Most people still associate the word “population” with population control programs of the past and refrain from talking about this issue altogether. But in a world of 8 billion, where more than 218 million women still lack access to the most important decision in their lives – whether and when to have children – talking about family planning and a sustainable population is becoming ever more important. And it's time for women's voices to not only be included in that conversation, but to also lead.
In this enlightening interview, three professional population activists — Phoebe Barnard, Florence Blondel and Stephanie Feldstein — share their thoughts on:
Phoebe Barnard is a conservation biologist and global change ecologist who worked for 34 years in South Africa and Namibia on climate change, biodiversity, human ecology and behavior change. She is the cofounder and CEO of Stable Planet Alliance, a global coalition of respected organizations working to bend the curve on human population and resource consumption. She founded Girl Planet Earth, a global platform for women and girls to talk about population, hyperconsumption and planetary health.
Florence Blondel is a social change and environmental campaigner originating from Uganda. Florence started her career as a news reporter for Ugandan NTV where she covered sexual and reproductive health issues. After getting a degree in Population and Development from London School of Economics and Political Science she transitioned to the marketing world and since 2018, she has been working for nonprofit Population Matters, currently as Communications Officer.
Stephanie Feldstein is the Population and Sustainability Director at the Center for Biological Diversity where she heads a national program that addresses unsustainable human population, overconsumption and the extinction of plants and animals around the world. Prior to this, Stephanie worked for Change.org, where she helped hundreds of people implement online campaigns to protect wildlife.
Links: