2022 Supporters' Round Up
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DECEMBER 2022
Dear John,
The past year has seen some significant milestones and events – most
obviously in our human population topping 8 billion in mid-November (the
fastest billion added to our planet over our existence on Earth). I
remember PM striving to raise awareness and calling for positive action
only 11 years ago when we hit 7 billion.
Does that also mark our failure as a population concern organisation? No,
because that growth was already ‘baked into the system’. It would be
unrealistic, indeed deluded, to believe that PM could singlehandedly halt
the embedded surge of global population growth given our resources - a
staff body of just 11 full-time posts, an annual income of under £1
million. We are dwarfed by the likes of WWF-UK, boasting 35 times the
number of employees, 84 times the annual income. Yet despite those greater
resources (boosted by WWF offices worldwide), globally wildlife populations
are in free fall. WWF’s latest _‘Living Planet’_ report records a 69%
decline over the same period that our human population has more than
doubled – it would be more honestly titled the _‘Dying Planet’_
report.
Honest conversations, opening up dialogue, and not glossing over
inconvenient facts characterise PM’s work this past year. As in March,
when we co-hosted the ‘Population Conversation’ gathering in Kenya,
amplifying the voices of our ‘Change Champions’ on World Population Day
in July, and by-passing the established NGOs to meet new partners at the
International Conference on Family Planning in Thailand in November.
We are very grateful for your support over the past year!
- Robin Maynard, Director, Population Matters
BIGGEST STORIES IN 2022
[World Population Day] [3]
World Population Day & the new UN projections
World Population Day: 11 July 2022. It's always a big date in the diary for
us, but this year it also saw the release of the new UN Population
Projections, as well as the announcement of our Change Champions 2022 [4],
celebrating individuals and organisations across the globe!
Read more [3]
[8 billion] [5]
The day we reached #8BillionAndCounting
On 15 November, the human population reached another milestone: 8 billion.
Biodiversity loss, climate change, pollution, deforestation, water and food
shortage – these are all exacerbated by our huge and ever-increasing
numbers. Find out more about our campaign activities.
Read more [5]
[Elon Musk] [6]
Elon Musk: "fake news" award and a truth-telling report
Mr Musk's year has certainly been eventful, but his peak "population
apocalypse" rhetoric came in the lead up to summer. We challenged his
claims in a new report, _Which Planet is he on?_ [7] and sent him a
uniquely designed fake news award.
Read more [6]
[Gilead Watch] [8]
Roe vs. Wade and what it meant for women's rights
In June, the US Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade decision that
prevented states banning abortion. Naturally, we condemned this in the
strongest terms and have followed the fallout, tracking the developments
in women's reproductive rights around the world in Gilead Watch [9].
Read more [8]
DECEMBER NEWS
[Happy Shopping?] [10]
Where does the compulsion to buy come from?
With the holiday season upon us, life can seem like one big shopping spree
at this time of year. But where does the compulsion to buy come from? In
this guest blog as part of our new We Don't Buy It [11] Campaign
challenging unsustainable consumption, Clinical Psychologist Dr Vikki
Barnes explores the science behind why it feels good to shop and how we can
replicate that feeling with other activities.
Read more [10]
[Turimiquire Foundation] [12]
Family planning is all about getting families ahead
The Turimiquire Foundation in Venezuela, our Empower to Plan partner, is
working hard to reach some of Latin America’s most marginalised
communities. As Venezuela’s humanitarian crisis rages on, the
organisation shares why family planning is so important for improving
people’s lives and protecting the environment.
Read more [12]
[Big Baby] [13]
8 billion people in the news
We’re not sure the population issue has ever been quite so
front-and-centre in the media as it was on 15 November this year, the day
the 8 billionth human alive was born. Some of the coverage was positive,
some negative, but importantly there was conversation, and Population
Matters contributed to much of it.
Read more [13]
TAKE ACTION
[14]
SHARE OUR POPULATION EXPLORER
Have you seen our Population Explorer? It's a cool interactive tool
that explains the crucial links between population growth and our biggest
environmental crises, as well as available solutions.
Please share the link with a friend or family member if you can - for the
curious-minded, it's fun as well as informative. We all know that
population is an issue too often ignored or misrepresented, but this tool
is an engaging way to get the population conversation started and share the
importance of our work.
Thank you and Happy Holidays!
Check it out now [14]
Manage your communication preferences here [15].
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Registered company 3019081, charity 1114109
© 2022 Population Matters
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