Seven billion people

If you are a woman who wants to have a better education, a bigger voice in government, considerably less risk of dying while pregnant, more equality with men, and better living conditions all around, you want to live in a pro-choice country. And as a man who thinks that equality is essential to a civil society, so do I.

This month the UN reports that the world population will hit a significant population milestone, 7 billion people. This has meaning for us all, especially in its environment and development impacts – and women are key.

In this article we explore the many critical links between population, sexual reproductive health and rights and climate change, the significance of which is all too important to ignore.

As we pass the seven billion mark, it’s easy to get caught up in numbers. But the only reason those numbers mean anything is because of the individual lives behind them. In order to make the most of this moment and all those to follow, we need to lead every conversation about numbers with rights.

The world reaches seven billion people at a time of renewed debates about demographic changes, individual human rights and women's rights specifically, attacks on basic reproductive health care, and accelerated environmental disruption.

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As the world's population gets closer to the seven billion mark, Reverend Debra Haffner reflects on her career and what she saw on a recent trip to Kenya.  

Reaching seven billion people on planet Earth has prompted renewed debates about the balance between population size and consumption of natural resources, about age structure and political stability, and about the consequences of rapid population growth rates for poor countries' ability to develop economically. To a large extent, however, these macro-level dilemmas reflect a micro-level problem about which there is a universal consensus and where the solution is relatively straightforward.

As he prepares to launch a son into a world facing global challenges and a population soon to reach 7 billion, one father provides reflection and advice on sustainablity.

The attention being paid to climate change is much deserved but some advocates worry that it will revive many of the old alarmist debates on population and with it the calls for "population control" that almost always target poor women and women of color.