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. 

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.

[1]https://populationmatters.org/the-facts/the-numbers
[2]https://populationmatters.org/news/2020/07/20/two-billion-fewer-people
[3]https://www.cser.ac.uk/
[4]https://populationmatters.org/the-facts/resources-consumption
[5]https://www.overshootday.org/2020-calculation/
[6]https://www.facebook.com/PopulationMatters/videos/vb.120739704666597/769279793611573/?type=2&theater (56’49”)