July 11th marked World Population Day 2015. A day designated by the United Nations in 1989 to raise awareness about global population issues and described by US Secretary of State John Kerry “as a reminder of our common responsibility to build a more sustainable and just future.”
This year, attention is being focused on vulnerable populations in emergencies and the particular threats they face. Statements and activities from the United Nations Population Fund can be accessed here and you can follow the conversation on Twitter via #WPD2015.
Interested in ways to take part and raise awareness about global population issues?
Below are a few highlights from the MAHB Community:
From Population Matters, a list of actions individuals can do on World Population Day to help raise the issue of population and promote smaller families:
Hold a teach-in on world population trends.
How is population growth affecting the area in which you live? Come up with a story and share it with local media.
Hold a debate on family size — is smaller better?
Survey family planning provision or sex and relationship education in your area. Find out how could it be better and then ask for improvements.
Are women truly equal in your area in terms of access to education and employment? If not, what can be done?
The Center for Biological Diversity distributed 10,000 free Endangered Species Condoms across the United States to highlight the pressure human population growth puts on local wildlife. The Center also launched an online photo gallery featuring crowd-sourced photos showing what sharing a crowded planet with wildlife looks like. To view the gallery and to submit your own photos visit the #CrowdedPlanet webpage.
The Global Population Speak Out initiative sent Pope Francis a copy ofOverdevelopment, Overpopulation, Overshoot (OVER) along with a public appeal for the Catholic Church to end its religious prohibition on the use of contraceptives. You can join the message to the Vatican here.
What did you do on World Population Day 2015? Let us know in the comments section below.
Learn more about the featured photograph here.
The views and opinions expressed through the MAHB Website are those of the contributing authors and do not necessarily reflect an official position of the MAHB. The MAHB aims to share a range of perspectives and welcomes the discussions that they prompt.