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Nature's Direct Feed from the |
Last updated on February 4th, 2012
| Democratic Republic of Congo and Madagascar Connect Family Planning With Environmental Health: Click here |
| Two programs in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Madagascar show how conservation and environmental initiatives can help extend reproductive health care to women and communities that are remote and well beyond the range of existing health care systems. These programs show the overlapping benefits attained when responding to the needs of local communities, improving environmental sustainability, and ensuring women and families' health. (January 2012) |
| 2011 Human Development Report Links Environmental Degradation and Inequality: Click here |
| The United Nations Development Programme's 2011 Human Development Report examines the relationship between environmental degradation and inequality. Environmental challenges increase inequality, while inequalities in human development such as income, health, and education can further strain the environment. The report measures poverty with the Human Development Index (HDI), a multidimensional measure that takes in account access to health care, education, and income levels worldwide. Each country has a HDI "score," categorized into groupings of Very High, High, Medium, and Low. (December 2011) |
| Integrating Coffee Agribusiness and Community Health Initiatives in Rwanda: Click here |
| Population, health, and environment approaches address the complex links between human health, environmental management, poverty, and population pressures in order to solve problems in areas critical for biodiversity and natural resource management. A relatively new USAID funding mechanism, "wrap-around," integrates USAID health funds into existing economic growth, livelihood, and conservation projects. The SPREAD Project in Rwanda's agribusiness programs focuses on research and extension of improved agricultural and processing practices to increase coffee quality and quantity, cooperative and business development assistance for farmer cooperatives and private enterprises. (October 2011) |
| Packard Foundation's Investments in Ethiopia Show Promising Results: Click here |
| The Packard Foundation's investments in Ethiopia have focused on working with rural development organizations to extend the reach of family planning services by integrating health education and service delivery with livelihood, microfinance, and environment interventions. The recently completed informal assessment, "Reflections on Population, Health, and Environment Projects in Ethiopia: The Packard Foundation's First 3 Years Investing in PHE in Ethiopia," shows the way forward for future PHE investments, research, monitoring and evaluation, and capacity building. (June 2011) |
| Disaster Risk and Vulnerability: The Role and Impact of Population and Society: Click here |
| Increasing disaster threats on the national and global landscapes are not only a reflection of the onset of hazard events but also of the changing demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of the population. A large, violent tornado, for instance, passing through an open field presents little danger. On the other hand, a relatively weak tornado can pose significant risks to human life and can result in great economic losses in densely populated areas. While the intensity of any given hazard event is important, of equal or of greater importance is the presence of a population whose demographic or socioeconomic characteristics may place its members at greater risk of harm before, during, and after a hazard event. (January 2011) |
| Which Types of Disasters Are the Deadliest in the U.S.? The Answer Is Surprising: Click here |
| Mortality remains one of the major outcomes related to natural disasters, and a recent study on which types of disasters are the deadliest has yielded interesting results. University of South Carolina researchers Kevin Borden and Susan Cutter found that, somewhat surprisingly, heat or drought was the deadliest natural hazard. (January 2011) |
| PRB Discuss Online: The Tsunami, Six Years Later: Results of a Large-Scale Longitudinal Study in Aceh, Indonesia: Click here |
| Dec. 26, 2010 will mark the sixth anniversary of the earthquake that spawned a tsunami on the coastlines of countries bordering the Indian Ocean. In collaboration with the Indonesian NGO SurveyMETER, Elizabeth Frankenberg, Duncan Thomas, and colleagues designed a survey to study how the disaster affected villagers living in areas heavily damaged by the tsunami (www.prb.org/Articles/2010/environmentalmigrants.aspx). They collected data from a sample of 40,000 people in Aceh before the tsunami, and afterward tracked them for five years. How has the population of Aceh been affected by the 2004 tsunami, and how has the recovery process unfolded? In a PRB Discuss Online, Elizabeth Frankenberg, professor of public policy and sociology at Duke University; and Duncan Thomas, professor of economics at Duke University, answered questions from participants about the short-term and long-term consequences of the 2004 tsunami. Read a transcript of the questions and answers. (December 2010) |
| PRB Discuss Online: What Do We Know About the Relationship Between HIV/AIDS and the Natural Environment?: Click here |
| During a PRB Discuss Online, Lori Hunter, associate professor of sociology and environmental studies at the University of Colorado, Boulder; Ben Piper, director of research and programs for the University of Washington at KEMRI in Kenya; and Jason Bremner, program director of Population, Health, and Environment at Population Reference Bureau, answered participants' questions about what is being done to address HIV/AIDS and the environment. This Discuss Online session was sponsored by the BRIDGE project, a cooperative agreement between USAID's Global Health Bureau and PRB. Read a transcript of the questions and answers. (September 2010) |
| Pakistan's Historic Floods Threaten Progress in Maternal and Child Health: Click here |
| At least 16 million Pakistanis have had to leave their homes because of historic monsoon rains that flooded a large swath of the country. The UN estimates the flooding has caused the deaths of 1,600 people, but the worst health effects are still ahead. The situation threatens to reverse recent gains in infant and maternal health and undercut efforts to reduce poverty and to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015. (September 2010) |
| World Population Highlights: Key Findings From PRB's 2010 World Population Data Sheet: Click here |
| This Population Bulletin is a companion to PRB's 2010 World Population Data Sheet and provides data and analysis on world population trends, youth dependency; old-age dependency; gender, employment, and dependency; and improved sanitation. (July 2010) |
| 2010 World Population Data Sheet: Click here |
| Many countries are facing a shrinking pool of their working-age populations, often considered to be ages 15 to 64, to support the population ages 65 and older, jeopardizing pension guarantees and long-term health care programs for the elderly. The Population Reference Bureau's 2010 World Population Data Sheet and its summary report offer detailed information about country, regional, and global population patterns. (July 2010) |
