Environmental groups have abdicated their responsibility in addressing overpopulation as the core problem to many issues that we face on the planet. We would like to help you amplify your voice and have included a sample letter so that you can let them know that any environmental cause is a lost cause unless without addressing the need to reduce our population. 

Thank you for helping.

Greetings,

Thank you for all you have done to advocate for nature. I have been receiving information from you and donating to the cause for years. I have not seen any mention of the core cause of the problems threatening creatures living on this planet: Overpopulation. Perhaps the reason it is missing is: a) you are not aware of our current overpopulation and its impact on your efforts; b) you are somewhat aware of our current overpopulation but as yet do not comprehend its vital role; or c) you are afraid to bring overpopulation into your organization’s conversation.  

You have a responsibility to tell the truth.

The oceans are overfished because of it. The amount of atmospheric carbon is increasing because of it. The habitat of countless creatures is destroyed because of it and we are facing the greatest species extinction rate since the ice age because of it. ‘It’ is this: the earth is overpopulated. Ecosystems all over the world are ravaged by the enormous consumption of our massive and ever-growing human numbers. In the last 80 years, the Earth added five billion passengers. Globally, the Earth continues to add over 9,000 human passengers each hour, net gain, each and every day to an already overpopulated planet.  

Don’t take my word for it. Look at the evidence. For starters, check out the websites of three respected population organizations: World Population Balance, Population Matters and the Center for Biological Diversity. I believe you will begin to see that everything from biodiversity loss, aquifer depletion, ocean acidification and overfishing, topsoil loss, deforestation, to climate change can be traced to the fact that the number of people living on our planet is unsustainable.

We cannot protect nature and preserve life until we address our overpopulation crisis. Please include overpopulation in your literature to help well-meaning supporters understand the tremendous positive impact that smaller families can have in creating a healthier planet. When people choose small families everyone wins – humans, plants, animals, and the future of all life on the planet.

If every environmental group plants the seed of overpopulation awareness, people can begin making the connection between nature’s degradation and overpopulation. And they can begin choosing to have small families. Freely chosen one-child families will lighten the load on Nature and give future generations a healthy planet worth inheriting. I ask you to please do your part as an advocate and steward of the planet’s future to address overpopulation and make a better future possible for everyone.

Sincerely,

YOUR NAME    

(This letter is adapted from Karen I. Shragg’s “Sample Letter to Journalists” found on page 101 of her book, Move Upstream: A Call to Solve Overpopulation.)