The impact of UK overseas aid on environmental protection and climate change adaptation and mitigation

Written evidence submitted by the Population and Sustainability Network

Introduction

1. The Population and Sustainability Network (PSN) welcomes the Environmental Audit Committee’s enquiry and fully supports this work to ensure that UK aid promotes environmental sustainability and climate change adaptation and mitigation. In our submission we would like to bring to your attention the opportunities that exist to advance environmental protection and climate change adaptation in developing countries, through integrating a focus on population issues into UK environmental and climate change aid programmes. We believe that the EAC is well-placed to promote work of this kind across the environmental, health and development sectors and is grateful for this opportunity to contribute to this consultation.

2. This submission outlines briefly how advancing voluntary, rights-based family planning in countries where there is a vast unmet need for contraception would contribute to environmental protection, climate change adaptation, poverty reduction and protection of biodiversity, and in doing so increase the effectiveness of UK aid by addressing multiple key development priorities. Through discussion of programmes that have successfully integrated population, health and environmental goals and outcomes, we seek to provide good practice case studies which serve as potential models for this integrated approach.

3. Summary

· There is strong evidence to show that high rates of population growth in developing countries are linked to environmental degradation, loss of biodiversity, heightened vulnerability to climate change and sustained poverty.

· Many least developing countries impacted by climate change have identified that population growth is increasing their vulnerability to the impacts of climate change and undermining their capacity to adapt. As such, developing countries characterised by high population growth and high vulnerability to climate change should be supported to integrate voluntary family planning into the climate change adaptation strategies. [1]

· Advancing voluntary family planning in countries with a high unmet need for contraception can promote environmental protection, support adaptation to climate change and contribute to poverty alleviation.

· Increasing access to family planning is a cost-effective way of achieving progress towards the Millennium Development goals, and offers opportunities to increase the overall effectiveness of UK overseas aid.

· Integrated population, health and environmental programmes have the capacity to contribute to sustainable development, by promoting conservation of the natural environment at the same time as advancing the health, rights and development of local communities. We recommend that integrated, cross-sector projects of this kind are promoted via overseas aid, to support conservation and wider sustainable development goals, as well as to increase the capacity of developing countries to adapt to climate change. We have include examples of these in paragraphs 22 and 23, including a programme in Madagascar combining marine conservation with community-based family planning services, and mobile health clinics serving nomadic communities in remote and fragile environments in Kenya.

Population and the unmet need for family planning

4. According to the 2008 UN population projections, the world population will reach 7 billion in 2012, up from the current 6.8 billion, and surpass 9 billion people by 2050. Most of the additional 2.3 billion people will enlarge the population of developing countries, from 5.6 billion in 2009 to 7.9 billion in 2050. [1] Overall 97% of population growth between 2009 and 2050 will be in developing countries. [2] Currently the population of the less developed regions as a whole is still young, with children under age 15 accounting for 30% of the population and young persons aged 15 to 24 accounting for a further 19%. [3] In the least developed countries the average population growth rate between 2005 and 2010 was 2.3%, and with an annual growth rate of 2% a will double in 30 years. [4]

5. Worldwide there is a vast unmet need for family planning, with an estimated 215 million women worldwide who want to avoid pregnancy but do not have access to contraception. [5] An estimated 41% of all pregnancies worldwide are unplanned. [6] In many West African countries, including Niger and Nigeria, less than 10% of all married women are using modern contraception. [7] The longer birth intervals and lower fertility that would result from addressing this unmet need and preventing unplanned births would have significant cost saving effects for other development goals. For every dollar spent in family planning, between 2 and 6 dollars can be saved in interventions aimed at achieving other development goals. [8] This contributes to poverty alleviation by reducing population growth, which for example reduces the costs of public service delivery and eases pressure upon natural resources. Prioritising family planning is therefore an extremely cost effective intervention, with wide-ranging benefits, including contributions to environmental sustainability.

6. Lack of access to family planning and the resultant rapid population growth in developing countries is undermining development and is associated with high levels of poverty, poor health and education outcomes, environmental degradation and loss of biodiversity. [9] Population growth and density place extreme pressures upon the natural environment in many developing countries, leading to depletion of natural resources, including land, water and biodiversity, and heightening vulnerability to climate change. [10]

Population, environmental degradation and loss of biodiversity

7. Rapid population growth and high population density in developing countries is strongly correlated with environmental degradation and increasing scarcity of natural resources. Acting in tandem with climate change in some countries, rapid population growth increases demand for natural resources, often combined with poor environmental management and results in intensified agriculture and use of land and water supplies. This in turn depletes the natural resource base, including water, fuel, soil fertility and biodiversity. [1]

