 Population and natural resources conditions ,  Population and environment issues, Global warming and climate change ,  Demographic factors are evoked by several countries in connection with their environmental problems: Relation among population , Resources and Environment,  South Asian countries mention that population policy as general means to alleviate environmental problems:

1.  Introduction:
The region of South Asia—comprising the seven countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India,
Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka—has been the cradle of several great
civilizations and is today home to more than one-fifth of the world’s people. With an area
roughly the same as that of the continental United States but four times the population, it
is already one of the most densely settled regions of the world. Yet its population growth
rate exceeds the developing world’s average, so strains on key natural resources—water,
air, land, sea—will continue to rise if measures are not taken to simultaneously reduce the
rate of human expansion and to manage these resources wisely.
 Population and natural resources conditions:
Rates of growth of the urban population are moderate on the whole but excede 7% in two cases.
South Asia Population-2012
These diverse conditions imply that countries face very different situations with regard to the
distribution of population among sources of livelihood, level and trend of population pressure on
natural and investment resources, etc.
 Land resources:
Are much below the world average of 0.26 hectare per person in most countries. This is
in part the consequence of unfavorable natural conditions (e.g. deserts, infertile
mountainous areas) and in part that of continued population growth which has driven
population densities to high levels.
 Forestand woodland resources:
Are also very limited, and far below the world average of 0.75 hectare, with the sole exception
of Bhutan. As a matter of fact, deforestation is widespread in the region.
Southa Central Asia Population in Million Rate of natural increases
Bangladesh 152.9 1.6
Afganistan 33.4 2.8
Bhutan 0.7 1.3
India 1259.7 1.5
Maldivs 0.3 1.9
Pakistan 180.4 2.1
Sri-lanka 21.2 1.2
Nepal 30.9 1.8

2.  waterresources:.
With respect to the classical scale of competition for water (stress/absolute scarcity/water barrier)
no country is in the danger zone - although Iran is close. Naturally, water resources being fixed,
population growth gradually leads countries towards that zone. In 2025 Afghanistan and India
will be in the water stress zone, and Iran will be in the absolute scarcity zone (less than 2.7
m2/person/day); Pakistan and Sri Lanka will reach the water stress stage a little later.
 Population and environment issues:
The two most widespread problems
Pollution of water resources (by industrial discharges, household waste, sewage
or agricultural chemicals) and
Deforestation (under the impact of clearing for shifting agriculture,
overexploitation for fuelwood and timber collection, and overgrazing).
Next come
Pressure on land. Asia faces the most acute pressure on agricultural land of
any region in the world.
Soil erosion (from overgrazing and intensive cultivation)
chemical degradation or pollution (from excessive use of agricultural
chemicals.)
Other largely shared problems are
water scarcity (induced by mounting population density and growing economic activity
in the face of fixed resources),
air pollution (mostly by industrial effluents, although urban traffic is also a growing
factor),
the loss of biodiversity (in shrinking forests as well as in threatened marine and wetland
ecosystems) and
urban environment problems (from unplanned growth and inability to tackle waste
management on the required scale).
Global warming and climate change:
The emission of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), methane, nitrous oxide, and
chlorofluorocarbons, is much lower per person in Asia than in the industrialized nations, but—
given Asia’s large population and rapidly increasing energy use—the region plays an important
and growing role in global warming. In the 1950 s, Asian countries produced about one-fifth of
the CO 2 emissions (the most important green- house gas) produced by Europe, but by the mid-
1980 s carbon emissions from Asia surpassed those from Europe (Figure 2 ). If current trends
continue, CO 2 emissions from Asia will double between 2000 and 2020 , growing at more than

3. three times the rate of emissions from industrialized countries (Energy Information
Administration 2001 ). By 2020 , Asia will be the leading producer of CO 2 in the world. There
is growing evidence that atmospheric concentrations of CO 2 and other greenhouse gases have
been rising as a result of population growth, changing consumption patterns, and expansion of
economic activity. If current trends continue, the average surface temperature of the earth is pro-
jected to increase by 1 . 4 – 5.8 degrees Celsius by 2100 . A recent assessment by the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) suggests that the adverse effects of global
warming—including rising sea levels and changes in rainfall, vegetation, wind, and pest/disease
patterns—will be felt most severely in the poor countries of Asia and Africa (IPCC 2001 ).
 Demographic factors are evokedby severalcountries in connectionwith
their environmental problems:
Iran evokes its large population and "demographic explosion".
Pakistan, "accelerating economic and demographic pressures" are one of three factors
identified as responsible for the emergence of environmental problems.
Bhutan notes that the population "is growing rapidly [... This] increase cannot be easily
absorbed by the existing rural or urban communities."
Bangladesh, a "link exists between population, poverty and the environment. High
population growth rates lead to more intense use of resources, exacerbating existing
scarcities and over-exploitation".
The Maldives also cite population growth as one of the factors of environmental
problems.

