French presidential candidate Nicolas Sarkozy recently said that “[t]he first cause of environmental degradation… is the number of people on the planet.” His statement came in the context of discussing climate change generally. On a late-night TV talk show, he acknowledged that climate change was “a very serious challenge” and said that “the real challenge is that of demographic change.” 

Why have leaders in the U.S. been silent on the issue of family planning models? The U.S. population continues to explode, bring along high rates of consumption, an increasingly degraded climate and environment, dysfunctionally crowded cities, and increasingly massive gaps between rich and poor, alongside democracies that no longer work.

Let’s not wait for politicians. You can make the future safe, healthy, and happy for all by helping to create a new model of family planning where smaller families work together to plan a better future for every child.