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ZZU301 ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

A CASE STUDY



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SLNO. TOPIC PAGE NO

1 ABSTRACT 2

2 AIM/OBJECTIVE/TOPIC 7

3 LITERATURE SURVEY 8

4 EXPERIMENTAL

METHODS/DATA COLLECTION

28

5 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

/ANALYSIS OF DATA

41

6 CONCLUSION 48



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"Go Forth And Multiply! " .

That's what the human population has successfully been doing for

thousands and thousands of years, expanding, exploring, migrating,

conquering, utilizing, evolving, civilizing, industrializing, and now,

destroying the very land upon which we live.

The human population is living far beyond its means and inflicting

damage on the environment that could pass points of no return. Climate

change, the rate of extinction of species and the challenge of feeding a

growing population are among the threats putting humanity at risk.

We need to keep in mind that : Resources of the earth are not just

scarce, they are finite.

The human population is now so large that the amount of resources

needed to sustain it exceeds what is available at current consumption

patterns. The result of that population growth combined with

unsustainable consumption has resulted in an increasingly stressed planet

where natural disasters and environmental degradation endanger

millions of humans, as well as plant and animal species.

The global economy could be seriously affected by environmental

problems, such as the lack of access to enough resources to meet growing

population demands. Environmental degradation can contribute to social



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and political instability, which can lead to security issues. Already around

the world we are seeing an increase in violence and human rights abuses

as disputes about territories, food and water are spilling into wars and

internal conflicts.

Increase in population has had a major impact on the environment

of Earth starting at least as early as the 20th century. There are indirect

economic consequences of this environmental degradation in the form of

ecosystem services attrition. Beyond the scientifically verifiable harm to

the environment, some argue the moral right of other species to simply

exist, protected from human exploitation.Our burgeoning population and

urban way of life have been purchased at the expense of vast ecosystems

and habitats. It's no accident that as we celebrate the urbanization of the

world, we are quickly approaching another historic watershed: the

disappearance of the wild.”

The past half century has been a traumatic one, as the collective

impact of human numbers, affluence (consumption per individual) and

our choices of technology continue to exploit rapidly an increasing

proportion of the world's resources at an unsustainable rate. During a

remarkably short period of time, we have lost a quarter of the world's

topsoil and a fifth of its agricultural land, altered the composition of the

atmosphere profoundly, and destroyed a major proportion of our forests

and other natural habitats without replacing them. Worst of all, we have

driven the rate of biological extinction, the permanent loss of species, up



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several hundred times beyond its historical levels, and are threatened

with the loss of a majority of all species by the end of the 21st century."

Today's consumption is undermining the environmental resource

base. It is exacerbating inequalities. And the dynamics of the

consumption-poverty-inequality-environment nexus are accelerating. If

the trends continue without change - not redistributing from high-income

to low-income consumers, not shifting from polluting to cleaner goods

and production technologies, not promoting goods that empower poor

producers, not shifting priority from consumption for conspicuous display

to meeting basic needs-today's problems of consumption and human

development will worsen.

Many feel (as has been the case throughout history) that the major

international wars to be fought in the future will continue to be over

natural resources.Studies point to ecological limits to sustain people, but

these limits can be different, based on the way we consume resources etc

so it is hard to say for sure what over population means let alone if we

are at some threshold, below, or above it.

Actually we humans have reached a global “crunch.”This crunch

occurs when the population is increasing rapidly, and, at the same time,

our basic natural resources for survival are declining. Many renewable

resources are used faster than they can restore themselvelves. Humans

are still under the control of the basic environmental physical limits.

When these limits are reached and the population begins to decrease or



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people are in constant hunger and misery, physical environmental

overpopulation has taken place.

The results of physical overpopulation on humanscan be the sameas in all non-human species when they exceed their carrying capacity. The

outcome may be starvation, disease, migration, and increased predation

(for humans this is war).Our species lived under these physical limiting

conditions for the first 200,000 years of its evolution. That is why our

population remained at nearzero population growth until the Agricultural

Revolution.

So Whats need to be done.

Everyone needs to be keep informed about what is happening with

the environment and population. Things are changing fast. Some

types of information several years old are no longer valid.

Population numbers and the trends of family size and population

change rapidly.

The status of the resources in the world are changeable, especially

food production, forest cover, cropland, and degrees of hunger and

famines.

Local environmental and population problems change. There will be

an increased demand for forest products and for conversion of

cropland into other uses. Our wildlife ecosystems must be

protected for watershed and to prevent soil erosion.

We also need them for wildlife enjoyment and survival of species

on whose well-being and interrelatedness we depend on Local



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programs to recycle, reduce and reuse are essential for two

reasons:

They lower the consumption of resources, and they teach everyone

that resources are limited.

It is a constant reminder that environmentally we are

overpopulated.

Globally, the importance of small families cannot be exaggerated.

There is no way to get people out of poverty and for women to gain

economic and social status in developing countries unless the

population is reduced through voluntary reduction of family size.

Attempts to improve living conditions are constantly being erased

by the increase of population.



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The present project report is an attempt to examine populationgrowth, increasing urbanization and its influence on the environment and

health of the people. In order to meticulously understand the causes and

consequences the following aims and objectives of the our project

compilation have been outlined:

1. To properly decipher the population patterns and their effects on

environment.

2. To analyse changes and trends over last fifty years using statistical

data.

3.To predict near future of population and environment using current

trends.

4.To suggest appropriate remedies that could serve “as need of the hour”

strategies to throttle the environmental problems caused by human

population.

