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Population Dynamics and the Environment: The Demo-climatic Transition

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International Handbook of Population Policies

Part of the book series: International Handbooks of Population ((IHOP,volume 11))

Abstract

This chapter discusses how the evolution of environmental concerns, particularly Global Environmental Changes (GEC), has been mostly decoupled from demographic thinking, specifically in terms of population transition theories. This gap in the literature is particularly relevant in a world where climate change will be a dominant force affecting human behavior. In order to reconcile environmental and demographic perspectives, we propose a revision of population transition theories towards an integrated population-GEC framework, which we name here the Demo-climatic Transition. We thus argue that understanding the nature and consequences of population transitions will be fundamental in the elaboration and implementation of policies regarding the environment in the next decades, particularly those related to climate change. In particular, we discuss how the co-evolution of population and climate transitions in the coming decades may severely impact old and new vulnerabilities across the globe, particularly in the less developed countries, and may impose challenges for population and adaptation policies.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The Word Bank; see https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/sp.urb.totl.in.zs, accessed on April 14, 2020.

  2. 2.

    Brazilian Census Bureau, IBGE; see https://censo2010.ibge.gov.br/sinopse/index.php?dados=5&uf=00, accessed on April 16, 2020.

  3. 3.

    Sistema de Emissões de Gases de Efeito Estufa do Observatório do Clima; see http://seeg.eco.br/, accessed on April 15, 2020.

  4. 4.

    IPCC (International Panel on Climate Change). Climate Change 2001, IPCC Third Assessment Report, Glossary.

  5. 5.

    UNHCR; see https://www.unhcr.org/ph/figures-at-a-glance, accessed on April 15, 2020.

  6. 6.

    See http://www.ipcc.ch/organization/organization_history.shtml, accessed on April 20, 2020.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Demography and Center for Regional Development and Planning (Cedeplar), Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Brazil

    Alisson Flávio Barbieri

  2. Population Studies and Global Environmental Health, Nicholas School of Environment & Duke Global Health Institute, Durham, NC, USA

    William K. Pan

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  1. Alisson Flávio Barbieri
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Correspondence to Alisson Flávio Barbieri .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Schar School of Policy and Government, George Mason University, Arlington, VA, USA

    John F. May

  2. Schar School of Policy and Government, George Mason University, Arlington, VA, USA

    Jack A. Goldstone

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Barbieri, A.F., Pan, W.K. (2022). Population Dynamics and the Environment: The Demo-climatic Transition. In: May, J.F., Goldstone, J.A. (eds) International Handbook of Population Policies. International Handbooks of Population, vol 11. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-02040-7_6

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