ABSTRACT
The word ‘environment’ generates many different responses. To some it is a question of survival of the world as an inhabitable planet. To others it is an over-hyped scare founded on myth rather than fact. The ‘environment’ does evoke considerable emotion and trying to establish a logical rational position in the midst of scientific uncertainty and strongly held feelings is a significant challenge. Some facts are not in dispute. The huge growth in the human population is the major driver of today’s environmental concerns. The number of human beings inhabiting the planet has mushroomed over the last one hundred years. The demands they make on the resources of the planet have grown exponentially. United Nations population data1 is shown in Table 5.1.1 demonstrating the actual and predicted growth of the human population.
