Family planning linked to environmentalism.

• Position: Ecology

A collaborative international assessment of hundreds of peer-reviewed scientific papers published since 2005 finds significant, albeit indirect, evidence that access to voluntary family planning can contribute to an environmentally sustainable world.

Among more than 900 peer-reviewed scientific papers published since 2005, the Family Planning and Environmental Sustainability Assessment (FPESA), a project of Worldwatch Institute, Washington, D.C., found data and researchers' conclusions suggesting that:

* Major reductions in unintended pregnancies--now accounting for two out of five pregnancies worldwide--would lower birth rates in high- and low-consuming countries alike.

* Achieving a low trajectory of world population growth could reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the first half of the 21st century to an extent comparable to eliminating all deforestation.

* Greater use of family planning would facilitate more participation by women in economic activity and in civil society, which could improve environmental outcomes locally and globally.

"Linking environmental benefits to family planning can be controversial, since the use of...