If there is an unquestionable truth nowadays, it is that human beings, individually and as a species, have an enormous influence on the balances of nature, both locally and globally. For me when we talk about sustainability, one of its synonyms is “care”. Care about the animals, about natural resources, landscapes, and people. Care about balances. At the end of the day, it is from planetary balances that we manage to extract the ultimate goal of any living being– survival and happiness. We can achieve it, all together, but it will require several changes in the system in which we are living nowadays. Especially when we’re talking about population dynamics.

How can we help people to make the best decisions and do what is best for them, society, and the planet? It’s how we approach solving any other challenge in the world: Educating and empowering. We cannot confront society’s challenges if there is a lack in education, and we cannot empower our society without confronting these challenges.

So, in essence, yes, the discussion of population is necessary. Because without engaging people in these crucial topics, with love, compassion and honesty, we cannot acknowledge and empower them. In order to make the change we need, we need empowered people. We need to work together to empower every single person on the planet to step forward and talk about population.

-Sergio Reibeiro