Population growth

Studies in Costa Rica and the Philippines analyze the underlying mechanisms that have led to resource degradation: land tenure policies, population growth, and narrow economic policies advanced during the debt crisis. In both countries migration patterns are also involved in the interaction between economic crisis, demographic change, legal institutions, and ecological problems. The linkages are multiple and complex.

In The Irresponsible Pursuit of Paradise, Dr. Jim L. Bowyer clearly documents an ethically bankrupt position that underlies much of our environmental policy. High consumption in wealthy countries usually goes hand-in-hand with resistance to domestic raw materials extraction and half-hearted interest in recycling. Because of this, the world's wealthiest countries increasingly rely on imported raw materials from poorer nations to fuel consumption.

In der Diskussion über die aktuellen und zukünftigen Herausforderungen für die Sicherung der biologischen Vielfalt findet sich der Klimawandel stets an vorderer Stelle. Seine Folgen erscheinen bedrohlich, die damit verbundenen Herausforderungen auch für Natur und Landschaft immens. Der demografische Wandel hingegen kommt ungleich leiser daher.