8. As a result of rapid population growth, overcrowding and increasingly climate change, poor individuals are forced to inhabit or migrate to, the most ecologically fragile areas. These areas are unable to sustain high population densities and are particularly vulnerable to degradation and depletion of the natural resource base. Population growth in Ethiopia for example, is resulting in soil degradation, the decreasing size of land holdings and declining agricultural productivity. This is causing poor people to move to more environmentally marginal areas, or to urban areas, causing unsustainable use and exploitation of natural resources and leading to a vicious cycle of poverty and environmental degradation. [2]

9. In recent years evidence has grown of the links between high rates of population growth and loss of biodiversity. A study of population dynamics in 25 areas of the world identified as ‘biodiversity hotspots’, found that population growth rates in these areas are significantly higher than the population growth rate of the world as a whole, and above the average for developing countries. The study concludes therefore that; "substantial human-induced environmental changes are likely to continue in the hotspots and that demographic change remains an important factor in global biodiversity conservation." This points to the potential conservation gains that could be made by increasing access to voluntary family planning in areas with high levels of biodiversity and an unmet need for contraception. [3]

Links between population and climate change

10. The interaction between climate change and population dynamics, and the associated implications for the poorest countries of the world, is complex but highly significant for climate change adaptation and mitigation.

11. Climate change makes discussion of population and consumption difficult, because it is consumption in the North that is driving climate change, while it is the countries of the South that will be most affected. PSN contends, however, that the connection between population dynamics and climate change will be a critical flashpoint of the future; the connection is complex and controversial, but it is critically important – in a world where one third of the world’s population lives within 60 miles of a coast, and 13 of the world’s 20 largest cities are on a coast, moving people away from the sea will become important, and a task far easier to achieve if families have the number of children they want, and not a few or even many additional ones because contraceptive services were not available.

12. Interestingly, while Northern countries wonder whether it is ethical to link population growth with climate change, developing countries are themselves open about the links; a recently published study undertaken by PSN and MSI, which analysed 40 National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPA), and found that no fewer than 37 identified population growth as one of the factors confounding their attempts to adapt to the effects of climate change [1] .

13. In the NAPAs the most frequently mentioned climate change adaptation issues that are exacerbated by population growth are: soil degradation and erosion, fresh water scarcity, migration, deforestation and shortages of farm land. Additional vulnerabilities linked to population growth include loss of biodiversity and natural habitat, desertification and diminishing fish stocks.

14. Increasing access to voluntary, rights-based family planning offers opportunities to reduce vulnerability to climate change, and we therefore encourage the EAC to promote and increase awareness of this potential strategy as part of the UK overseas aid, as well as within the wider international response to climate change. With population growth identified by many developing countries as a factor contributing to their vulnerability to climate change, developing countries that are characterised by rapid population growth and high vulnerability to climate change should be supported to integrate family planning into their adaptation programmes. [2]

Links between population dynamics, poverty and economic growth

15. Given the enquiry’s focus on ‘the tensions between boosting economic growth and environmental protection’, it is relevant to consider the role that high rates of population growth in developing countries play in inhibiting economic growth and poverty alleviation. Population dynamics are linked to key determinants of poverty including health, nutrition, education, gender, and significantly, economic development. Over the past few decades, rapid population growth has been associated with high levels of poverty. [1] Countries with rapid population growth tend to have the highest incidence of poverty and lowest levels of human development. In countries with low levels of economic development, high populations grow rates place increasing pressure on national resources and public services, reducing the government’s capacity to meet the basic needs of its citizens and undermining development. [2]

16. In countries with rapid population growth the age structure is disproportionately young, which has implications for economic growth. A large proportion of the population made up of dependents under the age of 15, relying on those of working age and requiring a large share of the available resources, constricts income and economic opportunities at the household and societal level, inhibiting economic growth. [3] Countries with a larger proportion of the population of working and saving age can enhance income growth as a result of capital accumulation. Less income is spent on dependents because a large share of the population is economically active. Known as the "demographic dividend", this can fuel economic growth if supported by effective policies. A crucial means of accelerating demographic transition is investment in effective family planning programmes, which can enhance economic gains and "lift nations out of a cycle of poverty" [4]

17. The significant cost savings that can be made for meeting other development goals, as a result of the longer birth intervals and lower fertility that would result from investments in family planning to address this unmet need for family planning have already been outlined in paragraph 5. With every dollar spent in family planning saving between 2 and 6 dollars in interventions aimed at achieving other development goals. [5] An increased focus within UK overseas aid on increasing access to family planning would therefore not only contribute to environmental protection, but also increase the overall effectiveness of aid, by contributing to the achievement of wider development goals.

18. While consideration of population issues and increased access to voluntary family planning is imperative for poverty reduction, environmental protection and sustainable development, the complexity and sensitivity of these issues mean that they are often ignored. This is partly due to the historical legacy of the mistakes of the coercive ‘population control’ programmes in the 1960s. It is also due to the fact that 95% of global population growth is taking place in the global South, and yet it is countries of the global North that consume the vast majority of the world’s resources. These complexities and sensitivities are only increased by those associated with population and climate change issues. Yet as the enquiry sets out, the burden of the impacts of climate change are falling disproportionately upon developing countries, and given that developing countries themselves are identifying population growth as a factor heightening their vulnerability to climate change [6] there is an urgent need to address the silence over population issues.

