Is overshoot my burden?
One mom’s journey to raise an environmentally aware child amid climate anxiety and the burden of ecological overshoot — through everyday choices and empowered parenting. Last week (on World Population…
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Together, we are tackling one of our planet’s greatest challenges: global population growth. We’re deeply grateful for your dedication to protecting reproductive freedom and valuing education for the greater good of our one small, shared planet!
2024 HighlightsFind the latest updates on our work below, all made possible thanks to YOUR generous gift.
Spring Updates
Population Education and Education for Higher Studies
- Our Population Education (PopEd) team is wrapping up the school year of teacher workshops! Our standardized materials and classroom activities inspire K-12 students to grapple with real-world problems in connection with population trends and dynamics. From January through May, we’ve presented 290 workshops (in-person and virtual) in 38 states and three Canadian provinces! Learn more about our Population Education workshops here!
- Our Population Education for Higher Studies Program engages with college-level students to think about human population impacts and trends by providing thought-provoking presentations and other academic materials. Presentations highlight the causes, impacts, and solutions to global population challenges. Since the start of the year, we have presented to more than 50 college and university classes about the connections between population, health, environment, and sustainable development!
National Science Teaching Association Convention
In late March, members of our PopEd team traveled to Philadelphia to participate in the National Science Teaching Association’s annual convention—one of the country’s largest gatherings of science educators.
Over three action-packed days, we hosted a PopEd exhibit, led three interactive workshops, and connected with educators from across the country. We also had the opportunity to engage directly with elementary school teachers and informal educators at two special networking events. It was an inspiring few days of sharing ideas, resources, and strategies to bring population and sustainability topics into classrooms nationwide.
Learn more about our PopEd Trainer's Network
World of 8 Billion student video contest
The winners of this season’s World of 8 Billion student video contest have been announced! This year, students in 6th through 12th grades were tasked with finding creative solutions for one of these population-related topics: Child Wellbeing, Rainforest Ecosystems, and Sanitation.
Our contest encourages students to find new ways to tackle modern problems, show off their filmmaking skills, and win prizes! We had over 4,600 students work on the submitted videos, with more than 2,600 videos submitted.
Explore the winning videos here!
Outreach and Engagement
- We’ve launched a new monthly Population Education newsletter on LinkedIn! Over the past few months, we’ve shared thoughtful insights, timely updates, and standout classroom resources. Our Communications Team is also keeping our social media feeds fresh with engaging content—be sure to follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook to stay connected!
- Our Communications Manager, Olivia Nater, recently had a letter to the editor published in The Guardian—one of the UK’s leading newspapers! The letter was written in response to Jonathan Kennedy’s recent opinion article, “Are there billions more people on Earth than we thought? If so, it’s no bad thing.” Our response offered a more comprehensive perspective on our growing population and the availability of natural resources. Read all of our submitted LTE’s and Op-Eds here.
- In addition to oral statements at the 58th session of the UN Commission on Population and Development, we hosted an official virtual side event with Population Media Center and Women for Conservation! We were joined by three compelling storytellers and population stabilization advocates for a 90-minute panel discussion. During the panel, speakers showcased how their organizations’ work helps remove barriers to family planning and empowers women and girls. If you couldn’t tune in live, watch the recording here!
- We celebrated Earth Day with a virtual event featuring John Seager, President & CEO of Population Connection! John discussed how overpopulation remains largely absent from mainstream sustainability discussions. He also encouraged our community to fight back against the Trump Administration’s egregious attacks on programs aimed at improving reproductive health, family planning options, and our environment. View the recording of John’s talk!
- We’re pleased to announce our fourth annual Population Connection Summer Photo Contest! As a supporter of Population Connection, you are uniquely dedicated to enhancing the welfare of individuals and safeguarding the planet and its inhabitants. We invite you to share your enthusiasm for preserving the harmony between humanity and the living world by sending us your captivating photos of natural landscapes, diverse cultures, and fascinating wildlife. Learn more about the contest, explore past submissions, and find photo guidelines here.
58th Session of the United Nations Commission on Population and Development
Our staff member, Florence Blondel, attended all five days of the 58th Session of the United Nations Commission on Population and Development, which was hosted in New York this spring.
Florence made two official oral statements on behalf of Population Connection. Additionally, we submitted a written statement in partnership with Population Matters and Population Media Center.
Learn more about our participation with the UN
June Magazine Issue
Our Population Connection June magazine is out and available to read online! Our Global Partner in Nepal, the Rural Women’s Development and Unity Center (RUWDUC), helps girls stay in school and avoid child marriage, empowers women to become community leaders, and provides family planning education and outreach.
Also featured is a summary of the results of the focus group and survey research we conducted about people’s fertility desires and outcomes, as well as their thoughts about low fertility and population growth.
Read the June issue here
Why population?
There are 218 million women in the developing world who want to prevent pregnancy but have an unmet need for modern contraception.
Up to 1 million species are threatened with extinction in the coming decades.
One in 12 people already lives below the international poverty line of $2.15 per day.
Stabilizing population plays an important role in confronting the world’s climate crisis.
Check out our latest publications!
2025 Virtual Event Archive
Virtual events are an easy and accessible way for you to learn more about population issues, connect with Population Connection staff, and meet others interested in working together for a more sustainable future for our planet.
Since 2020, we’ve engaged with our supporters by hosting a variety of virtual events to stay up-to-date on issues relating to our work. We’ve heard presentations from speakers working in the fields of conservation, reproductive rights, public health, demography, and more! Visit our event archive to view recordings, presentation slides, and speaker bios from some of our recent events.
Event Archive Available Here
Year at a glance
8,000+ Activists
Population Connection Action Fund mobilized thousands of activists through petitions, volunteer meetings, partner-led events, and #Fight4HER summits.
10,000+ Educators
Population Education hosted workshops for more than 10,000 K-12 educators throughout the U.S. and Canada, providing them with the materials and resources they need to teach PopEd in their classrooms.
800+ Supporters