It may be coincidence, but it’s fitting that World Contraception Day and World Environmental Health Day fall on the same date, September 26. There is a deep and often overlooked connection between family planning and environmental sustainability. Family planning is a cornerstone of reproductive health, but it’s also the foundation for much more.
The ability to safely and effectively use contraception empowers individuals to decide if, when, and how many children to have – thus helping them direct their future –and has far-reaching implications that extend beyond the individual. Family planning is about choice. It includes the services, policies, information, attitudes, practices, and resources—such as contraceptives—that enable all persons to prevent unintended pregnancies and decide whether and when to have children. This autonomy is both foundational and transformational—foundational because it enables and lays the groundwork for exercising multiple basic human rights. And transformational because of its wide-ranging social, demographic, economic, and environmental impacts.
Yet, despite their importance, reproductive rights, including family planning and contraception, remain underacknowledged, underfunded, and constantly under threat. Investing in family planning is not only a moral obligation but also a smart, forward-thinking strategy with a high return on investment.
A major challenge to family planning services in Canada is the persistent underfunding of reproductive health and rights, with studies showing that cost is the most significant barrier to contraception. Although over 9 million people in Canada are of reproductive age, many still lack access to affordable contraception through public drug plans. The upcoming Pharmacare Act (Bill C-64) offers some hope, as it could play an important, yet imperfect, role in removing this barrier. This would ensure access to oral contraceptives, IUDs, implants, injections, and other essential contraceptive methods for all Canadians.
Fulfilling reproductive autonomy represents an enormous window of opportunity, as roughly half of all pregnancies in the world are unintended. When individuals are empowered to decide the number, timing, and spacing of their children, they often choose to have fewer. Family planning thus influences demographic trends. In Canada, for example, the introduction of the contraceptive pill was powerfully associated with a decline in fertility.
Women’s education and the easy availability of affordable family planning services have been found to be the dominant factors in fertility decline, as they reduce both wanted and unwanted pregnancies. These demographic shifts are not just about numbers—they represent profound social, economic and environmental changes. After centuries of demographic and economic growth, we should celebrate, not lament, the fact that population growth is slowing down.
While population growth and decline each present unique challenges, they are not reciprocal in nature. The global population is still projected to grow by more than 2 billion in the coming decades. However, we are better equipped to manage the issues associated with population decline than the far-reaching societal and environmental crises exacerbated by continued population growth.
Population growth directly contributes to the environmental crisis by depleting natural resources, decimating other species, and threatening the conditions necessary for human life. As population numbers grow, the demand for resources like water, food, shelter, and energy increases. Population dynamics are thus fundamental, just like a focus on rethinking consumption and production patterns, to preserving a healthy environment. In this context, a slowdown in human population growth that stems from greater health and choice among the world’s reproductive-age people represents a significant opportunity that must be recognized. Fulfilling reproductive health and rights for all is central in seizing this opportunity.
Looking forward, access to contraception and family planning must be reprioritized across all levels. By recognizing the positive impact of a smaller global population on our shared environment, we acknowledge and respect the broader significance of family planning that extends beyond the individual, and in doing so, we can further promote and strengthen reproductive rights.
It is essential to integrate population dynamics and family planning into environmental and climate discussions, policies, and funding frameworks. Family planning and reproductive autonomy must be recognized as essential pillars of environmental sustainability. Adequate funding for family planning and promotion of these intersectoral efforts are vital for a healthier future for both people and the planet.