5.To use relevant data and case studies in order to achieve above

mentioned aims with a pragmatic approach.



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Human population growth is the number one threat to the world's

environment. Each person requires energy, space and resources to

survive, which results in environmental losses. If the human population

were maintained at sustainable levels, it would be possible to balance

these environmental losses with renewable resources and regeneration.

But our population is rapidly rising beyond the earth's ability to

regenerate and sustain us with a reasonable quality of life. We are

exceeding the carrying capacity of our planet.

We need to limit our growth voluntarily, and promote

contraceptive use, before Nature controls our population for us with

famines, drought and plagues. Our children's future depends on us.

The population reached 6.1 billion in 2000. The United Nation

projects that world population for the year 2050 could range from 7.9

billion to 10.9 billion, depending on the actions we take today.



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Population Facts - The future in just 22 years

Scarce Water --- Currently, 434

million people face either water

stress or scarcity. Depending on

future rates of population growth,

between 2.6 billion and 3.1 billion

people may be living in either water-

scarce or water-stressed conditions

by 2025.

Scarce Cropland ---The number of

people living in countries where

cultivated land is critically scarce is

projected to increase to between

600 million and 986 million in 2025.

Fisheries --- Most of the world 's ocean fisheries are already being fished

to their maximum capacities or are in decline.

Forests --- Today over 1.8 billion people live in 36 countries with less than

0.1 hectare of forested land per capita, an indicator of criti cally low levels

of forest cover. Based on the medium population projection and current

deforestation trends, by 2025 the number of people living in forest-scarce

countries could nearly double to 3 billion.

World Population Estimation by 2050.



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Global Warming --- In 1998, the last year for which global data are

available for both population and heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions,

per capita emissions of CO2 continued the upward trend that dominated

the middle 1990s. When combined with growing world population, these

increased per capita emissions accelerated the accumulation of

greenhouse gases in the global atmosphere and, thus, future global

warming.

Species Extinction --- More than 1.1 billion people live in areas that

conservationists consider the most rich in non-human species and the

most threatened by human activities. While these areas comprise about

12 percent of the planet's land surface, they hold nearly 20 percent of its

human population. The population in these biodiversity hotspots is

growing at a collective rate of 1.8 percent annually, compared to the

world's population 's annual growth rate of 1.3 percent.

A Populous Street in Kolkata(India).



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Consumption Plus Population When population growth is coupled with excessive consumption of

resources, problems multiply. Currently, 20 percent of the world's peoplein the highest-income countries account for 86 percent of the total

private consumption expenditures, while the poorest 20 percent

consume only 1.3 percent. The unequal distribution of wealth and

resources leads to oblivious waste and excess in the wealthy nations, and

suffering in the resource-starved regions.

The long debate over the impact of population growth on the

environment is gradually converging on a middle ground where most

scientists can agree. The need now is to prod U.S. policymakers—

distracted by political battles over abortion —to a consensus on which

they can act. Sound population policies can brighten environmental

prospects while improving life for women and children, enhancing

economic development, and contributing to a more secure world.

Changes in population size, age, and distribution affect issues

ranging from food security to climate change. Population variables

interact with consumption patterns, technologies, and political and

economic structures to influence environmental change. This interaction

helps explain why environmental conditions can deteriorate even as the

growth of population slows.

Despite slowing growth, world population still gains nearly 80

million people each year, parceling land, fresh water, and other finite

resources among more people. A new Germany is added annually, a new



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Los Angeles monthly. How this increase in population size affects specific

environmental problems is impossible to say precisely. Too many factors

interact, and much depends on the time frame under consideration.

Obviously, trends such as the loss of half of the planet’s forests, the

depletion of most of its major fisheries, and the alteration of its

atmosphere and climate are closely related to the fact that human

population expanded from mere millions in prehistoric times to nearly 6

billion today.

No policy can change the past. But addressing current population

needs would head off the regrets that future generations will otherwise

have about the failure of today’s generation to act. Equally importantly,

the policies that address demographic trends have immediate and

beneficial impacts on the lives of women and their families. It is this "win-

win" strategy—slowing population growth by attending to the needs for

health care, schooling, and economic opportunities—that should

encourage policymakers to consider population-related policies when

addressing environmental risks.

Population Density of various countries.



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Future population trends will influence the abundance and qualityof such critical renewable natural resources as fresh water, fisheries,

forests, cropland, and the atmosphere. An international scientific panel,

for example, noted recently that Israel, Jordan, the West Bank, and Gaza

are home to 12 million people and yet receive only as much rainfall as

Phoenix, Arizona. Sponsored by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences

and counterpart institutions in the region, the panel identified rapid

population growth as a major concern for the region’s critically stretched

supplies of renewable fresh water. Stabilizing world population tomorrow

won’t by itself solve natural resource crises and other environmental

problems. But without a leveling off of population, eventually

environmental challenges press more urgently no matter what other

measures are taken. Policymakers tend not to address such

interconnected issues. One result is that there really is no U.S. policy on

population and the environment, only a range of separate policies related

either to international population or to specific environmental issues.

The requirement that environmental conditions be maintained in

ways that sustain human life does not imply a need for population

"control." Governments cannot control population any more than they

can control people themselves. Lasting demographic trends respond to

the childbearing choices people make themselves, not to those others



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would impose. The decline in family size that has occurred over the past

35 years—from six to three children per woman worldwide—has resulted

from changing attitudes about childbearing and improved access to

family planning services. Nonetheless, with two in five pregnancies

worldwide still unintended, U.S. foreign policy should maintain and

strengthen its historic efforts to improve access to family planning and

related services where this access is now poor or nonexistent.

