China amended its one-child policy. It’s still wrong.
In a radical departure from its former one- and two-child policies, China’s Communist party announced on June 1 that it would allow married couples to have up to three children. The decision — borne of a desperate attempt to raise its declining birth rate — is a measure that reflects the greater global anxiety of […]
Climate Migrants and Others Fleeing Ecological Threats Will Only Become More Common
It’s no secret that the impacts of climate change have been a driving force behind migration. As droughts, heatwaves, floods, and other climate change consequences continue to increase in severity and frequency, many climate-vulnerable communities around the globe are seeking out safer and more hospitable environments. The discussion of climate vulnerability has also made its […]
U.S. Population Growth Hasn’t Ended (Unfortunately), Despite What Some Reporters Say
While it’s exciting to finally start seeing articles about population in the news, unfortunately, most of them are bemoaning a so-called U.S. “population bust” and “demographic stagnation.” The vast majority of top-ranked comments (select the Reader Picks tab) on these articles support our position: that fertility decline and slowing population growth present opportunities for the […]
The Links Between Population and the Environment, Explained
Earth’s complex natural systems sustain all life. Biodiverse terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems also enhance human livelihoods and well-being. When human numbers were small, our impact on the environment was localized and minimal (for a visual representation of how human population numbers have grown throughout history, check out Population Education’s famous “dot” video!). However, as […]
What Is the Carrying Capacity of Earth?
Alex Casey, Communications Fellow, reports on a conversation she had with Joel E. Cohen, author of How Many People Can the Earth Support? What Does Carrying Capacity Mean? Did you know that the term we use to try to determine the number of people the planet can support is the same one used by sailors […]
The U.S. Fertility Rate Is Below Replacement Level — and We’re Hopeful About It.
The 2020 Census found that the U.S. population grew at its slowest rate since the Great Depression. The current total fertility rate (TFR) is about 1.7 births per woman—far below the replacement level of 2.1. This trend has not been viewed positively by some government officials and economists, to say the least. Competition with China […]
Earth, Population, and Zoonosis
COVID-19 is the latest of many zoonotic diseases that have reached epidemic or pandemic levels in recent decades, including SARS, Ebola, avian flu, and swine flu. Zoonoses are diseases that result from viral animal-to-human spillovers. These spillovers are predominately linked to human encroachment into animal habitats and ecosystem disruption through human activities and climate change. […]
Girls’ Education and Family Planning to Achieve Bodily Autonomy for All
We’re now a third of the way through 2021. We’re still in the midst of a global pandemic that has taken the lives of over 3 million people and has forever changed how many of us operate in the world. Although there is seemingly a light at the end of the tunnel with the distribution […]
Population Growth Around the World
Which Continent Has the Fastest Growing Population? This is a question we are often asked, so we’d like to dedicate an entire blog post to its answer. The reality is that, although the global fertility rate has declined to 2.4 children per woman (from 4.9 when we were founded in 1968), there is a wide, […]
Statement on the Conviction of Derek Chauvin
On Tuesday, April 20th, Derek Chauvin was convicted of murdering George Floyd. The guilty verdicts in the Chauvin case reflect a small measure of accountability, but they don’t change the fact that a Black man was murdered in cold blood. Nothing will change unless and until white people are willing to use their privilege to […]
