The Fragile Futures report and the power of advocacy

March Update

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MARCH 2025

Dear John,

We’re a little late with this month’s update—but with good reason. We’ve been busy preparing for the launch of Fragile Futures, a major new report examining how the intersecting crises of climate change and population pressures are threatening children’s health worldwide.

We're currently at the 58th Session of the Commission on Population and Development (CPD58) at the UN, engaging directly with global decision-makers on these urgent issues. Follow us on social media to see how we're getting on.

This edition also spotlights bold advocacy across Europe in defence of reproductive rights and celebrates the powerful work of our grassroots partners advancing reproductive freedom and gender equality.

Finally, don’t miss the latest Journal of Population and Sustainability and our 2023–24 Annual Review—showing how your support is driving real impact for people and planet.

- The Population Matters team

POPULATION AND ENVIRONMENT

Infant mortality: the hidden crisis

Our new report, Fragile Futures, challenges long-held assumptions about infant mortality, revealing it is rising in countries like the US, India and Madagascar. The report highlights how climate change and population pressures are worsening children’s health—especially in lower-income nations. Click below to explore the report.

Fresh insight on population and the planet

The latest Journal of Population and Sustainability is available now, offering in-depth analyses on the drivers of unsustainability. This issue features articles on climate colonialism, US immigration policy and the root causes of population growth, along with a review of alternative economic models.

Read the journal

The power of advocacy for reproductive rights

Reproductive rights are under threat in parts of Europe, but bold advocacy is making a difference. In this blog, we look at how campaigners and medical professionals are fighting for women's rights and making their voices heard. Read more about the people and partnerships pushing for progress.

Women leading change around the world

Empowering women is key to global sustainability. Our Empower to Plan initiative supports grassroots, women-led groups driving change through education, advocacy and sustainable development. With recent aid cuts threatening progress, their work is more vital than ever.

NEWS

Why Musk and the right want women to have more babies

Pronatalism isn’t just about births—it’s about control, and a new wave of right-wing ideology in the US is pushing abortion bans and restricting reproductive rights to assert theirs. This Guardian piece explores how the movement threatens gender equality and autonomy.

Read the article

Our call to reverse the UK's foreign aid cut

We joined a coalition urging Keir Starmer to rethink plans to cut the UK’s foreign aid budget—a vital lifeline for global development and rights. Our call was featured in some major outlets, including Sky News, highlighting the growing concern about the impact.

Read the article

Why we shouldn’t let lower fertility rates fuel pronatalist policies

Dr Celine Delacroix was one of the authors of Breaking Silos, a 2024 report that highlighted the need to connect population, health and environmental policies. In this article written for The Conversation, Dr Delacroix warns against panic over falling birth rates. She explains why pronatalist policies miss the mark—and makes the convincing argument for rights, equity and sustainability.

Read the article

ANNUAL REVIEW 2023-24

Explore Population Matters’ Annual Review 2023-24, highlighting our impact, key achievements and future plans as we work towards a sustainable world where people and nature thrive together - all made possible thanks to your support!

Quote of the month

"The past two centuries of explosive economic and population growth were an anomaly in human history. The idea that we must endlessly expand is a modern fiction — not a historical norm."

- Dr Celine Delacroix, Adjunct Professor and Senior Fellow, School of Health Sciences, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa in The Conversation

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