The article notes the pervasive nature of pronatalism, which it says has driven the world's population to 8 billion and fueled "the abandonment of voluntary, rights-based efforts toward a sustainable population." It surveys a range of cultural, familial, religious, medical, economic, and political pronatalist pressures, which undermine reproductive autonomy and drive the population growth that is a primary factor in climate change, the biodiversity crisis, and the multitude of mounting ecological challenges threatening the existence of most species on Earth today. It argues that addressing population growth and pronatalism must be central to environmental conservation as well as development efforts to promote reproductive rights. It also argues that the silence on population growth in the international conservation and development community has undermined the attainment of these goals.