By Suzanne York, www.transition-earth.org. In some ways the following are two very different stories, but ultimately in the end both end up advancing women’s rights when it comes to family planning and reproductive health. Let’s first take a look at India – soon to be the world’s most populous country.  For decades it has been relying
[continue reading…]

By Suzanne York, www.transition-earth.org “We are the first generation with the knowledge of how our activities influence the Earth System, and thus the first generation with the power and the responsibility to change our relationship with the planet.” That statement was written in 2011 in a journal article by a group of some of the
[continue reading…]

By Suzanne York. Child marriage is a difficult issue that is complicated by culture and religion, and especially by poverty.  Now it seems that climate change is another complicating factor. It might be surprising to find out that extreme weather could be increasing the rate of child marriage and other detrimental impacts on children. But
[continue reading…]

By Suzanne York It’s ironic that while much attention is focused on getting to a climate agreement in Paris that at the same time the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is being negotiated.  On the one hand you have efforts to reduce global carbon emissions as a means to protect people and the environment.  On the other
[continue reading…]

By Suzanne York. The outrage over the killing of Cecil the lion from Zimbabwe is palpable. Sadly, this lion is just one of many species of animals killed by trophy hunters (as well as poachers). Yet would people be outraged if they knew that wild habitat for almost all species in Africa – and the
[continue reading…]

By Suzanne York. In honor of World Population Day (July 11th), what better way to recognize the importance of the multi-faceted population growth issue than to look at success on the ground. In Ethiopia, some of the biggest issues facing the local communities are high population pressure (due to large family size and few family
[continue reading…]

By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org Across the world many people are waiting with bated breath as one of society’s most influential religious leaders weighs in on the topic of climate change and its impact on people and the environment. Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church, is releasing an encyclical (a papal letter sent to bishops)
[continue reading…]

By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org. It’s still a month until summer begins, and the drought in the western U.S. continues to be headline news.  Just wait until August. A couple of news items from the past week perfectly highlight the scope of the drought that is impacting the western U.S., and the role of human hubris
[continue reading…]

By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org. Mother’s Day is a good time to reflect on the status of women.  Though we honor mothers, women face many hurdles and much inequality today that make one question how much we as a global society respect women, whether they are moms or not. Empowering women and improving the state of
[continue reading…]

By Kimberly Absher, guest youth blogger, www.howmany.org. A recent Guardian article said youth unemployment “is an issue set to destabilise fragile economies, become a breeding ground for extremism, and leave a generation permanently scarred.” Indeed, it is cause for concern when not only considering today’s out-of-work young people, but also the workforce of tomorrow. According to
[continue reading…]