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Dear John,
Our vision is of a future in which our population co-exists in harmony with
nature and prospers on a healthy planet for the benefit of all.
With your help, WE WANT TO COMMISSION OUR OWN INDEPENDENT RESEARCH to
evaluate the feasibility of achieving a population future at (or ideally,
below) the United Nation’s (UN) low projection of 7.3 billion by 2100 –
one that ensures a good quality of life whilst respecting our planet’s
environmental limits.
Donate [3]
Population research has been in the headlines recently, with a report
published in The Lancet attracting attention for claiming that the global
population may peak sooner and at a lower estimate than the more
established projections from the UN2. Our proposed LANDMARK RESEARCH with
the University of Cambridge’s Centre for the Study of Existential Risk
(co-founded by Astronomer Royal, Lord Martin Rees and supported by our
Patron, Sir Partha Dasgupta) will enable Population Matters (PM) to not
only demystify ‘doomsday’ headlines, but also OFFER A CREDIBLE
ALTERNATIVE VISION FOR A PRACTICAL TRANSITION TO A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE3.
Like our friends at Global Footprint Network, who today (22 August) mark
this year’s Earth Overshoot Day (the date when humanity’s demand for
Earth’s resources exceeds that which the planet can regenerate
annually)4, PM WANTS TO ENABLE A FUTURE WHERE EVERYONE CAN LIVE WITHIN OUR
PLANET’S MEANS – a future where Earth Overshoot Day is a historic event
rather than one that falls earlier and earlier each year5.
To enable such a future, WE MUST ADDRESS BOTH POPULATION GROWTH AND OUR
CONSUMPTION HABITS – along with decarbonising energy use, reducing waste,
and regenerating vital ecosystems. As GLOBAL FOOTPRINT NETWORK’S LAUREL
HANSCOM recently said6:
“I think it’s a false dichotomy that you talk about one or the other…
you have to talk about consumption, and you have to talk about population.
They go hand in hand, and there are different solutions for different parts
of the world.”
THERE IS AN URGENT NEED FOR ALL THE FACTORS SHAPING OUR POTENTIAL GLOBAL
FUTURES AND THE IMPLICATIONS TO BE EXPLORED AND UNDERSTOOD, and that’s
why our work with the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk is so
important. The research will assess the full range of drivers of population
change and identify ethical, equitable, progressive policy measures to
promote our most beneficial population futures (and avoid the most
damaging).
Armed with this evidence, PM will amplify its message across the media,
with policy-makers and the public alike. We want to demonstrate that the
UN’s low 2100 projection is achievable through ETHICAL, PRACTICAL
SOLUTIONS THAT ARE UNDERPINNED BY POLICY AND BEHAVIOUR CHANGE – in time
for the benefit of people and planet.
One generous individual has already pledged half the funds needed to launch
the research, on condition we secure match-funding. THAT’S WHY WE NEED
HELP FROM OUR GENEROUS SUPPORTERS AND MEMBERS TO MAKE IT POSSIBLE.
Together, we can better influence policy choices that will enable humanity
to thrive within the limits of our Earth’s resources, now and for
generations to come.
MAKE THIS EARTH OVERSHOOT DAY COUNT BY CONTRIBUTING TO THIS CRUCIAL
RESEARCH.
Please donate now [3]
THANK YOU.
Yours sincerely,
Robin Maynard
Director
P.S. You can also donate through the post by sending a cheque made payable
to ‘Population Matters’, and your name and address on the back to:
Population Futures Research, Population Matters, 135-137 Station Road,
London, E4 6AG.
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[9] (56’49”)
135-137 Station Road, London E4 6AG, UK
Registered company no 3019081, Charity 1114109
© 2020 Population Matters
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