POPULATION BULLETIN OF THE POPULATION REFERENCE BUREAU

United States of America (Washington) 13

MARCH 1998 - VOLUME 53, NUMBER 1

99.13.1 - English - Robert LIVERNASH and Eric RODENBURG

Population change, resources, and the environment

The unprecedented population growth that occurred in the last century and the projected growth in the next will put increasing pressure on the natural environment and threaten the health of the Earth's basic ecosystem. This Population Bulletin examines the likely global impacts of population growth and distribution on food supply, energy consumption, emission of greenhouse gases, forests, oceans, and other environmental factors. The authors review various models developed to explore the complex relationship among population change, consumption levels, resources, and environmental health, and they discuss the various philosophical perspectives that affect the interpretation of model results.

Demographic factors such as uneven regional population distribution and growth and migration from rural to urban areas are analyzed in the context of resource use. The authors also look at the interaction of such social factors as poverty, affluence, and consumption patterns with demographic trends and environmental impact. About 90% of population growth is occurring in low-income regions such as sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, where water supplies and basic health systems are deficient. By 1994, for example, about 1.2 billion people in developing countries still lacked safe water supplies and about 3 billion -- more than half of the world's population -- lacked access to sanitation services. These countries also lack the resources or institutional capacity to invest in sound environmental policies or to reduce the environmental impact of their economic growth.

Population growth in rapidly expanding economies in Asia and other areas is accelerating the emission of greenhouse gases that can change the Earth's climate. Populations in industrialized countries are expanding slowly but are major contributors to environmental pressures through their historically high levels of material consumption and energy use.

This Population Bulletin also discusses steps already taken by the international community to combat environmental problems and policies most likely to ensure a healthy environment and an abundance of resources in the face of massive population growth and the environmental problems that accompany it. (DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, POPULATION GROWTH, ENVIRONMENT, NATURAL RESOURCES)

JUNE 1998 - VOLUME 53, NUMBER 2

99.13.2 - English - Sharon M. LEE

Asian Americans: Diverse and growing

The number of Asian Americans nearly doubled between 1980 and 1990. Asian Americans now make up about 4% of the U.S. population. Their numbers are expected to double again by 2010. Immigration has increased the number and ethnic diversity of Asian Americans. While 96% of the 1970 Asian American population was Chinese, Japanese, or Filipino, these three groups accounted for just over 50% of Asian Americans in 1970. Americans with ethnic origins in India, Vietnam, and Korea now outnumber Japanese Americans. The growing diversity of Asian Americans and relatively high rate of marriage of Asians to non-Asians in the United States are among the reasons why Asian Americans do not conform to the common stereotype of a U.S. racial minority. This Population Bulletin explores the changing ethnic, social, and demographic characteristics of Asian Americans and their effort on U.S. society.

Asian Americans differ in many ways from the two largest U.S. racial and ethnic minority groups -- African Americans and Hispanics. Asian Americans tend to have higher average education levels and incomes than African Americans and Hispanics, which has caused some to call Asians a "model minority". Yet recent Asian immigrants, such as those from Southeast Asia, are changing the socioeconomic profile of the Asian American population.

Almost two-thirds of Cambodian, Hmong, and Laotian adults did not have a high school education in 1990. By contrast, only about 13% of Japanese Americans did not have a high school diploma. And, while poverty rates fell for whites in the 1990s, they increased among Asians. Asian American refugees and immigrants who arrived after 1980 still struggle to keep employed and stay above the poverty level. Their children and grandchildren, however, are likely to fare much better in the U.S. job market.

This Population Bulletin illuminates the forces behind the dramatic growth and diversity of the Asian American population, and explores the changing meaning of the words "Asian American". (UNITED STATES, ASIA, ETHNIC MINORITIES, IMMIGRATION, POPULATION GROWTH, SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONDITIONS)

SEPTEMBER 1998 - VOLUME 53, NUMBER 3

99.13.3 - English - Joseph A. McFalls, Jr, Department of Demography, Villanova University, Villanova, Pa (U.S.A.)

Population: A lively Introduction

This Population Bulletin, published in September 1998, presents the basic what, why, and how of the study of demography. Just updated with latest data, this Population Bulletin explains the forces of demographic change - fertility, mortality, and migration - and common assessment measures. The author shows how these basic measures affect the size and age and sex composition of an area's population. He discusses factors related to when, how often, and where people move, and the components involved in projecting population size. Dr. McFalls also introduces major population-related issues such as environmental degradation and poverty in the developing world. The 1998 edition has new data on the issues involved in measuring race and ethnicity, interracial marriage, and aging and mortality. (DEMOGRAPHY, DEMOGRAPHY TEACHING, METHODOLOGY)

DECEMBER 1998 - VOLUME 53, NUMBER 4

99.13.4 - English - Ian R.H. Rockett, Department of Epidemiology, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (U.S.A.)

Injuries and violence: A public health perspective

Injuries are a leading cause of death for people worldwide -- especially the young and the elderly -- and kill 5 million people each year. They account for about one in eight male deaths and one in 14 female deaths. An estimated two-thirds of these fatalities are unintentional -- from causes such as motor vehicle crashes -- while the remaining one-third are caused by, for example, self-inflicted wounds, assault, or military action. The just-released Population Bulletin "Injury and Violence: A Public Health Perspective" explores these facts and new developments in injury prevention.

The past two decades have witnessed an expansion in knowledge about preventing injuries. Injury experts believe that injuries are both preventable and predictable and that injury should be treated as a public health problem.

Looks at the magnitude of the problem in major world regions, and reviews recent trends in injury and violence in the United States. The author explores the leading risk factors for injury, including age, sex, poverty, drug use, and access to firearms. And he reviews the passive and active methods for injury prevention. The author also includes Web sites and other major sources of information on the topic. (CAUSES OF DEATH, VIOLENT DEATHS, WOUNDS AND INJURIES, MORTALITY TRENDS)

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