(Unintended pregnancy stems from more than lack of access to

contraceptives, but expanding this access is essential to reducing the

phenomenon.) Support of education for girls and of economic

opportunities for women would contribute to further declines in

birthrates while improving individual capacities.

As problems like water scarcity, the depletion of fisheries, and

human-induced climate change become more widely recognized in the

coming decades, however, governments will increasingly be asked to

dsevelop systemic approaches and win-win strategies that go beyond

short-term amelioration of environmental deterioration. Future changes

in global population will contribute significantly to the need for such

integrated, long-term approaches to environmental problems.

Although the global rate of population growth peaked 30 years ago,

human population has grown by nearly two thirds since then. The ratios

of people to fresh water, forests, cropland, fish, and the atmosphere have

grown in tandem. According to accepted hydrological benchmarks, fewer

than 4 million people lived in countries experiencing chronic scarcities of



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renewable fresh water in 1955, despite the rapid population growth of

the time. Less than half a century later, despite slower growth, the

population of people living in water-scarce countries has grown to more

than 165 million, a figure that could grow to between 1 billion and 2.2

billion, depending on future rates of population growth, in the next 50

years.

What applies to water applies to many other natural resources

critical to life, health, and economic development, although they may not

be as readily quantified. Scarcities of natural resources should concern

policymakers, because they not only hamper economic and social

development, they also threaten global security by contributing to

conflict where institutions are ill-equipped to mediate among groups

competing for critical resources.

Nondemographic factors also deserve attention in addressing

natural-resource scarcity: more responsible consumption, innovative

substitution, and pricing systems that discourage waste, for example. But

such efforts can reach points of diminishing returns unless the underlying

numbers of human beings requiring natural resources for basic needs and

aspirations eventually reach stable or declining levels.

This characterization of the population-environment connection

necessarily simplifies a complex and controversial set of relationships.

The key point is that policies that result in lower trajectories of

population growth are likely to increase the chances of success for

comprehensive approaches to environmental problems in the coming



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decades. Policies—or policy vacuums—that result in more rapid growth

are likely to make these problems even more intractable and thus

dampen the long-term success of targeted policy responses.

Unfortunately, misperceptions about population contribute to an

impasse that discourages environmentalists, opinion leaders, and

policymakers from marshaling environmental arguments on behalf of

sound population policies. The view that such policies amount to rich

countries attempting to "control" the populations of poor countries

through incentives or coercion dies hard. Few policymakers understand

that population policy is primarily about expanding the capacity of

women and men to manage their own reproduction as they choose—

with slower population growth a mere bonus. Fewer still seem to be

aware of the action program—agreed to in 1994 by 179 nations—to

make this capacity real and universal early in the 21st century.

Fertility rate (Growth rate) of various countries)



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Key Recommendations

Policymakers and environmentalists should support the

international consensus on population policy, which would improve

the lives of women and their families while slowing both population

growth and environmental degradation.

Environmentalists should urge Washington to increase its

population assistance to levels consistent with commitments made

at the International Conference on Population and Development in

1994 and to restore funding to the United Nations Population Fund.

Congress should resist additional restrictions on overseas family

planning organizations.

The reality is that women in all parts of the world, in developing

countries as well as industrialized ones, are participating in a

demographic revolution. They seek to have fewer children, and to have

them later in life, than ever before in human history. Men, too, are

joining women in this aspiration. But perhaps because men do not bear

children themselves and are less active in caring for them on average, in

much of the world they lag behind in this shift. Part of the emphasis in

population policy is in finding new ways of attending to the reproductive

needs of boys and men, which includes improving their understanding of

the needs of girls and women.



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Areas of high population densities.(Dark color indicates higher population densities).

In Cairo, the world’s governments devised a spending formula forachieving universal access to critical reproductive health services by early

in the next century. Achieving this goal—worthy on its own terms and

essential for a stabilized world population—would cost roughly $17 billion

per year in current dollars, with developing countries contributing about

two thirds of that amount, industrialized countries one third. Based on

the size of its economy, the United States should be contributing about

$1.9 billion to this effort; instead, it has reduced its support from about

$667 million annually in 1996 to around $400 million in the current fiscal

year.

Between 1960 and 1999, Earth's population doubled from three

billion to six billion people. In many ways, this reflected good news for



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humanity: child mortality rates plummeted, life expectancy increased,

and people were on average healthier and better nourished than at any

time in history. However, during the same period, changes in the global

environment began to accelerate: pollution heightened, resource

depletion continued, and the threat of rising sea levels increased. Does

the simultaneous occurrence of population growth and environmental

decline over the past century indicate that more people translate into

greater environmental degradation?

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS OF SPECIFIC POPULATION

FACTORS

According to recent United Nations estimates, global population is

increasing by approximately 80 million--the size of Germany--each year.

Although fertility rates have declined in most areas of the world,

population growth continues to be fueled by high levels of fertility,

particularly in Asia and Africa. In numerous Middle Eastern and African

nations, the average number of children a woman would be expected to

have given current fertility levels remains above 6.0--for example, 6.4 in

Saudi Arabia, 6.7 in Yemen, 6.9 in Uganda, and as high as 7.5 in Niger.

Even in areas where fertility rates have declined to near replacement

levels (2.1 children per couple), population continues to grow because of

"population momentum," which occurs when a high proportion of the

population is young.



