ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at how changes in population size and composition are affecting population-environment interactions in Asia. The discussion focuses in particular on urbanization and the ‘rise of the middle class’ as major demographic trends driving rapid growth in demand for water, energy and other resources. The rapid growth in consumption is also associated with ubiquitous environmental pollution, which exacerbates issues of resource scarcity and impacts directly on population health and well-being. These demographic trends also have substantial implications for Asia’s development in the twenty-first century, and the chapter closes with a brief discussion of population and sustainable development in Asia.
