Re: U.S. Population Growth Has Nearly Flatlined. Is That So Bad?
We were pleased to see Spencer Bokat-Lindell’s op-ed "U.S. Population Growth Has Nearly Flatlined. Is That So Bad?" in The New York Times on September 14, but it fell short…
Read MoreWe had another remarkable year, working with our incredible network of supporters and Global Partners to protect the health and well-being of people and our planet with holistic, rights-based solutions. We’ve amplified the links between population growth and environmental challenges; raised awareness about the importance of universal, affordable access to family planning options; and educated activists on the urgency of stabilizing global population. Find highlights from our programs below!
Population Education (K-12)
Population Education (PopEd) plays an integral role in achieving our mission by educating the next generation of leaders and activists to think more critically about how population trends relate to global issues. This program provides resources and development tools for K-12 educators, focusing on human population trends and their impacts on natural resources, environmental quality, and human well-being.
In 2022, our PopEd team facilitated over 500 workshops, providing over 10,000 educators with the tools they need to help an estimated 3 million students grow their understanding of population dynamics and environmental health. See more of PopEd’s 2022 highlights below.
World of 7 Billion Student Video Contest
Initially created in 2010 to mark the global population reaching 7 billion in 2011, our student video contest is now in its 13th year, encouraging students worldwide to think critically about the connections between human population growth and the issues facing our planet. In short films, students tackle each years’ chosen topics and propose creative solutions to global challenges. Through the creative video-making process, the contest helps the next generation develop 21st century skills while investigating the complexity of real-world challenges.
We announced the winners in May, with press appearances highlighting the winning students in Spectrum News, Daily Local News, and the Miami Local News. 
Marking 8 Billion in the Classroom
To mark the 8 billion milestone, which officially occurred on November 15, 2022, Population Education rolled out new teacher resources in the fall, including the launch of the new World of 8 Billion student video contest website! The user-friendly World of 8 Billion website will continue encouraging student participation in the annual video contest, giving future generations a platform to share their ideas on how to tackle global problems related to population growth.
In an interactive session with Population Education staff, Population Connection members and volunteers learned more about how we’re supporting teachers with the latest lesson plans, learning tools, and hands-on activities to educate students on the demographic milestone.
Teacher Workshops
After nearly two years of virtual trainings, our Population Education team resumed hosting in-person teacher trainings and in-service workshops! While we continued to also host online workshops, it was great meeting teachers face-to-face again and providing them with the skills they need to educate the next generation of decision makers about population dynamics.
Graduate Courses for Educators
During the summer and winter, PopEd offers an 8-week graduate course, Making the Population Connection: Exploring the Human-Environmental Nexus in Today’s Middle and High School Classroom. This is a professional development tool for 6th-12th grade educators looking to broaden their knowledge on student-centered learning strategies. Participants learn how to engage with their students using real-world data to explore human population growth in relation to global development, resource availability, and planetary health.
More Details HereLeadership Institute
In mid-July, our Population Education team held a two-day Leadership Institute for 26 new trainers in Ashland, Massachusetts. Our participants came from 19 states and two Canadian provinces! They included K-12 teachers, university educators, and informal environmental educators. This was our first in-person Institute since summer 2019. It was a fantastic group of people, all eager to get more involved in representing PopEd in their local areas!
Population Studies for Higher Education
Launched in 2020, our Population Studies for Higher Education Program has steadily grown, reaching new audiences of young scholars and university professors. Senior Analyst Hannah Evans presents to classes on the interconnections between population growth, reproductive health, social justice, and environmental sustainability, at the request of professors across the country.
Along with informative talks, the program also provides downloadable information briefs, slide decks, and recommended reading lists for use in higher education. In 2022, Hannah virtually presented to nearly 100 college classes, preparing the next generation of professionals to work toward rights-based population interventions as solutions for environmental challenges.
Quarterly Magazine
Population Connection magazine is our quarterly publication for Population Connection members. Each issue is sent to every member of Congress and to about 3,000 public and university libraries.