| The Role of Intergenerational Land Transfers and Education in Fertility Transition in Rural Kenya: Click here |
| Little is known about the role of land inheritance in the link between land availability and fertility. The recent transition from high to lower levels of fertility in some African countries presents an opportunity to clarify the underlying causes of this decline. Using data from focus group discussions in Nyeri District in rural Kenya, researchers examined the impact of diminishing land availability, farm size, and inheritance patterns on fertility decisionmaking and behavior, and shed new light on the role of education, long considered the key determinant of fertility transition. (July 2010) |
| Who Returned to New Orleans After Hurricane Katrina?: Click here |
| Hurricane Katrina displaced almost the entire population of New Orleans in August 2005, scattering residents across the region, state, and country. By the fall of 2006, almost half the residents had returned, and almost two-thirds had returned by the fall of 2007. This article, based on "Race, Socioeconomic Status, and Return Migration to New Orleans After Hurricane Katrina," published in Population and Environment in 2010, examines how the pace of return varied by race and socioeconomic status, using data from a representative sample of pre-Katrina New Orleans residents in an innovative pilot survey—Displaced New Orleans Residents Pilot Survey (DNORPS)—developed and conducted by the RAND Corporation. (July 2010) |
| Understanding the Aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita: Click here |
| In August and September 2005, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita created catastrophic damage along the U.S. Gulf Coast. Together the storms led to one of the greatest disaster-related migrations in U.S. history and prompted questions about the social and economic disparities in the disasters' impacts. New research explores how social and economic characteristics of hurricane-affected communities influenced migration in the wake of the two hurricanes. (February 2010) |
| Environmental Refugees or Economic Migrants?: Click here |
| As the evidence for global environmental change has accumulated, more attention has been given to the issue of "environmental refugees." A concern is whether environmental change will displace large numbers of vulnerable people in the developing world, particularly from rural areas. New research from Ecuador and Indonesia shows that environmentally induced migration can be temporary and involve relatively short distances, in contrast to fears of large numbers of environmental refugees moving across international borders. (January 2010) |
| Building African Leadership on Population and Climate Change: Click here |
| Recent expert meetings and public forums have discussed population-climate change relationships, but there have been few African participants. To address this gap, PRB, with the support of the Compton Foundation, has embarked on a project to "Build African Leadership on Population and Climate Change" to create a cadre of African practitioners, researchers, and policymakers who are leaders in population and climate change. (January 2010) |
| PRB Discuss Online: Population and Climate Change, What Is the Link?: Click here |
| During a PRB Discuss Online, Karen Hardee, vice president of research at Population Action International, answered participants' questions about population and adaption to (or mitigation of) the effects of climate change. Read a transcript of the questions and answers. (December 2009) |
| Climate Change Predicted to Affect Mortality in Rural India More Than the United States: Click here |
| Michael Greenstone, 3M professor of environmental economics at MIT, shared his research findings on the mortality impact of rising temperatures in the United States and India at a PRB policy seminar. (November 2009) |
| PRB Discuss Online: Does Climate Change Threaten Our Cities?: Click here |
| During a PRB Discuss Online, urban expert Mark Montgomery, Stony Brook University and the Population Council, answered participants' questions about urban growth, health, and climate change. Read a transcript of the questions and answers. (October 2010) |
| 2009 World Population Data Sheet: Click here |
| Global population numbers are on track to reach 7 billion in 2011, just 12 years after reaching 6 billion in 1999. Virtually all of the growth is in developing countries. And the growth of the world's youth population (ages 15 to 24) is shifting into the poorest of those countries. The Population Reference Bureau's 2009 World Population Data Sheet and its summary report offer detailed information about country, regional, and global population patterns. (August 2009) |
| World Population Highlights: Key Findings From PRB's 2009 World Population Data Sheet: Click here |
| Population change will shape the prospects of regions and countries over the next half century. Future population growth will be almost entirely in the developing world, with the fastest growth in the poorest countries and regions. This Population Bulletin is a companion to PRB's 2009 World Population Data Sheet and provides data and analysis on world population trends, youth, gender, and the environment. (August 2009) |
| Intregrating Population, Health, and Environment in Uganda: Click here |
| After decades of instability and civil conflict, Uganda has enjoyed relative stability, sustained economic growth, and great improvements in health over the last 20 years. During the same period, Uganda's population has grown rapidly, and in 2009 surpassed 30 million people. This rapid population growth is contributing to the degradation of Uganda's natural resources, the backbone of the country's economy and household livelihoods. Continued reductions in poverty depend in large part on finding innovative and integrated solutions to the complex population, health, and environment problems affecting Uganda's poorest people. (June 2009) |
| Urban Poverty and Health in Developing Countries: Click here |
| This Population Bulletin provides a sketch of urban health in developing countries, documenting the intraurban differences in health for a number of countries and showing how the risks facing the urban poor compare with those facing rural villagers. The Bulletin begins with an overview of the multiple dimensions of urban poverty and a summary of internationally comparable evidence on the urban health differentials associated with poverty. (BUL64.2; June 2009) |
| The Art of Coalition Building: A Population, Health, and Environment Consortium in Ethiopia: Click here |
| For more than a decade, PRB has nurtured national and international coalitions that address population, maternal and child health, global health priorities, and the environment. Sharing the successes and challenges of coalitions in similar contexts can motivate and instigate new coalitions. This article captures the experiences from a newly formed but rapidly advancing coalition focused on population, health, and environment issues in Ethiopia, with the hope that their experience will be valuable to similar groups. (April 2009) |