Population, Health, and Environment Program
Understanding and Addressing the Issues
Humans and the environment are inextricably linked. Population size and age, fertility, mobility, settlement patterns, and resource availability and consumption all influence the impact we have on the environment. Solving the complex challenges we face today demands a better understanding of how these aspects of population impact the environment, how environmental change impacts our health and well-being, and what can be done to address these issues.
PRB's Population, Health, and Environment (PHE) program aims to:
- Increase awareness among decisionmakers, professionals, and advocates about population, health, and environment challenges and integrated solutions.
- Build leadership and capacity to work on and communicate about population, health, and environment linkages.
- Develop regional networks for information sharing and collaboration.
- Strengthen journalists' reporting on population, health, and environment topics.
PHE Integration in Practice—Organizations' Experiences in the Field
View a larger version of the
Population, Health, and Environment (PHE) Project Map
PRB created this interactive map to highlight the diverse efforts of organizations to integrate components of population and reproductive health services with environmental projects and programs. The goal of many of these programs is to meet the health and livelihood needs of remote or underserved populations while ensuring the sustainability of the environment upon which they depend. The map aims to give viewers both a sense of the scale of current PHE integration efforts and specific information about individual organizations, projects, and their location. The map is best viewed and more easily manipulated in this larger version.
A spreadsheet with more information on these projects is also available.
To add a project to the PHE Project Map, please contact Maura Graff at mgraff@prb.org.
What We Do
Research, Analysis, and Outreach
PRB's PHE program conducts research and analysis on pressing population and environment problems. Our findings are produced in non-technical language in a variety of formats in order to reach a broad base of policymakers, project implementers, and interested individuals. We also organize conference sessions and speaking events, giving researchers and project implementers a chance to share their innovative findings with research and practice communities.
Capacity Building and Technical Assistance
PRB's PHE program provides training and technical assistance to developing country partners, international NGOs, and government agencies in a variety of capacities, including:
- Improving communication of technical issues, research and program findings, and implications to policymakers and those who influence policy.
- Developing and disseminating training resources such as toolkits, case studies, and manuals.
- Building coalitions, developing collaborative PHE partnerships, and designing, monitoring, and evaluating integrated projects.
Work With the Media
PRB's PHE program works to improve the quality and quantity of media coverage of PHE interactions. We conduct seminars to increase journalists’ understanding of these technical issues and give them first-hand exposure to PHE projects in the field. We also support journalists from developing countries so that they can attend and cover newsworthy events such as international development conferences or expert meetings.
PHE program publications, articles, and materials can be found in the Environment topics page.