Increasing Women's Access to Birth Control Could Slow Climate Change!

Just when you thought there couldn't be more global benefits to increasing women's access to family planning, we've got one more for you: fighting climate change!

A new study by the British medical journal, The Lancet, just published this report which states that if women, particularly in the developing world, had increased access to contraception, it could "slow population growth and reduce demographic pressure on the environment."

Experts estimate that there are currently 200 million women around the world who wish to either delay or prevent pregnancy, but lack access to contraceptives, resulting in millions of unintended pregnancies, 76 million according to The Lancet. Additionally, hundreds of thousands of women die every years from from botched abortions and pregnancy related complications.

Keep in mind that these numbers are just estimates and that many deaths unfortunately go unreported, thus making the actual figures higher.

Amongst the many interesting connections the report makes, it also points out that family planning is five times cheaper (!!) than the technologies normally used to combat climate change: every $7 spent on family planning could cut the world's carbon dioxide emissions by over one ton.

Of course we at the Feminist Majority Foundation already knew this! :) That's why earlier this year, we launched brand new Women and Climate Change Campaign with our partners Sierra Club and WEDO.

Check it out, see all the ways you can get involved and bring awareness to your campus. Join the movement today!