We are at a pivotal moment.  The largest generation of young people in human history is about to come of age.  Nearly half the world's population – 3 billion people – is under the age of twenty-five.  Soon they will make decisions about childbearing—decisions that will have a huge impact not only on their own lives, but on whether there are 9 billion or 12 billion of us forty years from now.  More people will mean a bigger impact on the environment and fewer natural resources to go around.  Slowing population growth is a part of slowing climate change.  Empowering women and ensuring access to reproductive health services is one of the things we must do to alleviate poverty and ensure a sustainable future.

With environmental degradation on the rise, what is the gendered impact of climate change? How are women paying a disproportionate price? What can you do to influence both US and International climate negotiations?

• Check out FMF’s Brand New toolkit on women and water scarcity: “Breaking the Cycle: Women, Water, and the Search for Equity”
•  Encourage your decision-makers to support sustainable development initiatives that help to achieve the Millennium Development Goals
• Get involved with Sierra Club’s Global Population and Environment Program
• Find out more about WEDO's publications, factsheets and case studies on women and water
• Join Sierra Club’s Population Justice Environmental Challenge campaign
• Take action in your community by using WEDO's online action kit to educate and advocate for gender and climate change!
• Join WEDO's Women Demand U.S. Action on Climate Change campaign listserve
• Join the Think Outside the Bottle Campaign to support strong public water systems over bottled water profits
• Find out about your region’s local water worries and spread the word on your community and campus. Host a panel or film-screening connecting the dots between women and water, and generate media to educate your peers!