The 2008 Behavior, Energy and Climate Change Conference, held this year in Sacramento, California from November 16-19, described itself as, "A conference focused on understanding the behavior and decision making of individuals and organizations and using that knowledge to accelerate our transition to an energy-efficient and low-carbon future." So I wondered where, if at all, population would fit in. Indeed population did come up, and in some interesting ways, both formal and informal, during the conference.

William Ryerson from the Population Media Center, for example, spoke about his work promoting family planning through serial dramas in developing countries, in a talk entitled "Acting for Change." His presentation did not touch on either environment or climate change issues in any substantive way except for one quickly displayed slide:

"Saving a gigaton of carbon by reducing our 2050 population by 1 billion, through education for women and family planning information and services, would cost 1,000 times less than any of the other technical options - nuclear power, renewables, or increased car efficiency."

This is a significant point that was glossed over. Nevertheless, at least the linkage between population and climate change was addressed to some degree. Possibly one of the most important points that came out of Mr. Ryerson's presentation was a question at the end as an audience member raised her hand and asked, "In climate change, why aren't we addressing population control?"

The world premiere of "The Silent Partner: HIV in Marriage" in Nairobi, Kenya yesterday drew a crowd of 131 attendees, plus 39 members of the media. The event was held in a lovely room in the City Centre's Nairobi Hilton, and was sponsored by The Centre for the Study of Adolescence (CSA) and Population Action International (PAI).

Participants included representatives from Pathfinder International, Men for Gender Equity Now (MEGEN), Kenya's National AIDS Coordination Council and the film's stars and director, Nathan Golon.

Terri Bartlett, who passed away unexpectedly this weekend in Tennessee, was a force of nature, bulldozing her way through bureaucracies, arcane laws and barriers to ensure that the health and rights of women and their families the world over were safeguarded. Using her Southern charms, she would cajole high level policymakers into understanding her worldview of equity and parity. While others would write white papers or deliver keynote speeches, Terri would instead bat her eyelashes, exaggerate her Tennessee drawl and lay out arguments that were difficult to combat. Standing just about five feet tall and with an impish, beautiful face, Terri was the very embodiment of a "steel magnolia." Terri BartlettTerri Bartlett

Terri Lee Bartlett was a native of Tennessee and a graduate of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and a Fellow of the Institute of Politics, Loyola University in New Orleans, Louisiana. She began living her ideals right out of college - working as the Director of Volunteers for Planned Parenthood Association of Nashville. Soon, she worked her way up to Executive Director of the Tennessee Association of Planned Parenthood Affiliates, a statewide advocacy organization. She later founded Planned Parenthood of Louisiana and served for more than a decade as its CEO and President.