Environment, Population and Development

The second of four volumes on environmental issues, this text provides an up-to-date and interdisciplinary account of the interrelations between population change, agriculture and the rural and urban environments. It shows that the relationships have changed as a result of industrialization and are expressed in the pattern of world trade. The book begins by exploring the different fates of population growth in the contemporary world and explains how they have been affected by industrialization and development. Contrasts in agricultural productivity and sustainability are then related to ecological conditions and industrialization, with special attention given to two highly productive agricultural systems - irrigated rice and intensive temperate farming. The case of the UK is used to show how agriculture competes with other uses, from recreation to military training, for rural land as well as its hanging role in the rural economy. The dependence of current agricultural systems on world trade in foodstuffs is used to lead readers into a broader analysis of the effects of trade on the environment.
Finally, the relationships between cities, population, development and trade are outlined, with environmental consequences demonstrated for both agricultural and industial societies.