Demography
Demography is a central factor in shaping Asia’s environmental footprint. The demand for food, energy, resources and land is closely link to population size, in particular when economies transition from low to middle and high income status.
While India and China dominate headlines as global demographic powerhouses, countries such as Pakistan, the Philippines, and Bangladesh are experiencing rapid population growth. This demographic pressure is projected to impact the natural balance of ecosystems in the world's most populous continent.
The following are excerpts from reports conducted on Asia’s demographic trends.
All images © Sebastian Castelier
Over 200 million by 2050
Bangladesh 🇧🇩 - South Asia's third most populous nation is set to be home to 215 million people by 2050. Its environmental footprint, that has risen rapidly over the four decades leading up to 2025 as average living standards surged twelvefold, is soaring. But population growth is a challenge for Bangladesh.
As it already copes with the ninth highest density of population per square kilometer in the world, the country faces the challenge of rising sea levels and coastal erosion that could submerge some 17% of its land surface by mid-century. The prospect of shrinking land in the face of population growth is a double blow for Bangladeshis, who already live with less than a fifth of the biocapacity available to the average person globally. Also, rising sea levels is a threats to the Sundarbans, a mangrove delta that acts as a natural carbon sink, sequestrating about 10% of Bangladesh’s annual CO2 emissions as of 2010.
