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POPULATION MATTERS SUPPORTERS' UPDATE

JANUARY 2021

Director's message

_"Conservation is an empty word if we continue our population growth"_ –
one of many memorable quotes from doctor turned environmental filmmaker,
Sofia Pineda Ochoa’s, ‘Endgame 2050 [3]’, which I’ve just watched
ahead of PM’s screening of its population segment and panel discussion
next week [4] with some of the luminaries interviewed (see Take Action
below). By luminaries, I mean those shining a clear light on the facts –
a minority in the environment movement. It is time to dispel illusions,
tech-fixes & sci-fi fantasies. Moby, who provides much more than just the
sound-track to the film, does that brilliantly. Dismissing his own brief
fantasy for a giant ‘carbon hoover’, "_I don’t want that, I want us
to stop treating the planet like a garbage can"_, and popping the bubble
bedazzling so many in the media, _"Sorry, Elon Musk, Mars isn’t an option
– not for 7 billion people..."_

Endgame 2050 examines the wilful blindness, the media, politicians, and all
of us to a greater or lesser degree maintain despite the facts. A
comforting illusion routinely peddled is that our population, rather than
continuing to increase, is crashing. The Observer gave author Cal Flyn
space to plug her new book, _Islands of Abandonment_, based on a dubious
premise of falling birth rates causing rural decline [5], resulting in a
dystopian ‘vision of the future’ in which small populations of humans
crowd tightly into urban centres beyond which ‘wild animals prowl’. In
fact: the decline of rural populations in question is due to young people
migrating to the cities for better livelihoods and industrial, mechanised
agriculture displacing traditional farming.

Never mind the gothic trope of demonising _Canis lupus lupus_! Wolves are
key to conservation in places like Yellowstone National Park, keeping down
excess deer numbers. Fatal attacks on humans are extremely rare, as are
wolves – at most three thousand inhabit Spain, compared to over 46
million humans. More space for nature should be welcomed, not feared.

- Robin Maynard, Director, Population Matters

NEWS FROM POPULATION MATTERS

We're hiring!

We're thrilled that our small team will be growing! We're looking for a
Senior Campaigner and an Empower to Plan Project Coordinator. Could this be
you? We're also taking applications for a research project on population
and progressive economics. Deadline: 12:00 GMT on 5 February 2021.

Learn more [6]

POPULATION

Population and reproductive rights: our new briefing

In a submission to the UK parliament, Population Matters calls for greater
honesty about the population benefits of reproductive rights - and warns of
the threat posed by nationalistic population policies.

Read more [7]

Urgent warning: Humanity headed towards 'ghastly future'

An important new study by 17 leading scientists warns that the world is
failing to grasp the gravity of our environmental crises, and that without
urgent action on the underlying causes, population and consumption growth,
we face catastrophic mass extinction, climate disruption, and human
suffering.

Read more [8]

ENVIRONMENT

Population growth cancelling out climate change progress

A new study published in the _Journal of Population and Sustainability_
finds that more than three-quarters of the gains made from increased energy
efficiency and reduced carbon dioxide emissions are offset by global
population growth. The study calls for an end to the "conspicuous silence"
on the role of population in our enironmental crisis.

Read more [9]

Scientists call for tackling population to end insect loss

In a set of 12 studies on global insect decline published in _Proceedings
of the National Academy of Sciences_, the authors call for "a stable (and
almost certainly lower) human population, sustainable levels of
consumption, and social justice, that empowers the less wealthy people and
nations of the world, where the vast majority of us live."

Read more [10]

WOMEN'S RIGHTS & SEXUAL HEALTH

Biden reverses harmful Global Gag Rule

As promised, US President Joe Biden has rescinded Trump's Global Gag Rule
which blocked funding for vital reproductive health services in developing
countries. While this is a big victory for women's rights, campaigners are
calling on him to go further and permanently repeal this cruel policy.

Read more [11]

Poland enforces near-total abortion ban

A shocking new law which bans abortion in almost all cases has taken effect
in Poland. The ruling has sparked outrage and protests across the country.
Poland's conservative government has strong ties to the country's powerful
Catholic Church.

Read more [12]

Quote of the month

_"The economy is a wholly owned subsidiary of the environment, not the
reverse."_

- Herman Daly, former World Bank Economist and Population Matters Expert
Advisor

TAKE ACTION

Join our live panel discussion!

The important new documentary Endgame 2050 provides a sobering glimpse into
the bleak future we are headed towards unless we embrace the transformative
change required to turn the tide on our biggest environmental crises. Join
us on Zoom for a virtual live-screening of the population segment of the
film, followed by a panel discussion with the film-maker Sofia Pineda
Ochoa, PM Patrons Paul Ehrlich and Leilani Münter, and reproductive health
expert Alisha Graves!

When: Thursday 4 February, 6pm GMT / 10am PT / 1pm ET

More info and registration [4]

135-137 Station Road, London E4 6AG, UK
Registered company no 3019081, Charity 1114109
© 2021 Population Matters

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