You know that climate change threatens all of us—especially those living in areas of the world most vulnerable to rising sea levels, droughts, tropical storms, and extreme heat waves.

The people of Bangladesh face a particularly dire situation, with 80% of the country existing in a floodplain. Just last year, flash floods swept across a quarter of the country, damaging more than a million homes, stranding hundreds of thousands of people, and killing hundreds.

By 2050, the UN estimates that 20% of Bangladesh will be under water—forcing millions of people from their lands. Right now, riverbed erosion already displaces tens of thousands of people from their homes annually. With a population just under half the size of that of the United States—concentrated in a country roughly the size of the state of Georgia—all signs point to devastating crises for Bangladeshis in the near future.

And yet, one of the most effective solutions to climate change—which will not only help the people of Bangladesh, but people everywhere—is too often overlooked. The solution? The full empowerment of women and girls through access to family planning options and girls’ education.

By expanding access to modern contraceptives to the 218 million women in the developing world who have an unmet need, we can slow population growth—and what’s more, we MUST do this to tackle climate change! Pure and simple.

As climate solutions go, this rights-based intervention could prove to be one of THE most effective. Recent research by Project Drawdown found that empowering women and girls through family planning and education could reduce future carbon emissions by more than 85 gigatons through 2050. This is critical for our planet and for the women who would benefit by gaining control over their own futures.

That’s why I hope you’ll make a gift today towards Population Connection’s Climate Matching Gift Challenge to raise awareness about the threats posed by overpopulation, including climate change.

Thanks to the generosity of our anonymous matching gift sponsor, who is as concerned about the future of our planet as YOU are, your gift of $25.00 will become $50.00.

Thank you for standing with us today and every day. We can face this crisis—and provide hope for a more sustainable future—together.

Warm regards,

John Seager
President and CEO