Population, Health and Environment

What are connections between reproductive health and climate change?

Population 7 Billion

By Robert Kunzig
National Geographic
January 2011


There will soon be seven billion people on the planet. By 2045 global population is projected to reach nine billion. Can the planet take the strain? |MORE

From Cancun: Roger-Mark De Souza on Women and Integrated Climate Adaptation Strategies

PAI Blog
Posted by Roger-Mark De Souza
December 6, 2010

"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," said Roger-Mark De Souza, vice president of research and director of the climate program at Population Action International (PAI), speaking from the UN Climate Change Conference in Cancun, Mexico. "There are a number of missed opportunities here in Cancun and in climate change deliberations overall that are not including women and are missing an opportunity to have a bigger bang for the buck, or power for the peso, as we say in Mexico."

Blog 4 Global Health
Interactive blog from the Global Health Council’s Policy, Research and Advocacy team
11-30-2010

CANCUN, Mexico – Monday marked the official start to proceedings of the COP 16 conference here. This past weekend, however, international youth delegates, researchers and activists converged at the 6th Conference of Youth (COY 6) meetings to share information and resources, network and dialogue about all things climate change related.

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.
World population is still growing... |MORE

Public Health Institute’s GoJoven program, which builds the capacity of youth leaders to improve sexual and reproductive health (SRH) outcomes, participated in the discussions by co-organizing and leading two panel discussions focused on SRH and climate change connections. You may be wondering- how are these issues linked? Read on

Pathfinder Makes Note of Linkages between Family Planning and Climate Change

October 15, 2010

"More than two hundred million women around the world want, but lack access to, contraceptives. It is a right that must be addressed and is now increasingly urgent as climate change accelerates ...Meeting this unmet need promotes women's empowerment, changes lives, slows population growth, and also addresses climate change." |MORE

Population Action International Names Roger-Mark De Souza Vice President of Research and Director of Climate Program

October 13, 2010

Washington, DC – Population Action International (PAI) today announced Roger-Mark De Souza as its new Vice President for Research and Director of the Climate Program.

De Souza is a veteran of the population and environmental movements, with more than 20 years experience as an analyst, author and speaker on reproductive health, population, health and environment linkages, sustainable development, and demographic trends. He will lead PAI’s research team in establishing a strong evidence base to support advocacy and engage new allies in the effort to create healthier women and families. |MORE

Is There a Connection Between Gender and Climate Change?

On each page of the IUCN pamphlet, Lorena Aguilar, Senior Gender Adviser, provides one or more linkages between gender and climate change. |MORE

Population Action International (PAI) Focus Anew on Population and Environment Linkages

Population Action Internationa (PAI) believes 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. At a minimum, PAI will continue to urge that reproductive health always be included among the components in any integrated development projects in developing countries. 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.
|MORE

Women's Equality and the Climate Change Challenge

by Kathleen Rogers,
President, Earth Day Network
RH Reality Check
August 26, 2010 (Earth Day)

"Women get the connections between climate change, public health and economic growth, because climate change is disproportionately affecting women...
But women need not be victims of the climate crisis. A new generation of women entrepreneurs, leaders and civil society, have demonstrated the potential for being the solution to the climate crisis." |MORE

 

New Fellows Program on Population, Climate and Women

In an article published by RH Reality Check May 14, 2010, we learn that "The Center for Environment and Population (CEP), with four leading US and global institutes, is announcing the launch of a new US and international fellowship program on "Population, Climate Change and the Environment" with a focus on women's and girls' empowerment and RH issues." |MORE

Population, Nature and What Women Want

In the October 2008 episode of Future Choices the guest was Robert Engelman, author of More: Population, Nature and What Women Want. With a deft review of anthropological studies, historical observations and lessons learned from travels in the developing world Mr. Engelman leads us to the conclusion that women are the key to resolution of the dual problems of burgeoning population and environmental degradation. |MORE

Slower Population Growth Would Benefit People, Birds, and Climate

By John Flicker, Audubon President & CEO

July 11, 2008 -- Like canaries in the coal mine, birds are an important indicator of our planet's health. For thousands of years, they have been one of our most important early warning systems, predicting... |MORE

During January and February 2008 Future Choices TV programs explored the dynamic relationship which can/should exist between advocates for reproductive rights and environmentalists.

  • In January's show, “Mothering the Earth – Case Studies from Ethiopia” an American environmentalist (from National Audubon Society) and an Ethiopian Ob/Gyn (from EngenderHealth) made a convincing argument for the extraordinary synergy between reproductive rights advocates and environmentalists. Their conversation is interlaced with powerful observations from Ethiopia as well as Madagascar and Tanzania. More about this show .cows @ water
  • In February's episode of Future Choices, “Mothering The Earth — The U.S. Finds Its Voice,” National Audubon Society's Kathleen Mogelgaard returned to Future Choices to emphasize that the U.S. has wisely directed significant foreign aid towards "integrated population, health, and environment programs in regions critically important to the conservation of biologically diverse ecosystems." [See further]
    She asserted that these efforts, though laudable, are just a beginning to enabling developing nations to address the complex connections between humans, their health, their environment and sustainable development.
    She challenged the audience -- environmentalists and advocates for reproductive rights alike -- to work together creatively and energetically in order to achieve mutually beneficial ends, effectively “Mothering the Earth.”
    More details about this show

EMPTY SEAS
Europe’s Appetite for Seafood Propels Illegal Trade
By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL
LONDON — Walking at the Brixton market among the parrotfish, doctorfish and butterfish, Effa Edusie is surrounded by pieces of her childhood in Ghana. Caught the day before far off the coast of West Africa, they have been airfreighted to London for dinner.
Ms. Edusie’s relatives used to be fishermen. But no more. These fish are no longer caught by Africans.

The article goes on to document how and why the world's fisheries are being rapidly depleted while European dinnerplates are being filled with "illegal fish in European ports," a loss of livelihood to West African coastal nations and a precipitating factor to extremely dangerous environmental practices by pirate fishing boats from China, South Korea and Russia. See full New York Times article, published 1/15/08.

Population and Environment on YouTube: youtube

"Population growth rates are impacted by a number of factors

• Educational opportunities available to girlsmachild
• Economic opportunities available to women
• Access to reproductive health and family planning services and information"

In "Population & Habitat: A Global Overview" [a pdf file] National Audubon Society's Kathleen Mogelgaard not only connects the dots between women's health, development and protection of the habitat but she also points to integrated programs which bring 'Hope for the Future.'

The integrated PHE [Population, Health, Environment] approach to development recognizes the interconnections between people and their environment and supports cross-sectoral collaboration and coordination. The approach places particular emphasis on the population, health, and environment sectors. However, the underlying philosophy of the approach is one of integration. It can accommodate other sectors and be successfully applied to achieve a variety of development goals, including poverty reduction, food security, and gender equity." [My emphasis] |MORE

In accepting the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize, which he share with Vice President Al Gore,rkpach_mirrr the eminent Indian scientist, Rajendra K. Pachauri, noted:

“The impacts of climate change on some of the poorest and most vulnerable communities in the world could prove extremely unsettling.” |MORE

Dr Pachauri was elected as Chairman of IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), established by World Meteorological Organization and United Nations Environment Programme in 1988.

This page last updated April 4, 2011 16:54 .