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Population Size

No simple relationship exists between population size and

environmental change. However, as global population continues to grow,

limits on such global resources as arable land, potable water, forests, and

fisheries have come into sharper focus. In the second half of the

twentieth century, decreasing farmland contributed to growing concern

of the limits to global food production. Assuming constant rates of

production, per capita land requirements for food production will nearthe limits of arable land over the course of the twenty-first century.

Likewise, continued population growth occurs in the context of an

accelerating demand for water: Global water consumption rose sixfold

between 1900 and 1995, more than double the rate of population

growth.

Population Distribution

The ways in which populations are distributed across the globe also

affect the environment. Continued high fertility in many developing

regions, coupled with low fertility in more-developed regions, means that

80 percent of the global population now lives in less-developed nations.

Furthermore, human migration is at an all-time high: the net flow of

international migrants is approximately 2 million to 4 million per year

and, in 1996, 125 million people lived outside their country of birth. Much

of this migration follows a rural-to-urban pattern, and, as a result, the

Earth's population is also increasingly urbanized. As recently as 1960, only



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Other aspects of population composition are also important:

Income is especially relevant to environmental conditions. Across

countries, the relationship between economic development and

environmental pressure resembles an inverted U-shaped curve; nations

with economies in the middle-development range are most likely to exert

powerful pressures on the natural environment, mostly in the form of

intensified resource consumption and the production of wastes. By

contrast, the least-developed nations, because of low levels of industrial

activity, are likely to exert relatively lower levels of environmental

pressure. At highly advanced development stages, environmental

pressures may subside because of improved technologies and energy

efficiency.

Within countries and across households, however, the relationship

between income and environmental pressure is different. Environmental

pressures can be greatest at the lowest and highest income levels.

Poverty can contribute to unsustainable levels of resource use as a means

of meeting short-term subsistence needs. Furthermore, higher levels of

income tend to correlate with disproportionate consumption of energy

and production of waste.



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TWO SPECIFIC AREAS OF POPULATION-ENVIRONMENT

INTERACTION: GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE AND LAND-USE

PATTERNS

Two specific areas illustrate the challenges of understanding the

complex influence of population dynamics on the environment: land -use

patterns and global climate change.

Land Use

Fulfilling the resource requirements of a growing population

ultimately requires some form of land-use change--to provide for the

expansion of food production through forest clearing, to intensify

production on already cultivated land, or to develop the infrastructure

necessary to support increasing human numbers. During the past three

centuries, the amount of Earth's cultivated land has grown by more than

450 percent, increasing from 2.65 million square kilometers to 15 million

square kilometers. A related process, deforestation, is also critically

apparent: A net decline in forest cover of 180 million acres took place

during the 15-year interval 19801995, although changes in forest cover

vary greatly across regions. Whereas developing countries experienced a

net loss of 200 million acres, developed countries actually experienced a

net increase, of 20 million acres

These types of land-use changes have several ecological impacts.

Converting land to agricultural use can lead to soil erosion, and the



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primarily in three areas. First, contributions related to industrial

production and energy consumption lead to carbon dioxide emissions

from fossil fuel use; second, land-use changes, such as deforestation,

affect the exchange of carbon dioxide between the Earth and the

atmosphere; and third, some agricultural processes, such as paddy-rice

cultivation and livestock production, are responsible for greenhouse gas

releases into the atmosphere, especially methane. According to one

estimate, population growth will account for 35 percent of the global

increase in CO2 emissions between 1985 and 2100 and 48 percent of the

increase in developing nations during that period. As such, both attention

to demographic issues and the development of sustainable production

and consumption processes are central responses to the processes

involved in global warming.

The policy implications of demographic influences on the

environment are complicated and can sometimes be controversial. W hile

some view large, rapidly growing populations in developing regions as the

primary culprit in environmental decline, others focus on the costly

environmental effects of overconsumption among the slowly increasing

populations of the developed nations. These differing emphases naturallypoint to radically different solutions: slow population increase in less-

developed nations or change destructive consumption and production

patterns in the more-developed nations. This debate, however, presumes

a one-step solution to the complex problems created by population

pressures on the environment. Both population size and consumption

influence environmental change and are among the many factors that



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need to be incorporated into realistic policy debate and prescriptions.

Examples of policies that could address the environmental implications of

demographic factors include policies to promote effective family

planning, more effective rural development to slow migration to crowded

urban centers, and incentives to encourage sustainable levels of

consumption and the use of efficient, cleaner technologies.

Without argument, the environmental damage done as a result of

human activity in the last hundred years far exceeds any damage done

over the prior 3.5 million. This increase in damage is the result of not

only increases in population, but the leveraging of technologies and tools

designed to improve human consumption. Barring a change of attitude,

however, this increase in level of damage was unavoidable as its root

cause is the natural desire and perhaps even base purpose of humanity.

Considering the complex relationships and interdependencies present in

the natural world, we well know that there exists a point of no return.

After environmental destruction proceeds past this point, there is no

turning back Earth will be destined over hundreds and perhaps thousands

of years to repeat the fate of Easter Island. The fortunate news is that,

odds are, this event horizon is most likely a long way off. The future isalways longer than the present. At the same time, the imminent

possibility exists that that point has long passed.

The human population is more than fifteen hundred times larger

than that of ten thousand years ago. Economic measures of technology

have grown by innumerable bounds an estimated six thousand times over

the same period. This is an enormous difference in leverage. Consider



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this example to help put this increase in perspective: for each single spear

used to hunt ten thousand years ago, there could now exist about fifteen

thousand hunting rifles. In sheer power an ability to cause environmental

damage, this is a terrible amplification. Of course, taking into account

destruction of animal and plant populations as well as terra for non-

nutritional reasons. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists for

Environmental Solutions, loss of biological diversity has proceeded at at

alarming rate 654 known species over the past four hundred years, far

above the historical average. In addition, of all creatures on the

endangered species list, less than one percent is threatened because of

natural causes. This is not even to mention that 1.5 million hectares of

rainforest are destroyed annually.

