The Overpopulation Project

19 November 2024. Court ruling could lead to an environmental impact statement on US immigration policy –

United States law requires that important federal policies and projects undergo environmental impact statements. While immigration policy has never been subjected to such an analysis, that might be about to change, thanks to a recent court ruling. by Philip Cafaro The U.S. National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) of 1969 mandates that any federal policy or […]

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14 November 2024. Joseph Speidel on Carl Wahren and the early days of family planning –

Recent years have seen a concerted effort to rewrite post-war family planning efforts as one big racist, sexist, imperialist conspiracy. It is now important, as the last people who worked on these campaigns pass from the scene, to reflect honestly yet fairly on their work. Here Céline Delacroix, a senior fellow with the Population Institute, […]

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5 November 2024. No sustainable paradigm is attainable without gradual population reduction –

The Jus Semper Global Alliance is dedicated to building a better world based on democracy, sustainability and fairly sharing the world’s wealth. Its website gathers valuable material on a full range of issues regarding economic, social and ecological justice. As its founder and executive director reminds us here, “no matter how efficient and fair the […]

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28 October 2024. Trump or Harris: the implications for U.S. immigration policy –

Who would you choose if you could vote in the upcoming U.S. presidential election? Who Americans choose has important implications for people around the world. Unfortunately, neither major party candidate is committed to ending U.S. population growth or creating an environmentally sustainable society. by Philip Cafaro Once every four years, I attend to my civic […]

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21 October 2024. A primer on economic growth and biodiversity for COP16 –

Many readers will be familiar with the good work of CASSE: the Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy. Here its executive director reminds us of the need to end growth if we hope to preserve biodiversity, a recurring theme at TOP (see here, here and here). by Brian Czech With the core […]

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2 October 2024. New study shows what is possible with strong family planning funding –

Access to voluntary, informed family planning should be the right of all people. In the past, only those with health insurance or who were well-to-do were likely to be able to access good family planning care. A new study by Franciele Hellwig and colleagues shows family planning equity has improved in five developing countries they studied, thanks […]

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13 September 2024. Thirty years is too long to turn a blind eye to world population growth –

September 13 marks thirty years since the United Nations International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo effectively denounced population stabilisation as a development goal. The consequences have been disastrous. by Jane O’Sullivan The United Nations Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) held in Cairo in September 1994 profoundly shifted the UN’s approach to […]

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7 September 2024. Realizing Quality Families –

World Vasectomy Day is coming up in November. Retired obstetrician-gynecologist Richard Grossman explains how vasectomies should be used as a more common tool when couple’s plan their families. by Richard Grossman MD I was walking down the street in Mountain View, California when I noticed a man coming toward me wearing a white T-shirt with […]

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30 August 2024. ‘Climate refugees’ and the question of limiting immigration: a response to Migration in Hotter Times –

A recent discussion paper on climate refugees, Migration in Hotter Times: Humanity at Risk, does much to muddy the water without presenting practical solutions. by Jane O’Sullivan and Philip Cafaro Immigration is a deeply divisive topic, even among population activists. It is not uncommon to have a strong commitment to global population stabilisation while believing […]

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13 August 2024. Losing Our Minds –

In the 1970’s the leading intellectuals in the United States were concerned about overpopulation. Fifty years later, the best and brightest minds in America now think we are running out of people. What the hell is going on? by Brad Meiklejohn “Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell.” – […]

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6 August 2024. A call for donations to complete films of pioneers in family planning –

TOP released a 1-hour film interview of Carl Wahren on 24 April that has been praised by eminent experts and demographers. We are now working on two more films about pioneers in the field of family planning. But to finish these films we need a few more donations. By The Overpopulation Project The interview of […]

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18 July 2024. World population revised upwards again –

On 11 July, the United Nations published its new population estimates and projections. While trumpeting the promise of a lower global peak as “a hopeful sign [for] reduced environmental pressures” in the press release, they don’t mention there are now 43 million more people than they anticipated as recently as 2022. Not such a hopeful […]

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10 July 2024. UN World Population Day 2024 focuses on anything but world population –

This year for World Population Day, the United Nations champions data collection, because ‘everyone counts’.  What they choose not to measure is more telling. by Jane O’Sullivan This World Population Day, we see the UNFPA celebrating 30 years of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Programme of Action. Yes, it’s been 30 years […]

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6 July 2024. New US population projection tool under construction –

TOP is developing a new population projection tool for the United States, based on US Census Bureau methodology and data. Check it out! You can run your own US population projections under different fertility and immigration scenarios — and help us improve the projection tool with your suggestions. by Philip Cafaro One of our more […]

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28 June 2024. Songs about population and the environment – what’s your favorite? –

Music is a rich source of inspiration for those of us who want to end population growth and improve environmental conditions. TOP looks at some classic hits and new songs recently sent to us and asks for more. By The Overpopulation Project A few weeks ago, two readers contacted us regarding their own songs. Kelvin […]

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19 June 2024. Green parties lose big in EU parliamentary elections by ignoring the relationship between immigration and environmental damage –

