|
Population and the Environment
While consumers, particularly in the wealthiest countries,
are doing the most to reshape the natural world
through their use of resources and products, fastgrowing
populations in the poorest, least-developed
countries also have an impact. Here, biodiversity is
often high and environmental degradation already
widespread.
Poor populations in many biodiversity-rich
regions—largely rural areas where good health facilities,
schools, and basic infrastructure are frequently
absent—often have no other options but to exploit
their local environment to meet subsistence needs
for food and fuel.
In these settings, traditional practices that may
have been ecologically viable when the population
was small are becoming increasingly less viable for
species and ecosystems as population grows and
demands rise. The trade in bush meat in Central
Africa, for instance, has accelerated to such a degree
that the future of forest-dwelling animals, including
primates, is in jeopardy.(8)
ENVIRONMENT AND HEALTH. From polluted air to
contaminated water to toxins in food, the health of the environment can affect human health in complex
ways. Both women and men are exposed to an increasing
number of environmental hazards, especially in
poor communities. In rural areas, farmers and labourers
often come in contact with an array of pesticides,
solvents, and unknown toxins; some of these have an
effect on reproductive health, with a disproportionate
impact on women.(9)
|