Our 2022 issues covered major milestones including the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the global population surpassing 8 billion people, and this year’s International Conference on Family Planning in Thailand.
Read 2022 Issues
Demography Series
This spring we hosted a four-part Demography Series with Hannah Evans. Running from March to June, these educational sessions explored the various ways in which human population trends and dynamics affect global development and environmental change. Throughout the series, we engaged with over 300 members and supporters, each eager to learn more about the key pillars of demography.
Recordings Available Here
Global Partners Program
It is imperative that we support community-led, holistic strategies that promote development across social, economic, and environmental sectors to address challenges that contribute to rapid population growth.
Since 2016, we have served as a grant maker to a handful of small, highly-effective organizations working on the ground in their communities. Their programs align closely with our mission and values, and we view our support as a natural extension of the work we do every day.
We’re immensely grateful for the opportunities we’ve had to connect with global organizations and are thrilled to expand our support with our new Global Partners Program! Through this program, we’ve grown our financial support to several new organizations that are working to expand access to reproductive health care and/or girls’ education and to conserve local natural resources through an integrated “population, health, environment” (PHE) approach.
Learn More Here
Media Appearances
This year brought several historical milestones in demography, reproductive rights, and sustainable development. We endured the fall of Roe, surpassed a global population of 8 billion people, and witnessed new climate initiatives at COP27. News outlets covered these events in great detail, but too often the deleterious impact of population growth was left out of the discussion.
Our team was quick to respond to these headlines with op-eds, letters to the editor (LTEs), and press releases, ensuring that population dynamics were thoroughly considered in conversations about global issues. Our efforts contacting media outlets on the “population connection” were successful, with op-eds and LTEs published in major media outlets including:
In addition, Senior Analyst Hannah Evans was interviewed for Climate Optimist’s podcast where she discussed why there is resistance to population concern and how we can work towards slowing population growth by improving access to voluntary, rights-based family planning services.
Editorial Memo About 8 Billion Milestone
Field and Advocacy
Field and Advocacy
Not only is access to family planning services an internationally recognized human right, family planning is a key solution to health, development, and environmental challenges. In a year where we endured the fall of Roe, our sister organization, Population Connection Action Fund, fought back, mobilizing hundreds of activists to continue to stand up for reproductive rights domestically and abroad.
Through advocacy training workshops, social media campaigns, and get-out-the-vote (GOTV) efforts, activists sharpened their skills to influence reproductive health policies, taking away communication tools and advocacy techniques to protect reproductive rights in the United States and funding for family planning services overseas.
Capitol Hill Days
In early March, our sister organization, Population Connection Action Fund, hosted its annual signature advocacy conference, Capitol Hill Days. The event brought together over 170 activists from across the country to learn how to advocate effectively for reproductive rights with workshop trainings and presentations from experts in the field.
The six-day event kicked off with welcome remarks from Representative Barbara Lee. After her inspiring speech, we had a discussion about reproductive health policies with providers and reproductive rights professionals. Once they addressed the most pressing challenges, our speakers laid out the most effective advocacy strategies moving forward.
2022 Digital Capitol Hill Days
The Fall of Roe
After the devastating Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, our sister organization, Population Connection Action Fund, rapidly responded by hosting Dara Purvis, law professor and Population Connection and Population Connection Action Fund board member, for her presentation, What does a post-Roe world look like?. Over 40 supporters were in attendance, ready to rally with other committed reproductive rights activists and take action against the tragic loss of the constitutional right to abortion.
In addition, our Field team hosted a panel with medical professionals, lawyers, and humanitarians to speak about how their worlds look post-Roe. A recording of the discussion, Beyond Our Borders: How the Fall of Roe Impacts Sub-Saharan Africa, is available here.
Read More on our Policy Priorities
International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP)
This November, four staff and one board member represented Population Connection at the International Conference on Family Planning, the world’s largest scientific conference on family planning and reproductive health. During the week-long conference, our team hosted an exhibit booth where they shared information about our advocacy work and about the connections between family planning and environmental issues.
