Blog – Utah Population & Environment Council

All the people: what happens if humanity’s ranks start to shrink?

Written by UPEC Staff on July 29, 2020.

A recent article in the Lancet medical journal has been getting a lot of press for predicting that the global population will decline sooner than most experts predict — at 9.7 billion in 2064. But a) that’s still way too many people for this roasting planet and b) the authors are more optimistic about improvements in women’s education and access to birth control than many other...

Indonesia’s New Coronavirus Concern: A Post-Pandemic Baby Boom

Written by UPEC Staff on June 25, 2020.

With restrictions in place, millions stopped visiting clinics for contraceptives, says the government, which promotes family planning as part of its fight against child malnutrition… Read the Full Article Here

The pandemic could lead to a ‘baby bust’ of almost half a million fewer births, a major think tank

Written by Gray Griffin on June 23, 2020.

projectsinsider@insider.com (Juliana Kaplan) Brookings Institute economists predict that the coronavirus pandemic will lead to what they call a “baby bust” — not a baby boom… Read the Full Article Here

Stephen C. Bannister: Our Faustian bargain with fossil fuels

Written by Gray Griffin on May 25, 2020.

By Stephen C. Bannister | Special to The Tribune · Published: 5 days agoUpdated: 5 days ago Most of us have enjoyed the much cleaner air since the great COVID-19 shutdown-caused economic collapse. Everything damaging that we normally dump into our common airshed is reduced — carbon dioxide that increases climate warming and the pollutant precursors that cause regional haze...

On Sustainable Design and Population

Written by Dani Huckabone on September 24, 2022.

Hi everyone, my name is Dani Huckabone, and I am the social media and design intern at UPEC. (So, if you are seeing this blog entry on the web, please make sure to find UPEC on Instagram and Facebook!) I am currently in my final semester at the University of Utah, double majoring in Environmental Studies and Design.

population, sustainable design

A View From Nepal

Written by UPEC Staff on July 21, 2022.

We offer a bit of good news and hope in the form of an update from Nepal, a country seeing dramatic birth rate declines due to its investments in community and female health, and the work of many NGOs.

Wasteful Consumption Impacts Our Environment

Written by UPEC Staff on June 28, 2022.

Be watchful of what you consume. Our actions have consequences we are unaware of. The following provides information on wasteful practices associated with food, clothing, fuel and technology.

Consumption

Why We Should Look to UFOs to Stop Climate Change

Written by UPEC Staff on May 31, 2022.

It’s time to talk about UFOs (Unidentified Flying Objects) and climate change. Wait! What? Well, yes, UPEC (Utah Population and Environment Council) has a mission beyond nudging us toward lower populations.

Losing Nature

Written by UPEC Staff on April 28, 2022.

Lately I have been consumed by loss, and by the notion of loss. Working as a physician for the last two years, my confidence in the durability of health, life, and even community, has eroded. Personally, I was lucky. None of my family or close friends died of our plague, but professionally I watched as countless people we cared for intensely progressed with illness, suffered, and ultimately died....