ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with the economic struggles and the serious environmental degradation that are afflicting four-fifths of the world’s population. What is clearly evident for most of these countries, especially the bottom quarter (the very poor) is the unsustain-
ability of the business-as-usual practices of economic development. Sustainability in this context suggests that the poverty, population and environmental linkages cannot be decoupled without a comprehensive and fresh look at the social and political
After reading this chapter you will be familiar with the following:
■ The disparities in conditions relating to populations, economies, and the environment within the socalled ‘developing’ nations.
