In Nov 2009, I was honored to be an invited speaker as researchers at the Steinbrenner Institute for Environmental Education and Research, at Carnegie Mellon University, continue their consideration of research on population-environment topics. The two-day dialogue explored three main topics:
1) Measures of U.S. resource consumption, including rates, amounts and origins of the resources.
2) Measures of U.S. food production and implications of population growth.
3) Measures of impacts of population growth on resources and quality of life.
My own presentation encouraged CMU scholars to move past simplistic representations of population-environment associations and to include more nuanced consideration of demographic and social processes. As examples, more careful consideration of the environmental aspects of immigration could yield more fruitful policy response as compared to building yet-higher border walls. Also, culture and environmental values as forces shaping consumption deserve central attention in consideration of society's ecological footprint.
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