The Lancet, Volume 370, Issue 9595, Pages 1303 – 1304, 13 October 2007 doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(07)61562-1 Cite or Link Using DOI

Population Issues in the 21st Century: The Role of the World Bank

Ever since the departure of Robert McNamara as its president in 1981, the World Bank has been ambivalent on the issue of population. McNamara was a convinced neoMalthusian, believing as he once stated that, after the threat of thermonuclear war, rapid population growth was perhaps the greatest threat to mankind. But not long after McNamara’s departure, the World Bank’s attitudes and thinking about population began to shift, in two ways.

For full article, visit:
http://siteresources.worldbank.org

Thanks to Tony Aykroyd for bringing this World Bank statement quoting Joy Phumaphi to my attention.

The summary below mentions the need to achieve “sustainable population growth.” The author of those words may not realize that the rate of growth that is sustainable is zero.
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A new World Bank discussion paper warns that poor countries, wealthy donors, and aid agencies are losing sight of the value that contraception, family planning, and other reproductive health programs add to the development process.

The paper argues that such programs help boost economic growth and reduce the high birth rates that are strongly linked to endemic poverty, poor education, and high numbers of maternal and infant deaths.

For full article, visit:
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/

January 1, 2009
From: Donald A. Collins

TITLE: Timely Book Puts Finger On Terrorist Attacks in the Gaza and Elsewhere

TEXT: Talk about timely! One of my regular writing assignments involves reviewing books on public policy. One of the co-authors sent me a copy of this book just as all hell broke loose on the Gaza strip. The book is Sex and War: How Biology Explains Warfare and Terrorism and Offers a Path to a Safer World” by Malcolm Potts and Thomas Hayden (Benbella Books, Dallas, TX 2008)

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 10, 2008

Contact:
John Feeney
globalpopulationspeakout@gmail.com
+1 303-447-0973

Scientists Worldwide to Speak Out on Population Problem

The Global Population Speak Out aims to break down the barrier to public discussion of the population-environment link.

Boulder, CO – Scientists from around the world have pledged to speak out publicly in February, 2009 on the problem of the size and growth of the human population. Speaking out as well will be environmental and science writers, social activists, and representatives of environmental groups. The event, called the Global Population Speak Out (GPSO), aims to weaken a decades-long taboo against open discussion of population issues.

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Thanks to Sally Mattison for these links to the recommendations coming out of the National Council for Science and the Environment’s annual conference in December – this one focused on biodiversity.

Here is a link to the recommendations from the Population and Biodiversity breakout session, as officially reported: http://www.ncseonline.org/Conference/Biodiversity/Recommendations (see page 4 out of 18 — Session 7.)

Following the conference, NCSE presented recommendations to the Obama Transition Team; a summary about this is at http://ncseonline.org/Updates/cms.cfm?id=2857; with respect to population, see also paragraph 4 of the Transition Memorandum — http://www.ncseonline.org/Conference/Biodiversity.

Thanks to Earl Babbie and Ralph Risch for alerting me to the Obama Transition Team website, where you can enter and vote on questions of importance for consideration by the new Administration. Once you create an account at http://change.gov/page/content/openforquestions20081229/ you can do a search of existing questions with the word “population” (or any other key word) and vote on those you think are important. You can also post your own questions.

Washington, DC – The Bush administration today issued a final rule eliminating the Endangered Species Act requirement that federal agencies consult with independent scientists. John Kostyack, Executive Director of Wildlife and Global Warming for the National Wildlife Federation said:

“In the eleventh hour of his presidency, President Bush has rammed through a sweeping overhaul of the Endangered Species Act. This action eviscerates key protections that have helped safeguard and recover endangered fish, wildlife and plants for the past 35 years.

For full article, visit:
http://www.nwf.org/news/story.cfm

Thanks to Bruce Sundquist for alerting me that there is now a major update on his paper. See http://home.alltel.net/bsundquist1/tpgw.html. Also see Bruce’s home page at http://home.alltel.net/bsundquist1/index.html for links to his other articles.

“Hey baby, you OK?” Mike asks his girlfriend as she sits down next to him.

“Yeah, I’m OK,” Toni says, and she puts her head on his shoulder. Mike thinks it’s safe to move in for a kiss.

“Slow down,” she says, pushing him back. “Just because I’ve decided to take you back, it doesn’t erase the fact that you cheated on me.” He looks away sheepishly.

“Look, we’re going to be using condoms from now on,” Toni says. “And tomorrow, we’re getting tested. And that’s that.” She kisses him, and Mike manages a little smile.

The scene is from a soap opera with a purpose: to use short videos to go beyond pamphlets on safe sex and deliver the message to women who might otherwise tune it out.

For full article, visit:
http://www.courierpostonline.com/article

It’s hard to imagine why humans would have chosen the achingly arid stone desert of Wadi Faynan — in present-day Jordan — for a settlement. But water would have been one important reason, says archaeologist Steven Mithen. When Neolithic men and women arrived 11,500 years ago, things were very different: the climate was cooler and wetter; the landscape was covered in vegetation, including wild figs, legumes and cereals; and there would have been wild goats and ibex for meat.

For full article, visit:
http://www.chinadialogue.net/