Food Production per capita 1961-2005.



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EXPERIMENTAL METHOD/DATA COLLECTION

CASE STUDY

The Relationship between Population, Environment and

development in various continents of the world.

1. TEMPORAL TRENDS IN POPULATION, ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT

The twentieth century witnessed an extraordinary growth of world

population—from billion to 6.1 billion people, 80 per cent of the increase

having occurred since 1950. As a result, world population has increased by

nearly two and one half times since 1950,with the global rate of growth

peaking at 2.04 per cent per year during the late 1960s. The world added its

most recent billion people in just 12 years (from 1987 to 1999).

Between 1965-1970 and 2000-2005, world fertility declined from 4.9

births to 2.7 births per woman. Estimates suggest a current growth rate of 1.2

per cent per year and an annual net addition of 77 million people. Despite

fertility declines to relatively moderate levels, the number of births continues

to increase owing to the growth in the number of women of childbearing age.

While in 1965-1970 the average annual number of births in less developed

regions was 101 million, today this number is estimated at 120 million.

As depicted in the graph, the slope of the estimated population growth

is on the rise over the last few decades, showing an exponential increase. This

trend has led to phenomenal consequences on a number of factors, the most

effected ones being the environment and the global economy, as a whole. We



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have witnessed large disparities in both of these lately, which must be a matter

of concern for all of us.Another relevant, vital population trend is urbanization.

2. ECONOMIC GROWTH AND POVERTY

The enormous expansion in the global production of goods and services

driven by technological and social and economic changes has allowed the



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world to sustain both much larger populations and vastly higher standards of

living than ever before in history. The two most salient characteristics of

economic growth in the latter half of the twentieth century have been its

unprecedented pace and its uneven distribution between countries and

regions. Between 1950 and 2000, world GDP at constant prices expanded

eightfold (International Monetary Fund, 2000).During the same period, world

population grew from 2.5 billion inhabitants in 1950 to 6.1 billion in

2000.Technological progress, output growth has remained well ahead of

population growth , inducing a threefold increase in per capita GDP.

3. ENERGY CONSUMPTION AND EMISSIONS

The importance of energy and raw materials derives from their dual role

of providing the underpinnings for economic activity and human well-being,

while acting as the driving force behind many environmental concerns,

including climate change, acid rain and pollution.

Energy consumption is a function of economic growth and level of

development, energy consumption is distributed unequally in the world.

Although their share has been falling, developed market economies,

constituting one fifth of the world’s population, consume almost 60 per cent of

the world’s primary energy . As a consequence of development and the rapid

replacement of traditional energy sources by commercial (mainly fossil)

sources, some developing countries have consumption patterns similar to

those of developed market economies.

Nevertheless, per capita consumption in developing countries as a group

remains far below that of developed market economies. The use of fossil fuels

has led to substantial growth in global emissions of CO2 and the build-up of



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greenhouse effects, contributing to global warming. Since 1751, over 265

billion tons of carbon have been released to the atmosphere, one half of these

emissions having been produced since the mid-1970s (Marland and others,

1999). Annual global emissions of CO2 from the burning of fossil fuels have

qadrupled since 1950. The highest per capita CO2 emissions are in North

America, which is followed by Europe where such emissions

The magnitude of future carbon emissions depends on many factors,

including global energy demand, the pace of economic development, the

introduction of energy-saving technologies and the degree of shift away from

fossil fuels. Models suggest that immediate stabilization of atmospheric CO2



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concentrations at present levels can be achieved only if emissions are

immediately slashed by at least 50 per cent and further reduced thereafter.

Because of the inertia of climate systems, even with stabilization of emissions,

global warming and the rise of sea levels could continue for many years.

4. AGRICULTURE, FOOD AND LAND USE

The persistence of undernutrition and food insecurity in some areas of

the world, and the increasing scarcity and unsustainable utilization of

agricultural and other environmental resources, have dominated the global

assessment of food and agriculture prospects. World agricultural production



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has outpaced population growth, and the real price of food has declined.. Over

the period 1961-1998, world food for human consumption, per capita,

increased by 24 per cent. A sufficient amount of food is being produced to

nourish the world’s population adequately .

Yet, recent estimates show that some 790 million persons were

undernourished as of 1995-1997, owing to poverty, political instability,

economic inefficiency and social inequity. More recently, world agricultural

growth has been slowing down.. While world food production is projected to

meet consumption demands for the next two decades, long-term forecastsindicate persistent and possibly worsening food insecurity in many countries,

especially in sub-Saharan Africa.

Food production has been increased mainly by expanding the area

cultivated and by rising crop yield.Constraints on expanding cultivated land is

the main risk of environmental degradation of marginal cultivated lands and

forests.

The major cause of land loss, however, is degradation. Serious erosion

has often followed extension of farmland to slopes of hills, and salinisation of

soil is a serious problem in some areas. Long-term global warming and climate

change could also threaten the high-quality land deterioration in agro-

ecological conditions.



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CO2 Production(Million tonnes of Carbon) Vs Year Graph

5. WATER

An adequate and dependable supply of fresh water is essential for

health, food production and socio-economic development. Less than 0.01 per

cent is readily accessible for direct human use .The size of a country’s

population and the speed at which it grows help determine the onset and

severity of water scarcity. The problems associated with water scarcity will

continue to mount as the size of the world’s population increases.

