Population and Consumption Task Force

Purpose

The Population and Consumption Task Force seeks to identify the factors influencing U.S. demographic and waste generation trends and recommend actions to address these issues.

Goals

The Task Force approached the goals by organizing them into specific issue areas. Consumption was divided into macro and micro levels, and population focused on the areas of fertility, migration, and immigration.

Policy Development

Roundtables focusing on population and consumption issues will enable the Task Force to identify the main issues and assist with the development of policy recommendations. Three roundtables have been convened with the first roundtable focusing on the causes of fertility in the United States and the driving forces of immigration into the United States. The second roundtable informed the Task Force about the consumption of materials and energy in the United States. The third roundtable explored policy options for addressing population and consumption in the United States. The Task Force also cosponsored a symposium targeted toward gathering public input on the International Conference on Population and Development follow-up on population and consumption issues. In general, the roundtables seek to determine how important each issue is to sustainability, and what is possible to achieve through initiatives, publicly funded programs, economic incentives, and other instruments of policy.

Since its implementation, the Task Force has achieved its objectives by convening of roundtables and drafting Task Force goals. The following represent the achievements of the Task Force since July:

Next Step

Following the Council meeting in Chattanooga, the Task Force continues to refine the Task Force goals and moves forward on the development of policy recommendations.

Task Force Membership

Co-Chairs

Members

  • John H. Adams, Executive Director, Natural Resources Defense Council
  • Dr. D. James Baker, Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere, U.S.
  • Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
  • Richard Barth, Chairman, President & CEO, Ciba-Geigy Corporation
  • Ronald H. Brown, Secretary, U.S. Department of Commerce
  • Fred D. Krupp, Executive Director, Environmental Defense Fund
  • Michele Perrault, International Vice President, Sierra Club
  • Theodore Strong, Executive Director, Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission
    PCSD Home Page