Earlier this year, a Lancet Commission on Climate Change and Health reported its finding that "climate change is the biggest global health threat of the 21st century." Now, the Lancet is taking their statement one step farther by providing method for the world to reduce the rate of climate change. This novel method involves contraception and providing this resource to those who want and need it in the world, Lancet asserts that by reducing unintended pregnancies the world can reduce the pressure that large populations put on the environment.
When applying this to a worldly perspective, over 200 million women want, but currently lack, access to modern contraceptives. This results in 76 million unintended pregnancies occurring every year. The availability of contraception methods could slow high rates of population growth, thereby reducing demographic pressure on the environment. Experts believe that while normal population growth is unlikely to significantly increase global warming that overpopulation in developing countries could lead to increased demand for food and shelter, which could jeopardize the environment as it struggles with global warming.
To back this up the Lancet presents a case study from Ethiopia that trained people in sustainable land management practices, while increasing availability of family planning. This case study saw an immediate improvement to the environment with better agricultural practices, which in the long term will be sustained and not eroded by a rapidly increasing population (which had been curbed by family planning practices).
The Lancet's assertions have created an emerging debate and interest about the links between population dynamics, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and climate change. This is not the first time lifestyle issues have been tied to the battle against global warming. Climate change experts have previously recommended that people cut their meat intake to slow global warming by reducing the numbers of animals using the world's resources. Most recently there has been a push for people to stop using plastic water bottles and to use more eco-friendly water canisters.
By presenting this argument the Lancet believes that the sexual and reproductive health and rights community should challenge the global design of climate change. In other words, the Lancet hopes that the argument about how to combat climate change will shift its current focus from green technology to a more "human-based, rights-based adaptation approach".
By changing the focus of climate change, one can bring the issue of reducing environmental impact away from industries and their corporations down to the grassroots level where most of the world's population resides.
Perhaps this strategy would better serve the range of issues pivotal to improving the health of women worldwide as well as affecting the environmental impacts of developing nations rather than just developed and industrialized nations.
When applying this to a worldly perspective, over 200 million women want, but currently lack, access to modern contraceptives. This results in 76 million unintended pregnancies occurring every year. The availability of contraception methods could slow high rates of population growth, thereby reducing demographic pressure on the environment. Experts believe that while normal population growth is unlikely to significantly increase global warming that overpopulation in developing countries could lead to increased demand for food and shelter, which could jeopardize the environment as it struggles with global warming.
To back this up the Lancet presents a case study from Ethiopia that trained people in sustainable land management practices, while increasing availability of family planning. This case study saw an immediate improvement to the environment with better agricultural practices, which in the long term will be sustained and not eroded by a rapidly increasing population (which had been curbed by family planning practices).
The Lancet's assertions have created an emerging debate and interest about the links between population dynamics, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and climate change. This is not the first time lifestyle issues have been tied to the battle against global warming. Climate change experts have previously recommended that people cut their meat intake to slow global warming by reducing the numbers of animals using the world's resources. Most recently there has been a push for people to stop using plastic water bottles and to use more eco-friendly water canisters.
By presenting this argument the Lancet believes that the sexual and reproductive health and rights community should challenge the global design of climate change. In other words, the Lancet hopes that the argument about how to combat climate change will shift its current focus from green technology to a more "human-based, rights-based adaptation approach".
By changing the focus of climate change, one can bring the issue of reducing environmental impact away from industries and their corporations down to the grassroots level where most of the world's population resides.
Perhaps this strategy would better serve the range of issues pivotal to improving the health of women worldwide as well as affecting the environmental impacts of developing nations rather than just developed and industrialized nations.
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