4. India considers that "population-related issues, which are inextricably linked to the total
development of India, (are) a priority [...] Development should lead to a decrease in
population growth rates".
Realation among population , Resources and Environment
High Population growth rate
High use of natural resources
Natural resources in decreasing
Environmental degradation
Climate change
Population explision
 South Asian countries mention that population policy as generalmeans
to alleviate environmental pboblems:
Population and environmental policies:
In Nepal:A range of strategies have been put forward including
a.expansion of family planning,
b. child health services,
c.integration of population programmes in other sectoral projects,
d. expansion of adult education programmes for women.".
Bhutan states: "The future socio-economic balance depends on a strictly enforced family
planning policy and/or new means of livelihood not directly dependent on the land".
Bangladesh,:The recommendations of the "environmental strategy for sustainable
development" include a series of measures under the heading on population stabilization
and poverty alleviation.
Maldives emphasize the need to develop "an environmentally sound national population
management policy".
Iran:promoting environmental education" is one of the cited "priorities on environment
and development".
Afghanistan also identifies "developing materials to ensure environmental education is
to be promoted" as a priority.

5. Pakistanthe Environment and Urban Affairs Division leads information efforts, while the
Pakistan Institute for Labour Education and Resources conducts workers' training.
India, the 1986 National Policy on Education includes a Master Plan for the universal
provision of facilities for environmental education, for "there is an urgent need to create
widespread awareness".
 Land degradationand its factors:
Land degradation and its factors related with two factors
Soil erosion under the action of water is the main form of land degradation in the
countries reviewed, affecting 25% of the total area under crops and pastures. Wind
erosion affects 48% of the land under crops and pasture in the dry zone (60% in Iran).
Chemical degradation (salinization, loss of soil fertility, pollution) has a high impact in
some countries, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in particular; salinization affects more than
half of all agricultural land in Iran.
 Causes ofdegradation:
The causes of land degradation comprise
1. Direct and
2. Underlying causes
1.Directcauses are inappropriate land use and management practices. The following direct
causes of land degradation have been considered: deforestation and removal of natural
vegetation; over-exploitation of wood cover for domestic use; overgrazing; and agricultural
activities.
2.Underlying causes are the reasons why these inappropriate practices take place. The role of
population factors in land degradation processes obviously occurs in the context of the
underlying causes. In the region, it is indeed one of the two major basic causes of degradation
along with land shortage, and land shortage itself ultimately is a consequence of continued
population growth in the face of the finiteness of land resources.
 Population-environment linkages and population programmes
Population programmes ought to be responsive to population-environment problems and
linkages. Possible activities in this context are the following:

6. 1. Assessing the role of population dynamics and other factors with respect to prevailing
trends in water supply issues, land degradation, deforestation.
2. Assessing the impact of urban expansion on the state of natural resources (cropland,
forests, water).
3. Assessing changes in the quality of urban environmentand assess their reciprocal causal
relationships with the demographic dynamics of the settlements.
4. Advocacy to raise the awareness of government and civil servants regarding priority
linkages of population dynamics and environmental change at the national and sub-
national levels, and achieve a clear recognition of the need to develop relevant policies.
5. Based on country characteristics, identify specific environmental indicators integrating
population dimensions.
6. Assess current dimensions of population pressure on water resources
7. Identify the vulnerable populations with regard to specific environmental issues, e.g.
pollution, water supply problems, deforestation.
8. Project the impact of population change on various environmental goods under
alternative scenarios of population growth, urbanization, consumption patterns.
9. Capacity building (e.g., interdisciplinary workshops with exercises in formulating
environment and development strategies).
10. Support to monitoring activities, including at the methodological level
Conclusion:
Projections of future resource requirements and environmental stress in Asiaare worrying—even
alarming—whether the focus is on population numbersalone or on the effects of poorly planned
economic development.Unless significant measures are taken to incorporate environmental
concerns into agricultural development, urban planning, technological innovation,industrial
growth, and resource management, the situation is likely to worsen inthe future. At the
international level, technological innovation and the transferof technical and management skills
will play a major role in alleviating Asia’senvironmental problems. At the national level,
political and economic prioritysetting will be essential.