Dear John,

This July marked the 36th World Population Day; observed annually on the 11th to raise awareness of the urgency and significance of global population issues.  

We used the occasion to highlight the lived realities behind the numbers. From Pakistan to Uganda via Venezuela and Kenya, our international partners shared insights into how population growth is shaping their communities. Through their work, they’re finding ways to protect nature, support reproductive rights, and build climate resilience.  Explore their stories. 

But there’s still work to be done. It’s vital that people understand the impact we are having on the world around us. Populations of wild animals have more than halved since 1970, while the human population has doubled.  

Rapid population growth due to a myriad of factors- including a lack of access to sexual health services and persisting gender inequality- is entrenching cycles of poverty and having a detrimental effect on the environment.  

Find out more global trends over time with our Population Explorer. 

- The Population Matters team

Talks to secure a Global Plastics Treaty are taking place in Geneva from 5th – 14th August following the deadlock that prevented a deal being reached last December. The objective is to reach an agreement on a full life-cycle approach to plastic, from design and production to disposal.

"This is not just a call for action, this is the scientific community bearing witness," warned Professor Steve Fletcher, director of the Revolution Plastics Institute.  

Previous negotiations have been overshadowed by controversy, with reports claiming up to 220 fossil fuel lobbyists attended - making them the largest delegation at the talks, outnumbering the EU and all its member states combined.  

Throughout June we ran our Nature Can’t Wait fundraising campaign, championing the protection of nature and raising funds for our evidence-based research programme. At the heart of this effort is one of our key goals: to normalise the discourse around an ever-increasing human population and the danger this represents to nature and biodiversity. 

We want to extend a huge thank you to every single supporter who contributed throughout our Nature Can’t Wait appeal. Thanks to your generosity, we will be able to: 

• Engage existing and emerging partners globally, to preserve and promote biodiversity. 
• Launch new international research projects in 2026, focusing on climate change, agriculture, and bioscience    
• Investigate the role of ocean ecosystems, exploring how we can contribute to safeguarding the planet’s most critical climate regulator, carbon sink, and source of biodiversity. 

We couldn’t do this without the amazing support you gave us. Thank you, and stay tuned for the outcomes!