Additionally, Senior Analyst Hannah Evans participated in a panel discussion with Dr. Joan Castro of PATH Foundation Philippines, Inc. (PFPI) and Dr. Sanghamitra Singh of Population Foundation of India (PFI), hosted by our friends at Population Matters in the UK.
Read a Complete Recap Here
Member Engagement
To keep our members up-to-date on the latest developments and news related to our work, we host virtual events such as expert presentations, book club meetings, film screenings, and more! These events are an easily accessible way to learn about the latest on population issues and to network with other like-minded individuals interested in working together for a more sustainable future. Throughout 2022, we hosted 23 online events, connecting with over 1,025 individuals working towards global population stabilization.
Celebrating Earth Day
It was another great year gathering with our eco-minded members to celebrate this remarkable planet. We hosted a variety of events all month long, including a film screening, a panel discussion, and a presentation with one of our international partners. Overall we engaged with 358 members and supporters to raise awareness about how rapid population growth impacts environmental sustainability.
We kicked off events with a screening of The Singing Planet, an inspiring film that celebrates the beauty of our natural world and calls on all of us to work to preserve it. Filmmaker Liz McKenzie and natural sounds recordist Hank Lentfer joined us for a special panel following our screening period to discuss their work on the film and how they’ve learned to listen more carefully to the world around us.
In addition, we hosted a special presentation with our partners at Lemur Love, a nonprofit based in Madagascar. We heard from founder Dr. Marni LaFleur and on-the-ground Director Dr. Seheno, who shared insights about the valuable conservation work their non-profit does to preserve lemur habitats and strengthen the health of the human communities surrounding them.
More Details HereSpeaker Series
We hosted numerous virtual speaking engagements throughout the year to keep members connected with our work and updated on the latest developments with population trends, reproductive rights, sustainable development, and environmental conservation.
Speakers from around the world working to conserve natural habitats, empower young girls, and protect reproductive rights presented to our members, sharing insights on the work their organizations are doing on the ground.
We commemorated international observances such as World Environment Day, World Population Day, and World Contraception Day by showcasing professionals working in a related field. Popular webinars included our World Population Day event with Nandita Bajaj, CEO and Executive Director of Population Balance, and our International Day of the Girl talk with Monica Nyiraguhabwa, founder of Girl Up Initiative Uganda.
For those who couldn’t join us live, visit our archive of 2022 events to view recordings.
Virtual Event Archive Available HerePage Turners Book Club
The Page Turners Book Club has served as a platform for supporters to connect with each other over publications exploring population dynamics, sustainable development, and environmental issues. We hosted five lively discussions in 2022, connecting with over 450 individuals on books such as The Book of Hope by Jane Goodall and Douglas Abrams, Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist by Kate Raworth, and 8 Billion and Counting: How Sex, Death, and Migration Shape Our World by Jennifer D. Sciubba.
We feel honored to have the opportunity to talk with so many of our passionate supporters and engage in meaningful conversations about the dynamics of our work.
More Details Here
Summer Photo Contest
This year, we hosted our first ever Summer Photo Contest, inviting members from around the country to submit photos of the natural spaces, different cultures, and wildlife that inspire them to work for a more sustainable future for our planet.
We received over 45 photo entries that capture some of the world’s most breathtaking places. The winning photo was featured in the September issue of Population Connection magazine alongside a few honorable mentions. Featured to the right is a beautiful Heron, photographed by Catherine Knoop.
See the Winning Photos Here
8 Billion Mini Series
Leading up to the 8 billion population milestone, we hosted a number of virtual events where we discussed how our growing population hampers progress on environmental preservation, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and poverty alleviation.
We heard from community organizers in Uganda, youth activists in Nepal, and Population Connection staff based across the country to learn how the 8 billion milestone impacts the urgency of our work.
Event Archive: 8 Billion Mini Series
10,000
Educators provided with resources to teach their K-12 students about population trends and how they impact planetary health and sustainable development
1,000+
Members and supporters engaged with our virtual events, tuning in for presentations with experts in the field, book club discussions, film screenings, and more