Since Hurricane Sandy, we have read articles such as the op-ed "Confronting our changing climate" (Nov. 18) urging us to get serious about global climate change. However, it is also time to get serious about slowing human population growth, which is helping exacerbate more intense weather events.

Peer-reviewed studies from the National Academy of Sciences show that by meeting unmet need for family planning, CO2 emissions can be reduced by 1 billion tons of carbon a year. Slower population growth could reduce emissions up to 2.5 billion tons a year by 2050, or up to 29 percent of the reduction needed to stabilize emissions.

The United Nations estimates population will grow to between 7.8 billion and 10.5 billion by 2050. The difference in those two numbers is based on whether we can provide voluntary family planning services to the 222 million women worldwide who want to use family planning, but have no access.

Supporting programs nationally and internationally that promote family planning such as Planned Parenthood, Title X, the U.S. Agency for International Development and the United Nations Population Fund is one step we can take. But we also need to let our lawmakers know we think these programs are beneficial in helping reduce the effects of climate change.

Bonnie Tillery, volunteer population issues coordinator, N.J. Chapter Sierra Club, Hamilton