Dear John

As you may know, a crucial UN climate change meeting, COP26, is taking place in Glasgow from 1-12 November. World leaders must agree on plans to prevent catastrophic warming, and while the priority is the urgent implementation of solutions which will be maximally effective over the coming decade, one factor is too often absent from climate discussions: our population growth.

Please sign our petition to COP26 President Alok Sharma MP, calling on delegates to advance globally beneficial population solutions, especially the empowerment of women and girls.

In a 2020 analysis of all available climate solutions, scientifc initiative Project Drawdown found that improving access to family planning and girls' education would save 85.4 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide by 2050, because of the resulting reduction in population growth. As well as directly improving the lives of women and girls, it is the second most powerful solution to limit warming to 2°C.

Despite these findings, the critical role of women's empowerment continues to be sidelined and neglected in environmental policy. Help us ensure that doesn't happen at COP26 - it couldn't be more important.

Thank you,

Alistair Currie
Head of Campaigns and Communications
Population Matters