Access to Health and Environmental Sustainability Go Hand in Hand
Washington, DC - April 22, 2005"On the 35th anniversary of Earth Day, PAI recognizes the critical importance of conserving natural resources and sustaining the environment for the generations to come. Within a decade, over 7 billion people are likely to live on this planet – an increase of about 500 million people from today. The health of both the planet and its people are priorities when it comes to addressing the world’s current and future environmental state.
"A recent update to PAI’s People in the Balance: Population and Natural Resources at the Turn of the Millennium demonstrates that human pressure on renewable freshwater, cropland, forests, fisheries, and the atmosphere is unprecedented and continually increasing. However, the data also show bright prospects for environmental sustainability in the near future as the rate of world population growth slowly decreases. If these trends hold, this would help ease the pressure humanity is currently putting on Earth’s natural resources.
"At the same time, the largest generation of young people ever is approaching reproductive age. In fact, one-half of the world’s population is under the age of twenty-five. Young women worldwide are seeking to have fewer children and more time between births, as well as access to equal educational and economic opportunities. At a time when many environmental trends tend to be moving in the wrong direction, working to slow population growth while advancing the health and status of women and girls is a crucial opportunity to take a step in the right direction.
"The next generations of youth face environmental challenges yet to be seen. By ensuring access to health services and advancement opportunities, we will not only be providing our future generations with a healthier way of life, but a healthier planet on which to live their lives."
Population Action International (PAI) works to improve individual well-being and preserve global resources by mobilizing political and financial support for population, family planning and reproductive health policies and programs.
