I hope you’re staying healthy and safe. We’re thinking of you, and all of our supporters, and we’re grateful for your continued support during this uncertain time. I hope you’re still able to celebrate Earth Day with us by taking part in our Earth Day Challenge. If you haven’t done so yet, it isn’t too late to sign up to join us in taking small, simple eco-challenges to reduce our individual impacts on our environment.

One of our challenges to you is to join a conference call with Population Connection President John Seager on April 16 at 12:30PT/3:30ET! As John states:

What does this horrible pandemic have to do with population growth? Pretty much everything.

We humans with our exploding numbers have pushed our way into all types of habitats, forcing interactions with wildlife that harm them and us.

The result: Ebola, Zika, SARS, West Nile, Hepatitis C, Lyme disease, HIV/AIDS—and now COVID-19. These are just a few of the hundreds of diseases that have leaped from animals to humans in recent decades.

Why are we pushing into wildlife habitats around the globe? Because we demand more than our fair share of resources from this planet. In short, because of rapid human population growth.

John will lead an in-depth conversation about the root cause of this pandemic—as well as climate change, another global crisis that we can’t address unless we get serious about stopping population growth.

Please RSVP by clicking here or replying to this message, and we’ll send you details about joining the call.

Kind regards,

Membership Relations Team

P.S. Remember, it’s not too late to sign up for the Earth Day Challenge! Sign up here.

And, meanwhile, if you’d like to read more about the links between population growth and pandemics, check out some particularly informative articles from Scientific American:

What 11 Billion People Mean for Disease Outbreaks

Destroyed Habitat Creates the Perfect Conditions for Coronavirus to Emerge