Currently, humans are using about half the fresh water that is readily

available. Fresh water is distributed unevenly over the globe, and already

nearly half a billion people are affected by water stress or serious water

scarcity, while many more are experiencing moderate stress. Given current

trends, as much as two thirds of world population in 2025 may be subject to



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ago, almost half of the earth’s forests have been converted to farms, pastures

and other uses, and only one fifth of original forest remains in large, relatively

natural ecosystems. Forested areas, including forest plantations as well as

natural forests, occupied about one fourth of the world’s land area in 1995.

Tropical rain forests are important for the quantity and diversity of life they

support. They cover only 7 per cent of the earth’s land area, but contain at

least 50 per cent of terrestrial species.

The influences of forests and biodiversity are global, reaching far beyond

national borders, in both space and time. Therefore, international cooperationis essential in order to integrate environmental issues better into global,

regional and national decision-making processes.

7. GOVERNMENT POLICIES CONCERNING POPULATION, ENVIRONMENT

During the 1990s, an increasing number of Governments became

seriously concerned about environmental problems, whether of a domestic

nature or, less frequently, of a cross-boundary nature. At the 1992 United

Nations Conference on Environment and Development, a consensus was

established that population, the environment and development were

inextricably linked. This consensus view was reaffirmed at the 1994

International Conference on Population and Development. In addition, reportsand statements produced by Governments and non-governmental

organizations for the first quinquennial review and appraisal of the

implementation of Agenda 21 and of the implementation of the Programme of

Action of the International Conference on Population and Development

provide a solid basis on which to assess how far the various stakeholders have



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gone in operationalizing the linkages among population,environment and

development. Countries in the more developed regions and those in the less developed

regions differ significantly with regard to their degree of concern over these

issues. In the more developed regions, less than one country in two expresses

deep concern over population linkages with air pollution and the deterioration

of the urban environment, and one country in three over linkages between

population and the quality and quantity of water resources. In the less

developed regions, in contrast, 73 per cent of Governments make reference topopulation trends in relation to water pollution and 63 per cent in relation to

the amount of fresh water. A large majority of countries—65 per cent—also

refer to the linkage between population growth and the deterioration of the

urban environment. Sixty per cent of countries mention the linkage between

rural population growth and density and the degradation of agricultural land

and forests.

Since the convening of the United Nations Conference on Environment

and Development in 1992, over 100 countries have adopted national

sustainable development strategies or national environmental action plans.

These processes have largely focused on setting national environmental

priorities, devising the best private-public intervention mixes in relation to

those priorities, and involving the public.

In national environmental strategies and action plans prepared by

countries in the more developed regions, little reference is made to

demographic dynamics. Environmental policies and programmes are

increasingly designed and implemented through participatory processes that

involve civil society. Most Governments and donors believe that participatory



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management through community involvement at the local level is essential to

ensure sustainability and to build local capacity. Taking local knowledge and

traditional technologies into account is also increasingly seen as necessary. The

promotion of sustainable practices is therefore carried out primarily within the

framework of community-based initiatives with international technical and

financial assistance. Activities range from awareness-creation tobuilding local

capacity in the management of natural resources and support to non-

agricultural supplemental income-generating activities.

8. THE ESSENCE OF CASE STUDY: PUBLIC OPINION

REGARDING THE ENVIRONMENT

Political mainstreaming of environmental issues has led Governments to

make commitments enabling civil society participation in environmental policy

processes and to encourage firms to develop a sense of corporate social

responsibility. Gaining a better understanding of the public’s attitudes and

expectations vis-à-vis the environment has become an integral part of public

policy-making as well as, lately, business strategies.

A striking feature of public opinion surveys is the lack of reference to

demographic dynamics in relation to the environment in either the

questionnaires used or the spontaneous replies of respondents. Findings from

recent international surveys, as well as from several national and local surveys,

provide a consistent and contrasting picture of how citizens of both developed

and developing countries perceive environmental issues, keeping in mind the

limits inherent in any interpretation of public opinion polls. First and foremost,

survey results point to the environment’s being a pressing concern of citizens

in both the more developed and less developed parts of the world, together



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with issues such as unemployment/economic hardship, violence and health

problems. According to the Environmental Monitor, a significant proportion of

people in all 27 countries surveyed have at least “a fair amount of concern”

about the environment (Environics International, 1999). In the countries of the

European Union (EU), almost one inhabitant in two (46 per cent), on average,

has serious concerns about the environment (European Commission, 1999).

Furthermore, comparison with results of past surveys clearly shows that

environmental concerns have been rising, particularly in developing countries.

In urban India, 27 per cent of respondents to the Environmental Monitor

volunteered an environment-related response when asked about the most

important problems they faced in 1999, as compared with 6 per cent in 1992.

Only in Canada and the United States of America has concern with the

environment been somewhat lower than the very high level observed in 1992.

The belief that high environmental standards pertain only to the rich-

country consumers’ agenda is therefore not supported by recent public

opinion polls. Whereas environmental concern is becoming universal, there are

significant cross-regional differences in people’s assessment of the overall

state of their local and national environment. In all countries of the EU,

inhabitants express satisfaction with the current state of their environment

and have “not much reason to complain” about environmental issues such as

air pollution, quality of water, waste disposal, noise and traffic problems.

