In the News, September 2026
Written by Olivia Nater, Communications Manager | Published: September 8, 2026
Slowing population growth key to protecting biodiversity from agricultural expansion
A new study published in PNAS found that faster economic development in low-income countries, largely through its dampening effect on population growth, could shrink future global cropland requirements more than slashing consumption in rich countries.
Habitat loss from agricultural expansion is a leading driver of biodiversity loss. The study authors quantified the relative contributions of population, per capita crop demand, yield, exports, and imports to different countries’ area of cropland from 1961 to 2016 and found that population had the largest relative impact on cropland expansion across all income groups. They then analyzed past and anticipated future trends in population, food demand, and crop yields to estimate global agricultural cropland requirements by 2050 and 2100, under moderate levels of climate change.
The study concluded that accelerating economic development in low-income countries (which the authors assume would significantly slow global population growth) is one of the best ways to limit further nature loss from agriculture.
The paper doesn’t mention that declining fertility rates are often a facilitator of accelerated GDP growth, or that economic development can lead to agricultural intensification, which also has profoundly negative environmental impacts. Nevertheless, the finding that limiting further population increase is key to protecting biodiversity is welcome.
Switzerland rejects initiative to cap its population
A controversial referendum initiated by Switzerland’s populist Swiss People’s Party (SVP) to limit the country’s population to 10 million was rejected by 55% of voters. This would have been accomplished by restricting asylum, family reunification, and residency permits and by ending the leniency with which EU residents from other countries can live and work in Switzerland.
The proposal made headlines for being the first serious attempt to set an upper limit to a country’s population.
Switzerland’s population has grown by a quarter over the past 25 years, to just over 9 million today. Proponents of the motion argued that Swiss infrastructure, housing, social programs, natural resources, and culture have been strained by this increase, while critics claimed the measure was anti-immigrant and would harm the country’s economy as well as diplomatic relations with Europe.
Studies link falling US birthrate to smartphone use
Two recent, not yet peer-reviewed studies independently concluded that the accelerated decline in the US fertility rate from around 2007 onward may be linked to the roll-out of the iPhone that same year.
According to CDC data, there were 69.5 births per 1,000 women aged 15–44 in 2007, the highest level since 2000. In 2025, the general fertility rate stood at 53.1 births per 1,000 women of reproductive age. By far the biggest drop occurred among 15–19-year-olds, with a 72% decline since 2007.
The study authors argued that smartphones meant people (especially teens) started spending more time on their devices and less time socializing, lowering their chances of pregnancy. The authors also noted that smartphones make it easier to access information on contraception and abortion.
Other researchers have questioned the findings due to confounding factors like the Great Recession (which began the same year) and the fact that most teens were unlikely to have been able to afford the steep price tag of the newly released iPhone.
Population aging and decline can be good for the economy
Defying “baby bust” alarmism, a new working paper by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that lower birthrates are associated with higher GDP per worker and higher wage growth. The observed gain in GDP per worker was large enough to fully offset any negative economic impacts of population decline, with no reduction in aggregate GDP.
The paper analyzed seven decades of demographic change to assess the impacts of aging and declining populations on economic performance across countries and within the United States.
The authors found it was largely technology-driven labor savings and shifts toward high-tech industries in response to young worker shortages that drove the economic boosts.
Extreme heat hits Europe and North America
This summer once again brought record-breaking temperatures, deadly heatwaves, and devastating wildfires to Europe and the United States. One researcher estimated that the June heat dome over Europe killed more than 20,000 people. In the US, more than 20 states reported temperatures above 100°F over the July 4th holiday weekend.
The number of people exposed to at least one day of extreme heat stress per year has grown by 1 billion globally compared to the 1970s, according to a new study published in Nature Climate Change. Exposure to heat stress, the leading cause of weather-related mortality, will increase further with continued global heating and population growth.
Senators condemn deceptive moms.gov website
A letter sent by 11 Democratic senators to Donald Trump and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. urges them to take down parts of a new federal website called moms.gov, which directs pregnant people to unregulated anti-abortion centers.
Launched on Mother’s Day, moms.gov is yet another strange and creepy attempt by the Trump administration to boost births and crack down on abortion. The website claims to offer “resources, information, and help for new and expecting mothers,” but its listed “resources” are 2,750 crisis pregnancy centers — fake clinics which specialize in talking women out of getting an abortion.
Contact Olivia Nater: onater@popconnect.org