19. In the next section we focus on the potential that integrated population, health and environment (PHE) approaches have for promoting sustainable development, while overcoming the sensitive issue of population growth through the promotion of reproductive health and choice and providing communities with access to the health services that they want and need.

Integrated Population, Health and Environment approaches

20. In recent years specific collaborative projects between the environment, development and reproductive health sectors have demonstrated the benefits that can be achieved for conservation and communities through integrated Population, Health and Environment (PHE) approaches, addressing the complex interactions between people, their health and the natural environment. These projects seek to improve access to health services, including access to voluntary family planning services, while helping communities to manage natural resources in ways that improve their health, livelihoods and conserve the ecosystems that they depend upon. Projects of this kind are being undertaken, sometimes with support from USAID, in regions critically important to the conservation of biologically diverse ecosystems, yet where high rates of population growth and low access to family planning are undermining environmental sustainability. Many of these projects operate in remote areas, and bringing family planning to these communities has helped couples to achieve the family size they desire, simultaneously contributing to more sustainable use of natural resources, and contributing to the well-being of families and the community at large. [1]

21. Integrated PHE programmes can include a wide variety of interventions, according to community needs and local capacity. Some examples include: [2]

· sustainable agriculture for improved child nutrition and food security

· community-based distribution of family planning commodities

· reduction of indoor air pollution and logging through promotion of fuel-efficient stoves

· improved access to safe water for household use

· improved management of protected areas

22. To demonstrate the links between population, development and environmental protection, and to provide good practice models for this integrated approach, PSN is supporting several programmes of this kind:

a. The island state of Madagascar has one of the fastest growing populations in the world, high rates of maternal mortality, and only one in five women in a sexual relationship have access to contraception. Population growth is exacerbating depletion of the natural marine environment upon which the population depends for livelihoods and food security. It is also heightening vulnerability to climate change. A PHE programme in Madagascar is addressing the unmet need for family planning at the same time as promoting management of the natural marine environment, thereby reducing poverty and vulnerability to climate change.

b. In Kenya, women have on average 5 children each and 25% of married women of reproductive age want to space or limit births but don’t have access to family planning. A PHE programme to address this need, at the time as reducing the pressures that population growth is placing on the natural environment consists of Mobile Health Clinics serving nomadic and isolated rural communities. Providing reproductive health and HIV/AIDS services, immunisation and basic curative health care and education, health teams travel by four-wheel drive, bicycle, camel and foot. Each year they are able to make over 60,000 visits and provide family planning to over 2,000 women annually. The health teams are run with two African organisations, the Nomadic Community Trust & Community Health Africa Trust, working in partnership with community-based representatives, the Ministry of Health and other NGOs. [3]

Further information about these projects is available on our website at: http://www.populationandsustainability.org/46/model-projects/model-projects.html

23. We strongly encourage EAC to encourage the integration of environmental, sustainable development and population issues. DFID and UK overseas aid is well placed to promote integrated projects and multi-sectoral collaboration of this kind, which offer scope to increase aid effectiveness by linking a range of connected issues. DFID, for example could promote this work through flexible funding streams, and play an important leadership role in ensuring that climate change adaptation funding mechanisms identify family planning as being among a range of eligible strategies facilitating country efforts to adapt to the effects of climate change.

24. Integrated Population, Health and Environment projects strongly demonstrate that addressing concern about global population growth is not incompatible with respecting and protecting human rights; indeed intensifying efforts to secure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights is an effective way to advance and uphold these rights, provided that they are respected in the way that services are designed and offered.

25. About Population and Sustainability Network

The Network is an international advocacy group which aims to bring together development, environment and reproductive health NGOs, government departments, academics, policy makers and others, to increase leverage on population issues.

It endeavours to provide a 'space' in which different constituencies can learn from each other. The intention is that such increases in understanding of the issues will inform the strategies and activities of Network members, and bring population issues higher up the policy agenda in a range of other organisations.

A central aim of the Network is to increase public and professional understanding of the inter-relationship of the key issues and their importance in addressing sustainable development, poverty reduction and climate change both in the rich minority world and in the majority world.

In addition, the Network aims to explore the barriers that inhibit discussion about and action on these issues and, finally, to promote processes that increase participation and exchange between the various stakeholders.

The Network is predominantly UK based, but it encompasses an increasingly broad range of overseas organisations. It was launched as a United Nations Commission for Sustainable Development Partnership at CSD 12 in New York in April 2004.

Our guiding principles are:

· The rights of women and men to choose to plan their families must be safe-guarded where they already exist and promoted where they do not;

· Coercive family planning practices should not be tolerated.

If you require any further information about our work or our submission, please do not hesitate to contact:

16 December 2010