Current world population:

Human population growth and overconsumption are at the root of our most pressing environmental issues, including the species extinction crisis, habitat loss and climate change. To save wildlife and wild places, we use creative media and public outreach to raise awareness about runaway human population growth and unsustainable consumption — and their close link to the endangerment of other species.

There are more than 7 billion people on the planet, and we're adding 227,000 more every day. The toll on wildlife is impossible to miss: Species are disappearing 1,000 to 10,000 times faster than the natural rate. It's clear that these issues need to be addressed before it's too late.

ABOUT OUR POPULATION AND SUSTAINABILITY WORK

The Center has been working to address the connection between rampant human population growth and the extinction crisis since 2009. Our innovative outreach and public-pressure campaigns — like our award-winning Endangered Species Condoms project — focus on common-sense solutions, including the empowerment of women and girls, the education of all people, universal access to birth control, sustainable consumer choices, and a societal commitment to giving all species a chance to live and thrive.

Check out our interview with Tom Toro.

In 2013 we expanded our population program to encompass overconsumption and sustainability, too, — since these issues are intricately tied to the impact of human population on endangered species and the health of our planet – with a focus on the two industries responsible for the most environmental damage: meat and energy production and consumption. We’re tackling these destructive systems through our innovative Take Extinction Off Your Plate campaign, which makes the connection between food and the wildlife extinction crisis and urges people to eat less meat as a key part of reducing their environmental footprints, and our Wild Energy campaign, which creates a vision for a sustainable energy future that protects wildlife, habitats and the climate we all depend on. Our population and sustainability campaigns use a combination of creative media, advocacy, outreach, and the expansion of our nationwide network of activists to advance change and keep these critical, yet often ignored, issues in the spotlight.

MILESTONES

Our Population and Sustainability Program has:

• Distributed more than half a million Endangered Species Condoms across all 50 U.S. states.
• Created the first full-time program by a major environmental group, Take Extinction Off Your Plate, addressing the devastating impact of the meat industry on wildlife.
• Inspired more than 20,000 people to sign our “Earth-friendly Diet” pledge to reduce their meat consumption as a way to protect the planet and take extinction off their plates.
• Launched Wild Energy, the Center for Biological Diversity’s vision for a renewable energy future that addresses climate change while protecting sensitive wildlife and habitats.
• Commissioned a groundbreaking poll showing that most Americans believe human population growth is a significant factor in the disappearance of wildlife.
• Created an innovative social media campaign that inspired people from around the world to share photos of what living in a world of 7 billion looked like and felt like to them.
• Mobilized supporters to submit more than 1,500 letters to the editor to newspapers around the country about the impacts of population growth on wildlife.
• Generated momentous media attention on the often ignored issue of human population in top outlets, including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Huffington Post, The Washington Post, Mashable and dozens of radio and podcast appearances.
• Reached more than one million people with our campaigns on Facebook and Twitter.