Roger-Mark De Souza,
Vice President of Research and
Director of the Climate Program
Roger-Mark De Souza Insists on the Importance of Integrating Women and Climate Adaptation Strategies
"When you look at the negative impacts of climate change, the impacts on the poor and the vulnerable - particularly women - increases, so investing in programs that put women at the center is critical," says Roger-Mark De Souza, vice president of research and director of the climate program at Population Action International (PAI). |MORE
In “How To Save the Earth: Empower Women” Roger-Mark De Souza comments on a wide range of Population Action International's initiatives which give our planet Earth its best chance of survival by giving women "what they want" -- family planning — so that they, in turn, may turn their energies on what they do best — nurturing their families and their environment.
Future Choices offers his video on local access cable TV in Westchester County during the month of April to celebrate Earth Day, April 22.
Women and the Green Economy
To accelerate and provide the new thinking and creative power for a global post-carbon economy, Earth Day Network is engaging women business, government and NGO leaders in its “Women and the Green Economy” (WAGE™) campaign. |MORE
"Population Action International (PAI) believes," De Souza says, "that family planning and natural resource conservation remain an especially catalytic combination that can bring communities quickly closer to broad-based economic development, improved health and environmental sustainability. Reproductive health services should be as comprehensive as feasible, presenting as few barriers as possible to all who seek to use them. And they should always include a variety of choices of contraceptive methods to meet the needs and wishes of women, men and young people."
De Souza picks up on a number of the themes from Future Choices 2008 episode, "Population vs. Environment — Leave It to Women," noting, for instance why population growth matters to the future of forests which are shrinking faster today than ever before in human history. |MORE
We learn from De Souza's anecdotes about women in Ethiopia:
how they react to and cope with climate change,
why they are so vulnerable to these changes,
what resources they need to adapt to climate changes, and also
the all-important role of family planning and reproductive health in increasing resilience to climate change impacts.
At the UN Climate Change Conference in Cancun, Mexico December 2010, it became very clear that women’s empowerment is critical for climate solutions. PAI hosted the side session: "Healthy Women, Healthy Planet: Women's Empowerment, Family Planning, and Resilience" at which panelists shared perspectives on these issues.
Click here to listen to De Souza discuss the issues brought up in this “hot” panel session in more detail.
In a December 11, 2010 opinion piece, the Wall Street Journal contended that "The biggest climate conference achievement [was] Sun tans." In the course of the Future Choices interview De Souza begs to differ with that assessment, pointing out the extensive sharing of new information which occurred as well as new commitments to dealing with climate change which participating nations made in Cancun.
Watch the video: "How To Save the Earth: Empower Women"
How YOU can save the Earth and empower women
Give a Green-Pink Party
Sierra Club's Green-Pink Parties provide an easy way for you to unite the women's rights and environmental movements, help change lives, and have fun!
When you sign up to host a Green-Pink Party, Sierra Club will send you a FREE Green-Pink Party Kit that includes everything you'll need to organize a successful event: a step-by-step party-planning guide, fact sheets, invitations, fliers, two short DVDs, green & pink condoms, and more.
Hear the women's stories on "Empty Handed"
De Souza touts the video,
"Empty Handed," which tells the story of women’s lack of access to reproductive health supplies in sub-Saharan Africa, and its impact on their lives. The film documents the challenges at each level of the supply chain and identifies key areas for improvement. Empty Handed aims to provoke discussion and mobilize support for reproductive health supplies.
Watch the short film.
Download the advocacy guide which is replete with ideas for provoking stimulating discussion.
Write Your Congressional Representatives
Tell them that these issues are important to you. (You can use the advocacy guide for ideas about how to formulate your pitch.
When is Future Choices aired in your community?
See Local TV schedule for time and channel in each participating community in Westchester County.
World Population To Reach 7 Billion in 2011
De Souza congratulates National Geographic magazine for focusing with its January 2011 issue on the swelling of the world's population to 7 billion. With their cover story National Geographic launches a year-long series highlighting population issues around the globe in video, photos, lectures in collaboration with The Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, PBS NewsHour, and other news media outlets.
On January 6th National Geographic recorded live in their Grovesnor Auditorium a special episode of NPR's Talk of the Nation: "7 Billion and Counting: Can Earth Handle It?" Host Neal Conan introduced the program
Seven billion people will inhabit the Earth by the end of this year, a number that's difficult to fathom. Over the past 50 years, our numbers have grown at a clip never before seen in the course of human history.
PAI notes that "Population growth over the last half-century is unparalleled in the history of our planet. Human population took hundreds of thousands of years to grow to 2.5 billion in 1950. Then in just 50 years, it more than doubled to exceed 6 billion. Most of this growth has been in developing countries where advances in public health have contributed to lower mortality at all ages. Until recently, death rates fell faster than birthrates, resulting in rapid population growth.
Many poor countries struggle to maintain health care, schooling and urban infrastructure in the face of rapid population growth. Disproportionately large populations of young people that result from this growth can strain govern
ments. They also appear to make many developing countries more vulnerable to civil conflict...|MORE
PAI's Fact Sheet, "Toward 7 Billion:
Why World Population
is Still Growing," may be downloaded here.
Population and the Environment:
Where We’re Headed and What We Can Do
Many environmental problems will be easier to address if world
population peaks at 8 billion rather than 11 billion. The good
news: there is already a global consensus on how to slow
population growth, with programs that improve human wellbeing
at very little cost...Family planning programs are cost-effective and
contribute to human well-being...Environmentalists have an important role to play...|MORE
About Roger-Mark De Souza
With more than 20 years’ experience, Roger-Mark De Souza is a recognized
analyst, author, and speaker on reproductive health, population,
health and environment linkages, sustainable development, and
demographic trends, linking social and policy aspects of these areas
in research, advocacy, and evaluation. |MORE
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