met since 1971.Since a sharp decline in the early 1970's, the number of births in the U.S. has gradually risen. That growth however has been inconsistent with spikes and dips caused by the economy, generational size, and other factors. And, despite the rise in births, the birthrate over this time frame has shown a general decline.The results of the report correspond with predictions the Census Bureau and others have been making for years. After decades of relatively high fertility rates, the U.S. must now depend on immigration for population growth. In the report, teens (15-19 years) saw the biggest drop at 7% from the year before. And, the only group not to see a decline was women between the ages of 40 and 44. They saw an increase of 2% from 2016. The U.S. also experienced rises in preterm birthrate, low birth weight rate, and cesarean delivery rate in 2017.Karen Gaia says: Several things to note here: Use and accessibility of effective contraception, especially for teens, are one the rise. Women are postponing having children, and often wait until too late to have them, but some are finally ready and that explains the high birth rate between 40 and 44. Perhaps the increase in preterm birthrate, low birth weight rate, and cesarean delivery rate may be due to the larger number of older (40--44) women having babies when their bodies are not in the optimum shape for having them.According to a recent study by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), human beings only make up 0.01% of the Earth's biomass, however their impact has been huge. The study showed that the planet's biomass is mostly plants (82%), followed by bacteria (13%), and everything else (including 7.6 million humans) accounts for the remaining 5%.The rise of human civilization has resulted in the destruction of 83% of wild mammals, 80% of marine animals, 50% of plants, and 15% of fish. The study notes that "over the relatively short span of human history, major innovations, such as the domestication of livestock, adoption of an agricultural lifestyle, and the Industrial Revolution, have increased the impact of human population dramatically and have had radical ecological effects."Furthermore, the study found that the human diet and unsustainable lifestyles have resulted in human beings and livestock accounting for 96% of the mammalian species. Only 4% of mammals are now considered to be wild.Ron Milo, a professor at the Weizmann Institute of Science, led the study and called the results "staggering." He commented that "our dietary choices have a vast effect on the habitats of animals, plants, and other organisms." He also added, "I would hope people would take this (work) as part of their worldview of how they consume. I would hope this gives people a perspective on the very dominant role that humanity now plays on Earth."Balancing the existence of humanity and nature is a challenge. With worldwide population growth expected to grow to 10 billion by 2050, that balance harder will be more difficult to achieve. Attaining a healthy population number is key and may only be possible by finding the political and societal will.Supporting family planning globally and locally is imperative. In developing regions, approximately 214 million women want to delay or avoid pregnancy but are without a modern contraceptive. Additionally, in these same regions, 43% of pregnancies are unplanned. If family planning services were expanded to improve and address all women's needs for modern contraceptive the cost would be relatively low - an increase from a $6.3 billion currently to $12.1 billion annually.As an example, Uganda is a developing country that is in dire need of expanded family planning services. It is one of the fastest growing countries with its current population of 37 million growing to a projected 100 million by 2050. One in four girls between the ages of 15 and 19 is pregnant or has already given birth, and 75% of the population is under the age of 30. Education, outreach, and access to services are necessary and are currently being advocated for and offered by Reproductive Health Uganda.In the US 45% of pregnancies are unplanned. However, in Colorado, the Colorado Family Planning Initiative provides low or no cost long-acting reversible contraceptives to low-income women, especially teens. By doing this, teen pregnancies were nearly cut in half in their state.Family planning is often an overlooked path forward to deal with climate change. It has been shown that regions of high population growth, coupled with a high unmet need for family planning, frequently overlap with regions that are most vulnerable to climate change. When women's needs for family planning are met, their families are healthier, there is a reduced household demand on resources, and women have more time to devote to climate adaptation-related activities. Increasingly, though, climate researchers and activists are making the connection. It has been estimated that, just by educating girls and supporting family planning alone, emissions could be reduced by 120 gigatons of CO2-equivalent by 2050.Biodiversity can also be impacted by family planning. Recently the World Wildlife Fund found that the world's forests could lose more than half of their plant species by the end of the century. Indonesia has one of the highest deforestation rates in the world and, although its government has invested in education and awareness of contraceptives, its population is still increasing and is projected to be the world's seventh largest country by 2050. Today there are more that 1.5 billion people living in biodiversity endangered areas.New thinking about conservation, climate change, and communities is needed. One new model known as Population, Health, and Environment (PHE) is an integrated solution linking family planning, public health and conservation that recognizes the interconnectiveness of people and their local environment. Humanity must stop living beyond the carrying capacity of Earth.To help in this cause, readers are encouraged to become informed about policies that empower women, call on elected representatives to stop cuts on family planning assistance internationally and locally, urge congressional representatives to co-sponsor the Global Health, Empowerment, and Rights Act and the Women and Climate Change Act of 2018, protest cuts to environmental protections, involve men in family planning programs, and vote.Karen Gaia says: more emphasis needs to be put on girls education. In many developing countries, it is equally important as family planning, especially in cultures where girls are married as children. Each year, 12 million girls are married before the age of 18. That is about 84 million girls of child-bearing age who are likely to become pregnant, and who many could have been helped by improved education opportunities, such as building schools within walking distance.

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WOA! World Population Awareness is a non-profit web publication seeking to inform people about overpopulation, unsustainability, and overconsumption; the impacts, including depletion of natural resources, water, oil, soil, fertilizers, species loss, malnutrition, poverty, displacement of people, conflict; and what can be done about it: women's advancement, education, reproductive health care, delaying marriage, availability of contraception, and male responsibility; and what you can do to help.

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