Population News from May

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POPULATION MATTERS SUPPORTERS' UPDATE

MAY 2021

Director's message

PLOUGHING LONELY FURROWS, CASTING PEARLS…

One of the organisations I worked for before joining Population Matters was
the Soil Association. As with seeking to communicate the benefits of
achieving a smaller, sustainable human population, promoting the benefits
of organic food and farming was a lonely and much contested furrow to
plough at times!

The exponents of mainstream, ‘conventional’ agriculture (in reality,
completely antithetical to the conventions and principles of good
husbandry) did all they could to denigrate organic farming, dismissing it
as ‘muck and magic’, claiming there was no evidence of any benefits.

A memorable occasion I recall when those vested interests were shamed into
silence was a farming conference our President, Jonathon Porritt, was
speaking at. The preceding speaker, clearly feeling on a winning ticket
amongst the largely agribiz audience, made the usual denigratory remarks
unaware that Jonathon had armed himself with a compendium of all the
peer-reviewed research confirming the benefits and distinctive features of
organic food and farming. With a flourish, Jonathon cast the pages setting
out the hundreds of referenced papers into the front row of the audience
like a great concertina.

So, to mark the International Day of Biodiversity on 22 April, we
metaphorically rolled out our ream of evidence to the most influential of
our fellow environmental campaign groups here in the UK. Bolstered with the
signatures of some of our most high-profile and authoritative supporters,
our letter [3] to the likes of WWF and Greenpeace directed them to the
abundant evidence in our new briefings on climate change [4] and
biodiversity [5].

The irony here is that many young people clearly see what the big
environment groups so far choose not to. Our landmark new poll [6] shows
three-in-ten 18-24 year olds in the UK want to have fewer or no children
because of their impact on the environment. Time is long overdue for the
biggest names in the environmental movement to catch up with those
enlightened young citizens.

- Robin Maynard, Director, Population Matters

TAKE ACTION

Make life in harmony with nature possible

Thank you to everyone who has already given so generously to our special
30th anniversary appeal! If you haven't yet and are able to, please
consider donating. If all our supporters gave just £5 we’d easily reach
our £100,000 target and accelerate our campaigns to make a better future
possible for future generations of children and countless species of
wildlife.

Give now [7]

NEWS FROM POPULATION MATTERS

Will environment groups break their silence on population?

For International Biodiversity Day on 22 May, some of PM's most
authoritative and high profile supporters have joined us in asking major
environmental groups to speak out on population. Chris Packham, Gordon
Buchanan and Prof William Ripple are among those who have signed a letter
to the CEOs of WWF-UK, Greenpeace UK and others, urging them to accept the
evidence and take action.

Read more [3]

A third of young people want small families for environmental reasons

A new UK opinion poll by Population Matters has found that almost
three-in-ten people between 18 and 24 years old say concerns about the
environment have made them want to have fewer or no children. The poll also
revealed that despite the clear benefits of smaller families, both parents
of only children and childfree women reported that they feel negatively
judged for their choices.

Read more [6]

Environment Day panel discussion

Our Director Robin is taking part in this free International Expert Virtual
Roundtable to mark World Environment Day. The topic is how to hardwire
sustainable growth into a post-pandemic world. Panellists include the Rt
Hon Jeremy Hunt MP, Mike Barrett of WWF, Janelle Knox-Hayes of MIT and
others.

Register now and tune in on Monday 7 June 2021, from 14:00-15:00 BST.

Register [8]

PM supporters take action on family planning aid cuts

As we announced in our April Update, the UK Government intends to cut its
funding for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) by a staggering 85%.
Population Matters wrote to key representatives and launched an e-action
urging a reversal of this terrible move. Thanks to the close to 700 people
who have already taken action! If you haven't yet, please add your voice.

Read more [9]

POPULATION

Conspiracy chaos: Bill Gates, the UN and population

Over the past year, a growing proportion of Population Matters’ website
traffic has been driven by rather odd search terms including “Bill Gates
depopulation”, “Agenda 2030 population control”, and “depopulation
coronavirus vaccine”. A quick Google search uncovers a frighteningly
extensive network of misinformation. PM's Senior Communications Officer,
Olivia Nater, separates the myths from the facts.

Read more [10]

ENVIRONMENT

The sixth mass extinction and the future of humanity

Everyone is aware of the climate crisis but not many people know there is
another, equally serious environmental crisis: the sixth mass extinction.
In our latest guest blog, renowned ecologist and conservationist Dr Gerardo
Ceballos explains this alarmingly rapid erosion of biodiversity and why the
survival of our own species depends on whether we manage to halt it.

Read more [11]

Join the Wave of Hope

In 2021, the UK will host two critical summits – the G7 in June and COP26
in November. It’s time for global leaders to address the world’s
biggest crises and work together for a recovery that provides vaccines and
healthcare for all, fights poverty and injustice, and helps end the climate
and nature crises. We are members of the Crack the Crises alliance who have
launched a new campaign to build solidarity. Will you join the Wave of
Hope?

Learn more [12]

WOMEN'S RIGHTS & SEXUAL HEALTH

"I’m a Bangladeshi woman who decided to be child-free. We exist."

Thoughtful op-ed in the Dhaka Tribune about the harmful expectations and
pressures placed on women and the right of childfree women to live free of
judgement.

Read more [13]

Linking reproductive rights and climate solutions is the only way
forward

Kristen Patterson of Drawdown Lift explains the urgent need to include
reproductive health and rights in efforts to tackle our environmental
crises.

Read more [14]

Quote of the month

_"I've travelled the globe documenting the most magnificent natural
spectacles the world has to offer. But my decades-long career has shown me
first-hand how the pressures on the natural world have changed. These
pressures are driven by humankind's growing population."_

- Gordon Buchanan, wildlife filmmaker & Population Matters Patron

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© 2021 Population Matters

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