Population 7 Billion: Time to Talk

Credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamescridland/">James Cridland</a> via <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamescridland/613445810/">Flickr</a>.

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Yesterday I joined a lively webchat called Population 7 Billion: It’s Time to Talk, along with Bill Ryerson and Bob Walker, and moderated by Asher Miller of the Post Carbon Institute (their creds here). You can see the archive here.

This issue, which doesn’t get enough attention (notable exception: my epic, for me, MoJo article last year, The Last Taboo) is creeping towards the front pages now as we approach the 7th billion person on Earth. The UN predicts he or she will be born sometime this month.

I’ll be writing more on population, consumption, and global change next week—including the controversy over whether we really have hit 7 billion, plus the UN’s latest prediction that population growth might continue through the 21st century and beyond (no plateau in sight). I’ll follow-up on the hopeful convergence between science, environmentalism, human rights, and womens’ rights—an alliance unimaginable in the 20th century, now a hallmark of 21st-century sustainability thinking.

So check back. And join in. It’s time to talk.

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A full one-third of our annual fundraising comes in this month alone. That’s risky, because a strong December means our newsroom is on the beat and reporting at full strength—but a weak one means budget cuts and hard choices ahead.

With just 4 days left, we need a huge surge in reader support to get to our $400,000 year-end goal. Whether you've given before or this is your first time, your contribution right now matters. All gifts are 3X matched and tax-deductible.

Managing an independent, nonprofit newsroom is staggeringly hard. There’s no cushion in our budget—no backup revenue, no corporate safety net. We can’t afford to fall short, and we can’t rely on corporations or deep-pocketed interests to fund the fierce, investigative journalism Mother Jones exists to do. That’s why we need you right now. Please chip in to help close the gap.

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