However, they chiefly worry about a serious deterioration of the environment

in the future. In contrast, close to 80 per cent of inhabitants of Eastern

European countries such as Hungary, Poland, the Russian Federation and

Ukraine express major dissatisfaction with the current state of the

environment in their country. In the less developed regions, similar levels of

dissatisfaction are observed in many countries, such as Armenia, Chile,



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Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Peru and

the Republic of Korea. Only in Malaysiaand Singapore do respondents find the

environment satisfactory—75 per cent and 91 per cent, respectively.



Page 41

According to the World Development Indicators report in 1997, 1.5

billion people live exposed to dangerous levels of air pollution, 1 billion

live without clean water and 2 billion live without sanitation. The increase

of population has been tending towards alarming situation. The world's

population was estimated to be 6.14 billion in mid 2001 and projected7.82 billion and 9.04 billion in the year 2025 and 2050 respectively.

Contribution of India alone to this population was estimated to be 1033

millions in mid 2001 which has been projected 1363 millions and 1628

millions in 2025 and 2050 respectively. According to the provisional

results of the Census of India 2001, the population of India on 1st March

2001 is 1027 millions. If the world population continues to multiply, the

impact on environment could be devastating.

Population impacts on the environment primarily through the use

of natural resources and production of wastes and is associated with

environmental stresses like biodiversity, air and water pollution and

increased pressure on arable land. India is the world's sixth largest and

second fastest growing producer of greenhouse gases. Delhi, Mumbai and

Chennai are three of the world's ten most populated cities. Two-thirds of

city dwellers lack sewerage, one-third lack potable water. India grows

equivalent of another New York City every year in its urban population.

By the year 2000, more than 350 million Indians will live in cities. In 15



Page 42

years, more than half of Indians will be urban dwellers; 1/3 will be slum

dwellers and squatters.

India is one of the most degraded environment countries in the

world and it is paying heavy health and economic price for it. According

to a World Bank sponsored study, estimated environmental damage in

the year 1992 amounted to about US $ 10 billion or Rs. 34,000 crores,

which is 4.5 % of GDP. Urban air pollution costs India US $ 1.3 billion a

year. Water degradation leads to health costs amounting to US $ 5.7

million every year, nearly 60 percent of the total environmental cost. Soil

erosion affects 83 to 163 million hectares of land every year. Beside, land

degradation leads to productivity loss equal to US $ 2.4 billion or 4 to 6.3

percent of the agricultural productivity every year. The lack of services

such as water supply, sanitation, drainage of storm water, treatment and

disposal of waste water, management of solid and hazardous wastes,

supply of safe food, water and housing are all unable to keep pace with

urban growth. All these in turn lead to an increase in the pollution levels.

India is the second most populous country in the world after China.

India supports 16.87 percent of the world's population on its

meager 2.4 percent world surface area of 135.79 million square kms.At

the time of independence country's population was 342 million. The

country’s population size had grown from 361 million in 1951 to around

846 million in 1991 and 1027 million in 2001. The population of India

almost trippled during the period of 1951-2001. The phenomenal

increase in the population during the last fifty years has led to rapid



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industrialization and high rate of urbanization which have created

tremendous pressure on natural resources like land, air and water. The

urban population has increased three and half times, from 62.4 million in

1951 to 217.6 million in 1991 and it again increased to 288 million in

2001. The percentage of urban population increased from 17.28 percent

in 1951 to 23.33 percent in 1981, 25.71 percent in 1991 and which

further increased to 28 percent in 2001. The decadal growth rates of the

population are irregular, as it increased from 13.31 percent in 1951 to

24.8 percent in 1971 and afterwards it marginally declined to 24.7

percent in 1981, 23.9 percent in 1991 and 21.34 percent in 2001.

Environmental pollution in urban areas is associated with excessive

morbidity and mortality. Overcrowding and inadequate housing

contribute to pollution related diseases. There has been three and half

times increase in urban population over 1951-1991. During the past two

decades of 1971-91, India's urban population has doubled from 109

million to 218 million and is estimated to reach 300 million by 2000 AD.

Such rapid and unplanned expansion of cities has resulted in degradation

of urban environment. It has widened the gap between demand and

supply of infrastructure services such as energy, housing, transport,

communication, education, water supply and sewerage and recreational

activities, thus depleted the precious scarce environmental resource base

of the cities. Poverty is said to be both cause and effect of environment

degradation. The poor people, who rely on natural resources more than

the rich, deplete natural resources faster as they have no real prospects



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of gaining access to other types of resources.Poorer people, who cannot

meet their subsistence needs through purchase, are forced to use

common property resources such as forests for food and fuel, pastures

for fodder, and ponds and rivers for water.

Deforestation :

Forests are an important natural resource of India. Forests also play

an important role in enhancing the quality of environment by influencing

the ecological balance and life support system (checking soil erosion,

maintaining soil fertility, conserving water, regulating water cycles and

floods, balancing carbon dioxide and oxygen content in atmosphere etc.

India has a forest cover of 76.52 million square kms. of recorded forest

area, while only 63.34 million square kms. can be classified as actual

forest cover. This accounts for 23.28 percent of total geographic area

against 33 percent recommended by National Forest Policy of 1988.

