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 |
