VOLUME 58 | ISSUE 3 | SEPTEMBER 2026

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The Green Revolution Was Anything But Green

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The Green Revolution was a significant advancement in agricultural technology that enabled a massive increase in the production of cereals, especially wheat and rice, during the mid-20th century. Coming at a time when global population growth rates peaked and many developing countries were facing food shortages, these innovations prevented catastrophic famines. This success was widely touted as proof that humanity can innovate its way out of every crisis, including rapid population growth. But this view neglects the tremendous environmental harm caused by modern agriculture.

Read this issue's featured article, which explores the darker side of one of the 20th century's most celebrated humanitarian achievements.

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PROGRAM UPDATES

[[link removed]] Organizers Kept Up the #Fight4HER Over the Summer

Our field organizers in Arizona, Nevada, New Hampshire, and North Carolina facilitated events in their communities throughout the summer to maintain momentum in the fight for reproductive rights.

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[[link removed]] Inappropriate Appropriations and Pronatalist Propaganda

Recent actions prioritize pronatalist and anti-abortion policies while rolling back support for contraception, reproductive healthcare access, and evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention programs.

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[[link removed]] Celebrating the Winners of the 2025–2026 Student Video Contest

This year marks the 15th anniversary of the World of 8 Billion international student video contest. More than 3,275 videos were submitted from 63 countries and 45 US states and territories, exploring the global topics of Energy, Economics, and Wetlands.

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[[link removed]] Global Partner Spotlight: Kakenya’s Dream

Founded in 2008 by Dr. Kakenya Ntaiya, Kakenya’s Dream is a robust nonprofit organization supporting girls with high-quality education, community-based health care, and leadership programs.

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[[link removed]] 2026 Summer Photo Contest Winners

This year’s contest featured seven categories: Amazing Avians, Botanical Bliss, Candid Culture, Charming Creatures, Gorgeous Geology, Scenic Skies, and Wondrous Water.

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LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

Dear Friend,

“But any ecologist will tell you that the growing human population is the greatest single stressor endangering the planet’s carrying capacity, and that most environmental ills today stem from overpopulation.”

– US Sen. Gaylord Nelson (1916–2005)

In the 1960s and for some time thereafter, the environmental movement widely supported Earth Day founder Gaylord Nelson’s perspective. David Brower, the first executive director of the Sierra Club and the founder of several prominent environmental organizations, argued in 1970 that “there is one principal question before the United States and before the world […]: How dense can people be?” He used the phrase to refer explicitly to the environmental impacts of population growth. Henry Kendall, former board chair of the Union of Concerned Scientists, wrote in the 1992 World Scientists’ Warning to Humanity , “Pressures resulting from unrestrained population growth put demands on the natural world that can overwhelm any efforts to achieve a sustainable future.”

While America’s environmental groups do vital work, most moved sharply in the wrong direction regarding population concerns. This reversal was partly driven by demonstrably false charges that efforts to slow and stop population growth are inevitably coercive. It’s baffling why so many otherwise thoughtful environmental leaders refuse to recognize that women everywhere want reproductive autonomy and that, when they can make their own informed choices, family size plummets. What’s good for families is also good for our planet.

Recently, positive reinforcement for a less-crowded planet is coming from an unexpected quarter, namely economists.

Historically, Julian Simon, Paul Romer, Nicholas Eberstadt, and other economists have argued — some more explicitly than others — that larger populations support economic growth by expanding the pool of workers, taxpayers, and consumers. There have been exceptions — notably Dean Baker, who wrote, “[A]lthough declining populations may be a problem for political leaders who want to be more important in international politics, they are not bad news for the people of a country.”

Recent research confirms Baker’s assertion. The 2024 Nobel laureate in economics, MIT’s Daron Acemoglu, co-authored a working paper finding that “lower birthrates are associated with higher growth in GDP per working-age adult across countries and higher wage growth across US commuting zones, with no negative impact on aggregate GDP or earnings.”

Now let’s hope that these findings prove eye-opening. While we’re at it, let’s hope those environmental groups reconsider their unseemly, unscientific silence about the perils of overpopulation.

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[[link removed]] John Seager

PRESIDENT AND CEO

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