Green and left-wing parties lost ground in recent elections to the European Union Parliament, in part by neglecting and even denying the relationship between population growth by immigration and environmental stress. They could have used the topic to their advantage, but failed to do so. Instead it became the flagship issue of the right. By […]

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12 June 2024. Religion affects birth rates –

The global human population will increase by 2.4 billion to 2088, according to the UN. Birth rates are high in some parts of the world, leading to continued population growth. In Africa and parts of Asia, and within Muslim countries and communities, religiosity promotes high birth rates. This role of religion could, however, potentially be […]

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5 June 2024. Time to vote! –

Immigration is proving to be a hot topic in the run up to EU parliamentary elections. While the focus has been on immigration’s cultural and social effects, changes in immigration policy could also impact future population numbers across Europe. This has consequences for citizens, the environment and ecosystems. by Philip Cafaro According to the European […]

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29 May 2024. Offsetting CO2 emissions from flights: a connection to population –

Carbon offsets are always a compromise, not a substitute for avoiding emissions. However, if you have to fly, there are better options than the airlines’ voluntary offset programs. by Stephen Warren, Emeritus Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, USA Airplanes are responsible for less than three percent of global CO2 emissions1, but aviation […]

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21 May 2024. Meet the Nigerian Teacher Who Advocates for Family Planning –

Coming from a family of seven children, Chidera Benoit knows better than anyone how challenging it is to grow up in a big family in Nigeria and achieve a good living standard. Convinced that Nigerian women and men should be free to decide their family size, this young and motivated teacher and Executive Director of […]

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14 May 2024. Why Modern Monetary Theory is good news for population policy –

Why do governments pursue pronatalist policies and mass immigration in the face of majority voter opposition and the environmental crisis? The answer lies in blinkered, growthist economic ideologies linked to mainstream macroeconomics that predominantly benefit the rich and powerful. by Stephen Williams A relatively new macroeconomics – modern monetary theory (MMT) – has strong evidentiary […]

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7 May 2024. New State of the World Population report conceals family planning as UNFPA’s most successful product –

Thirty years ago, the Population Fund of the United Nations (UNFPA) started drifting away from its original objectives focused on reducing population growth. Its new State of the World Population Report illustrates how this drift undermines its mission to help the world’s poor. by Jan van Weeren and Jane O’Sullivan This year’s State of the […]

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24 April 2024. Carl Wahren (1933-2024), In Memoriam –

We note the passing of an admired leader in the field of family planning, our colleague and friend Carl Wahren. To commemorate his life and work, we share a new, wide-ranging interview with Carl about population policies and the changing role of the UN in international family planning. by The Overpopulation Project It is with […]

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16 April 2024. The Truth about Abortion –

Abortion rights are under attack in many countries. Yet a recent study shows just how damaging, both psychologically and economically, being denied an abortion can be. by Richard Grossman MD Dr. C. Everett Koop was President Ronald Reagan’s Surgeon General for most of his 2 terms. An excellent pediatric surgeon, Dr. Koop had very strong […]

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9 April 2024. Overpopulation Is Still a Huge Problem: An Interview with Jane O’Sullivan –

Despite reports that world population is peaking and fertility rates dropping, the human population is still growing at an unrelenting and unsustainable pace. In an interview by Richard Heinberg, Jane O’Sullivan sets the record straight. By Richard Heinberg, originally published by Resilience.org In February, I interviewed biochemist Chris Bystroff, whose peer-reviewed analysis suggests that world […]

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2 April 2024. Can we engineer our way out of the climate crisis? –

Many scientists excited to develop new geoengineering technologies say yes, as do capitalists who stand to profit by continuing with business as usual. But most of the commoners who will have to live with the messes left behind when technocrats fail say a resounding no. by Philip Cafaro Sunday’s New York Times included a lengthy […]

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28 March 2024. Vale Dan Carrigan –

Daniel Lee Carrigan, founder of the GAIA Earth-Balance Foundation, died on 4 March 2024 after a long struggle with heart disease. We gratefully commemorate his contribution to population and sustainability efforts. by Jane O’Sullivan Like a shooting star, Dan Carrigan’s dynamic energy lit up the population-sustainability world for a brief few years. In its wake, […]

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19 March 2024. The International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) at 30 – Let’s Address the Unfinished Agenda –

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the United Nations International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo, a watershed event in international population and reproductive health policy. It’s a good time to reflect on its legacy. by Joseph Speidel and Jane N. O’Sullivan The ICPD Programme of Action (POA) has served as a […]

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12 March 2024. Slow Down: The Degrowth Manifesto –

Socialism or barbarism or … social democracy with a mature acceptance of limits to growth? That’s the question posed by Kohei Saito’s provocative new best-seller. by Philip Cafaro Let me admit right up front that I’m a little jealous. As a philosophy professor who’s written a few books but no best sellers (yet!), I can’t […]

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5 March 2024. Carbon emissions and the desperate search for culprits –

Are rich people with their private jets the main cause of climate change? Or are the hundreds of millions joining the middle class in China and India? Or maybe large families of poor farmers in the tropics deforesting to make room for low-productive agriculture? This blog questions the search for specific culprits, which is often […]

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