By Suzanne York. Mention the Congo, and it evokes thoughts of Conrad, King Leopold, diamonds, conflict, war, and also incredible biological diversity and culture. If there is anyplace on the face of the planet that seems to comprise the best and worst of humanity, it might just be the Democratic Republic of Congo. From its
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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
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By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org. If you’re an American, you might be pleased to hear how your taxpayer dollars are being used at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), especially in support of women.  On this International Women’s Day, here is a brief look at what our international aid agency is doing. Gender and Empowerment
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By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org There has been some hoopla over a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) about how decreasing human population numbers is not a quick fix for environmental problems. Well, of course it’s not a quick fix.  Nothing really is, short of a catastrophe.  The two authors
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By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org The Living Planet Report 2014, an analysis of undertaken by World Wildlife Fund, the London Zoological Society, and a few other groups, just reported sobering and disturbing news:  the world is losing more species than originally thought, with the state of global wildlife populations halved in 40 years. The opening paragraph
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By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org As the world, or at least some of it, recognizes World Population Day on July 11th, it might be a good time to look around at some encouraging projects and initiatives empowering people and protecting the environment in communities across the globe. But first, some fast facts for a brief overview:
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By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org As we celebrate Earth Day this year, it is a good time to think about how we can improve not just the environment but also peoples’ lives.  In the face of globalization and the push for endless economic growth, our societies need to determine the best way to grow and where and when it’s needed.
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By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org Last month, as a conference was taking place in Ethiopia on the potential of PHE projects (population-health-environment) to empower communities, the United Nations released its 2013 Human Development Report.  This analysis assesses the status of health, education, and wealth in developing countries. While the report, titled The Rise of the South:
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By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org If you are concerned at all about world population growth, human rights (and especially women’s rights), and protecting the environment, then you should know about how PHE (Population, Health and Environment) programs can effectively address these issues. PHE projects are relatively new in the development sector, but this holistic approach recognizes
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