The Overpopulation Project
TOP – Research and Outreach
Too many people consuming too much
Category: Foreign Aid
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Population growth is still rapid. Has the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) forgotten family planning programs?
Projected population growth of about 2 billion in Africa and elsewhere contributes to poverty, impoverished reproductive health, and degradation of environment and climate. In a new publication in the journal Reproductive Health we argue that this unsustainable growth and the crucial role of family planning are neglected by among others the UN Population Fund. We…
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Why is Africa’s extreme population growth ignored, despite very serious consequences? And how will Europe respond?
Continued rapid global population growth is unsustainable, but the media instead focus on low birth rates in developed countries. Most future growth will be in Africa, where young people want to emigrate to Europe or other developed regions. How will EU countries act in the face of Africa’s extreme population growth and increasing migration? By…
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Don’t burn care: save contraceptives, save lives
Contraceptives that could prevent 100,000 unsafe abortions are sitting in a Belgian warehouse, at risk of being burned under Donald Trump’s order. Please consider sending an email to the Flemish ministers who have the power to stop it. by WeMove Europe In a quiet warehouse in Flanders, Belgium, nearly $10 million in life-saving contraceptives sit sealed…
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Trump denies women in need access to contraception
The recent dismantling of USAID bodes ill for women’s health in some of the world’s poorest countries. America can and should do better. by Jenny Goldie For several decades, there were major gains globally in access to family planning and reproductive health services. The US Government contributed significantly to this progress through its Agency for International Development…
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What’s up with America?
Some see a recent upsurge of fascism, or a unique malevolence in the current President. The reality is less dramatic: the continued erosion of American institutions, a long-term trend furthered by bankrupt ideologies. by Philip Cafaro A few months ago in this space, I wrote that Donald Trump’s obvious character flaws disqualified him as a…
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Canceling the Demographic and Health Surveys and Ending USAID’s role in Family Planning and Reproductive Health Programs: Why it Matters
In a world with changing demographic trends, does the retreat by the U.S. government from international population and family planning programs matter? Our answer is a resounding yes. by Win Brown and Karen Hardee We are demographers who earned our graduate degrees in the 1980s, when academic programs in population and family planning were booming.…
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Which international aid to Africa do Swedish voters prefer? A new survey provides answers
The Swedish government wants to direct more aid to trade and business. But voters rate such orientation low and prefer developmental support and/or humanitarian aid. The results also show interesting support for assistance to family planning. (A slightly shorter version of this article was published in Swedish as an Op-Ed in Dagens Arena, an online…
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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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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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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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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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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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EurASP Statement on Migration
The European Alliance for a Sustainable Population (eurASP) is a coalition of groups with the mission to raise awareness about the impact of human population, its size and density, on planet Earth. It includes groups from seven European countries. Recently they issued the following statement on migration. by The European Alliance for a Sustainable Population…
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Gattopardi and cheap labor
Reflections from Italy on the wicked problem of unregulated and unregulatable immigration into Western Europe. by Gaia Baracetti I could never understand what animal exactly the gattopardo was supposed to be. A leopard? A cheetah? A mythical beast? For sure, none of those roams my country. But I, like most Italians, always understood the meaning…
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Time for Sweden to resume focus on international family planning aid
Recent research suggests lack of contraception and high desired family size both hinder population stabilization in Africa. We call on the newly elected Swedish government to prioritize international family planning aid, resuming a valuable Swedish tradition. By Frank Götmark, Nordhild Wetzler, Malte Andersson, Carl Wahren, Karl-Erik Norrman An Op-Ed originally published in Svenska Dagbladet…
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Growing populations increase the risk of pandemics
Thank you, László We begin this week’s blog by gratefully highlighting the memory of László Szombatfalvy, Stockholm, who recently died at the age of 94. In his book The Greatest Challenges of Our Times László describes overpopulation as the overarching threat to Earth and humanity, above other existential threats. He and his research foundation supported…
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Influencing politicians to act on population trends: an example from Sweden
To influence societal attitudes and population policy it is important for organizations that understand the population factor to reach out to politicians who can enact necessary changes. Below follows one such example, where the Swedish group Nätverket ‘Population Matters Sweden’ wrote letters to all members of the Swedish parliament, highlighting the need to address population…
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Aid needs to go where it will help most
Development aid often fails to address the root causes of poverty in poorer nations. A recently proposed program to further sexual and reproductive health in Uganda provides a welcome example of a more focused and effective approach. by Kelvin Thomson When I began full time work 45 years ago, I started paying a monthly sponsorship…
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Humanity needs to halt both population growth and climate change
Many of today’s environmental problems are more due to population growth than climate change, and climate change is driven in part by continued global population growth. Development funding to make family planning and modern contraceptives universally available could make a big difference in solving these interlocking problems. By Malte Andersson, Frank Götmark, and Anders Wijkman…
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Why global support for contraception is critical in the pandemic age
Saturday, September 26th is World Contraception Day. This key date is a reminder that access to affordable contraception and reproductive health services is a fundamental human right across the globe. Furthermore, family planning and reproductive autonomy (particularly in the Global South), together with lowering our personal environmental impacts (particularly in the Global North) is fundamental…
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Introducing The Overpopulation Project Video Series # 1: The Usefulness of Foreign Aid
The Overpopulation Project is proud to present the first video in our four-part interview mini-series, an interview with Carl Wahren, a population professional with more than 30 years of experience in various multilateral organizations. Carl was a pioneer in introducing family planning programs in developing countries in the 1960’s, programs supported by the government and…
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Recent blog posts
- The role of mortality in fertility transition studies
- Population growth is still rapid. Has the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) forgotten family planning programs?
- The Most Appropriate Response to Falling Birthrates? Embrace Them
- New paper defends a pragmatic definition of overpopulation
- Because everyone else is (not) doing it: How social pressures may be the key to understand family size preferences
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