%0 Book %A National Academy of Sciences %T Growing Populations, Changing Landscapes: Studies from India, China, and the United States %@ 978-0-309-07554-1 %D 2001 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10144/growing-populations-changing-landscapes-studies-from-india-china-and-the %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10144/growing-populations-changing-landscapes-studies-from-india-china-and-the %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Behavioral and Social Sciences %K Environment and Environmental Studies %P 323 %R doi:10.17226/10144 %X As the world’s population exceeds an incredible 6 billion people, governments—and scientists—everywhere are concerned about the prospects for sustainable development. The science academies of the three most populous countries have joined forces in an unprecedented effort to understand the linkage between population growth and land-use change, and its implications for the future. By examining six sites ranging from agricultural to intensely urban to areas in transition, the multinational study panel asks how population growth and consumption directly cause land-use change, and explore the general nature of the forces driving the transformations. Growing Populations, Changing Landscapes explains how disparate government policies with unintended consequences and globalization effects that link local land-use changes to consumption patterns and labor policies in distant countries can be far more influential than simple numerical population increases. Recognizing the importance of these linkages can be a significant step toward more effective environmental management.