By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org. The world is headed towards a “danger zone,” as it is passing a number of planetary boundaries that could destabilize the earth, according to yet another study by an international group of scientists. While your average citizen is probably not even aware of the concept of planetary boundaries, it should be a
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By Suzanne York. What is the role of government when it comes to having babies?  Should the goal be to empower women or promote economic growth? The government of Ethiopia announced earlier this week that it will try to lower its total fertility rate to 2.6 by the year 2020 from the current rate of
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By Kimberly Absher, guest youth blogger, www.howmany.org Population is the proverbial elephant in the room of the world’s problems. Despite its massive importance in determining the fate of, well, everything, it is frequently ignored or glossed over. Meanwhile, 250,000 people are born every single day, many in resource-deprived areas. How do we change this? An
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By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org Jesse Helms would undoubtedly turn over in his proverbial grave if he heard the New York Times advocating for changing the Helms Amendment to improve the lives of women in developing countries if it involves abortion. The Helms Amendment, first enacted in 1973, states that, “No foreign assistance funds may be
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Dear Friends, 2014 was the hottest year on record. Also in 2014, however, people marched in the streets to take action on climate change, and the implementation of the Affordable Care Act created greater access to contraceptives for women. As we head into 2015, population is a critical part of almost every pivotal issue facing
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By Suzanne York. Oceans are the lungs of the planet, and make up 99% of it.  Yet more and more, humans are using it as a garbage can.  Many people have likely heard about the giant floating garbage dump in the Pacific Ocean – the Pacific Trash Vortex – which is full of discarded plastic,
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By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org From the outside, it seems like the UN climate negotiations are all about wordsmithing, rehashing decades-old arguments on responsibility, finance and a little bit about impacts on people. It is more difficult to hear about the planet, i.e., nature, in the talks. When it does come up, nature is often reduced
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By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org Perhaps it’s telling that the UN climate meeting (officially known as COP 20) is being held in Lima, Peru.  It is an arid city of more than 8 million people and growing that receives less than an inch of rain annually.  With droughts increasing here and in many cities and regions
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By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org It is said that ignorance is bliss.  What about willful ignorance, or worse, indifference? It is undeniable that humans are changing the environment and affecting the planet’s biodiversity, and much of this change is not for the better.  But it is easier to stick our heads in the sand, look the
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By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org How does the old adage go?  Youth is wasted on the young, right? It is only wasted if the world chooses to not support and invest in young people.  Today, there are more youth than ever before in the history of humankind.  The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), in its just
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