Growing Populations, Changing Landscapes

As the world's population exceeds an incredible 6 billion people, governments—and scientists—everywhere are concerned about the prospects for sustainable development. The science academies of the three most populous countries have joined forces in an unprecedented effort to understand the linkage between population growth and land-use change, and its implications for the future. By examining six sites ranging from agricultural to intensely urban to areas in transition, the multinational study panel asks how population growth and consumption directly cause land-use change, and explore the general nature of the forces driving the transformations. Growing Populations, Changing Landscapes explains how disparate government policies with unintended consequences and globalization effects that link local land-use changes to consumption patterns and labor policies in distant countries can be far more influential than simple numerical population increases. Recognizing the importance of these linkages can be a significant step toward more effective environmental management.Table of ContentsFront MatterExecutive SummaryPart I. Population and Land Use in India, China, and the United States: Context, Observations, and Findings1. Introduction to the Tri-Academy Project2. Elements of Population Growth3. Land Use Change in Space and Time4. Findings and Observations of the Tri-Academy ProjectPart II. IndiaIndian Case Studies: An Introduction5. Population and Land Use in Kerala6. Population and Land Use in Haryana7. Gender Dimensions of the Relationship between Population and Land Use in the Indian States of Kerala and HaryanaPart III. ChinaChinese Case Studies: An Introduction8. Population, Consumption, and Land Use in the Jitai Basin Region, Jiangxi Province9. Population, Consumption, and Land Use in the Pearl River Delta, Guangdong ProvincePart IV. United StatesU.S. Case Studies: An Introduction10. Transformation of the South Florida Landscape11. Evolution of the Chicago Landscape: Population Dynamics, Economic Development, and Land Use Change