Module 11: Ecological Degradation and Environmental Pollution
  Lecture 38: Role of Population in Models of Sustainable Development
 

 

The impacts may be in various forms:

  • Demographic impacts – measured in terms of population size, growth rate, density of population, birth rate, death rate, infant mortality rate, maternal mortality ratio, life expectancy, aging, sex ratio, etc.

  • Economic impacts – measured in terms of employment and unemployment rate, per capita income, per capita expenditure, percent expenditure on food items, percent employed in the formal sector, percent below poverty line, wealth index, percent living in pucca house, etc.

  • Social impacts – school enrolment rate, literacy rate, percent migrants, ethnic diversity, degree of social integration, empowerment of women and other vulnerable groups, social capital or social support, trust, spirit of voluntarism, degree of alienation, etc.

  • Political impact – political participation, political schisms, voting behaviour, etc.

  • Governance – fairness in implementing various schemes, efficiency and effectiveness, transparency, etc.

  • Quality of environment – measured in terms of the presence of different types of toxic elements in air and water, noise, climatic changes, etc.

It may be noted that the above impacts do not exhaust the impacts of projects, some of which are positive, some negative. Impact assessment theories require improvement in measurements and data, and greater consensus regarding standards of toxic elements that are humanely safe, looking at both what the experts believe and what the people say.