Land/Soil degradation :

Intensive agriculture and irrigation contribute to land degradation

particularly salination, alkalization and water logging. It is evident that

most of the land in the country is degrading, thus affecting the productive

resource base of the economy. Out of the total geographical area of

328.7 million hectares, 175 million hectares are considered to be land-

degraded area.Water and wind erosion is the major contributor of 141.3

million hectares to soil erosion, with other factors like water logging 8.5

million hectares, alkali soil 3.6 million hectares, acid soil 4.5 million



Page 45

hectares, saline soil including coastal sandy areas 5.5 million hectares

adding to the situ degradation. While soil erosion by rain and river in hill

areas causes landslides and floods, deforestation, overgrazing, traditional

agricultural practices, mining and incorrect siting of development projects

in forest areas have resulted in opening up of these areas to heavy soil

erosion. Ravines and gullies reported 4 million hectares, area subject to

shifting cultivation reported 4.9 million hectares and riverine and torrents

erosion due to floods and eutrophication due to agricultural run off

reported 2.7 million hectares.

Air pollution

The urban air pollution has grown across India in the last decade is

alarming. The main factors accounts to urban air quality deterioration are

growing industrialization and increasing vehicular pollution, industrial

emissions, automobile exhaust and the burning of fossil fuels kills

thousands and lives many more to suffer mainly from respiratory

damage, heart and lung diseases.It shows an increasing trend, though

fluctuations are noticed in terms of annual maximum levels.

Vehicular pollution

Transport activities have a wide variety of effects on the

environment such as air pollution, noise from road traffic. Road transport

accounts for a major share of air pollution load in mega cities. The

environmental effects of fuels like oil and petroleum products are of



Page 46

growing concern owing to increasing consumption levels. The combustion

of these fuels in vehicles has been a major source of pollution. The

different factors are the types of engines used, the age of the vehicles,

poor road conditions and congested traffic. Number of registered vehicles

in India has increased from 3 million in 1950-51 to more than 33 million in

1995-96, of which about 28 percent are concentrated in the 23

metropolitan cities of India. The major share is contributed by

metropolitan cities in all registered vehicles in the country.

Energy production and consumption in India

The environmental effects due to increasing consumption levels of

fuels like coal, lignite, oil and nuclear etc. are of growing concern to

various researchers. The combustion of these fuels in industries has been

a major source of pollution. Energy production and consumption has

increased steadily in India since 1950 onwards. The production of coal

and lignite has increased from 32.2 million tons in 1950-51 to 292.27

million tons in 1995-96, an increase of more than 9 times. The production

of petroleum products registered an increase of more than 22 times,

from 3.3 million tons in 1950-51 to 74.7 million tons in 1995-96. The bulk

of commercial energy comes from the burning of fossil fuels viz. coal and

lignite in solid form, petroleum in liquid form and gas in gaseous form.

Burning of traditional fuel adds a large amount of carbon-di-oxide into

atmosphere and increases air pollution. The production of electricity has

increased from 5 billion KWH in 1950-51 to about 380 billion KWH in

1995-96. The share of thermal power has increased from 51 percent in



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1950-51 to about 79 percent in 1995-96 whereas the share of

hydropower declined from 49 percent in 1950-51 to 19 percent in 1995-

96.

Water pollution

Water is among the most essential requisites that nature has

provided to sustain life on earth. Water pollution from domestic and

human wastewater is the main cause for much severe water borne

diseases. Water and sanitation services are basic necessities of a

community and are most essential conditions for development, as they

play an important role in improving health and quality of life. 80 percent

of the diseases in the world are associated with water usage or poor

environmental hygiene. In India, water pollution comes from three main

sources: domestic sewage, industrial effluents and run-off from activities

such as agriculture. The large scale use of pesticides may have

revolutionized food production, but these chemicals are responsible for

more than 2 million human poisonings every year with a resultant 20,000

deaths. Broadly, thecauses of water pollution can be attributed to:

• Urbanization

• Industrialization

• Withdrawal of wastes

• Agricultural run-off and improper agricultural practices

• Religious and social practices



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70% of the available water in India is polluted. Only five states,

Maharashtra, Gujrat, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, generate

more than 63% of the total waste water in India as they lack treatment

facilities. The increasing river water pollution is the biggest threat to

public health. All these could be attributed to the rapidly increasing

population and lack of water resources.



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Page 51

From the various effects of environmental degradation on human

beings, discussed in this paper, it appears that if human beings wants to

exist on earth, there is now high time to give top priority to control

pollution of all types for a healthy living. It can be said that even after fifty

years of independence, India is unable to achieve the desirable standards

of health for its population as consequences of environment degradation.

There is a need to control population growth in the country. Special

efforts should be made for educating the general mass and local leaders

about the adverse effects of large population through specially designed

IEC (Information, Education and Communication) activities. In order to

increase green cover and to preserve the existing forests, afforestation

and social forestry programmes should be implemented at the local level.Further, measures to control air pollution should be intensified

throughout the country.

Wastewater treatment plants be established in accordance with the

need of time and its usage should be encouraged. The heavy penalty

should be imposed on industries disposing off the wastes into the river.

Moreover, the landfills are to be properly managed to prevent

ground water contamination. Since slums are one of the major sources of

water pollution proper measures should be taken to facilitate the slums

with water and sanitation facilities. More emphasis should be laid on

compulsory environmental education at the school level in order to make



people aware of the environment protection. The environment

protection should not be a responsibility of government alone but mass

and local leaders should be encouraged to make dedicated efforts to

eradicate the environmental problems.

To sum up, it may be emphasized that the environment is neither a free

gift of environmental goods and services, nor it can be thought of as just

a sink for depositing of waste products from houses, industries and other

sources. It is the need of time to protect environment for the present and

future generation.

In the report the effects of human population on Environment was

successfully studied with help of relevant data, case studies and

statistical models. The trends were carefully observed and appropriate

solutions to the problems were also enumerated.

effect of population on environment-case study-nitc

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