Wolfgang Lutz, Alexia Prskawetz, and Warren C. Sanderson,
Editors
  
A supplement to Vol. 28, 2002
of Population and Development Review

The effects of the human population on the natural environment are of public concern and scientific interest, as are the effects of the natural environment on the human population. Together they are the subject of an expanding research effort: the emerging field of population-environment analysis. While the field has a distinct identity, the methods it draws on are heterogeneous and rarely cross disciplinary boundaries. It lacks a shared methodological language with which to compare the results of different studies. Such weaknesses have slowed the accumulation of knowledge about population-environment systems. They argue for greater attention to the development of appropriate analytical methods.
     This volume is the first attempt to systematically address methodological issues in population-environment analysis. Its contributors — demographers, other social scientists, and environmental scientists — describe and critically examine key concepts and analytical approaches, both in theoretical terms and through examples and case studies. The population-environment systems discussed range from air pollution in urban localities to national-level problems of landcover and food security. The conclusions point toward needed advances in system modeling and interdisciplinary research.

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Last updated: 26 Nov 2002