ABSTRACTS

Aishton
	The Komi Republic is an autonomous region located in northeastern 
Europe and is part of the Russian Federation.  Komi is a region about the 
size of New England and is composed of 20 districts, governed in a 
hierarchical system from the Moscow government seat.  Komi is a region of 
vast natural resources which includes natural gas, oil, wood products and 
precious metals.  The emphasis of the paper focuses on strategies that 
will effectively influence a change in the administration of 
environmental policy in the Komi Republic.  It is unreasonable and 
ineffective to regulate environmental policy, with little or no allowance 
for variation, directly from the Russian Federation seat in Moscow.  The 
primary reason for the ineffectiveness emanates from the large land area 
and tremendous ecosystem diversity which exists in the Russian 
Federation.  The Komi Republic also exhibits significant ecosystem 
diversity.  This paper assert that the Komi Republic should formulate, 
administrate and enforce its own environmental policy.  This contention 
is supported by the interpretation of quantitative data collected from 
many sources including the World Resource Database.  Transition dynamics 
calculated from data compiled about the Soviet Union graphically 
illustrate anomalous behavior in the years leading up to its collapse in 
1991.  Environmentally-related data similarly compiled  for Komi will 
likely display similar trends which portend a serious threat.  
Mathematical projections of environmentally related health issues such as 
hepatitis and upper respiratory problems in Komi represent increasing 
trends to which officials must pay attention.  Dynamics involving the 
Komi government, International Corporations, the Russian Federation and 
environmental organizations truly reveal a complicated political 
situation.  Drawing from the ecosystem diversity, transition dynamics of 
the Soviet Union, health projections in the Komi Republic and complicated 
political dynamics a case is built and presented which logically 
justifies the need to formulate a specialized and localized environmental 
policy in the Komi Republic. 

Birkelund
	The nexus between trade and the environment is only just 
beginning to receive attention.  As global cooperation and international 
trade agreements become more common and more powerful, trade policies are 
starting to have a profound effect on the natural environment.  The 
tropical timber trade in Indonesia and Malaysia serves as a prime example 
of how trade can interact with the environment.  As a whole, this paper 
illustrates how international and domestic trade policies can worsen or 
alleviate pressures on resource consumption and become a major policy 
factor in population-environment transitions.  
	Both Indonesia and Malaysia are countries naturally endowed with 
tropical forests.  At the same time, they are also both subject to the 
high population pressures and have not yet completed their demographic 
transitions.  As a result, population pressures are magnifying the 
effects of trade on the environment in this area.  By taking into account 
the dynamics between timber exports, deforestation, and population 
trends, government policies can work towards achieving sustainable 
methods of managing their forests.  
	More specifically, the governments in these countries need to 
focus on enforcing logging regulations, reforesting depleted forests, 
lifting export restrictions, and reducing the growth of their 
populations.  As the tropical forests are often considered a "global 
resource", the international community should contribute financial 
support to this endeavor.  Furthermore, the international trade community 
provides the appropriate medium for establishing sustainable forestry 
practices world-wide.  The International Trade and Timber Organization is 
an example of the current efforts to promote global regulations on forest 
exploitation.  In conclusion, it is imperative for Indonesia and Malaysia 
to deal with their forestry transitions in the near future if they wish 
to stop their tropical forests from being completely degraded.  
Additional research is needed to refine the relationship between the 
timber and trade.  The tropical timber trade will be a critical factor in 
determining the final state of the tropical forests in this region.

Cheatham
	With a population approaching one billion, the need for fertility 
reduction measures in India has never been greater.  It can no longer be 
assumed that simply meeting latent demand is a sufficient means of 
reducing birth rates; the government must adopt policies that provide 
couples with economic incentives to reduce family size.  One such measure 
would be to encourage private firms to increase female representation in 
their work forces; when women are employed in gainful wage-labor, the 
opportunity costs associated with multiple pregnancies are greatly 
increased.  By employing women at a lower wage than men, the individual 
firm can increase its profits by cutting its costs of production; in this 
way, private industry can provide a social good (reduced fertility) by 
engaging in normal profit-maximizing behaviors.  It is the role of 
government to provide potential employers with sufficient incentive to 
overcome strong cultural predilections opposing the employment of women.  

Cunningham
	While it is almost without doubt that global warming is occurring 
due to human activities, its full effects on humans and the environment 
are not known.  The South Sahel region of West Africa (made up of 
Northern Benin, Burkina Faso and Southern Niger) is highly susceptible to 
the negative effects of global warming because of the tight linkages 
between the people of the region and the environment.  Possible effects 
of global warming are investigated in terms of transition theory 
including, but not limited to,:  increased impoverishment of the soil and 
subsequent decreases in agricultural production, increased rates of 
infectious and nutritional disease, and increased birth and death rates.  
No Regrets policies should be implemented by the South Sahel governments 
to benefit their societies now while at the same time protecting them 
against the possible effects of global warming in the future.

Frank
	This study looks at the linkage of population growth and 
urbanization. Generally speaking, population growth and increasing 
urbanization seem correlated. Their causal relationship though is complex 
and urbanization factors differ from place to place. In comparing 
urbanization trends for 42 countries, the study identifies three 
different stages and pattern of urbanization. National urbanization 
trends however cannot be extrapolated to the local level. Despite overall 
increasing urbanization, individual cities may still decline. A major 
interest of the study is in the spatial dimension of urban growth. Urban 
shape and form is the physical manifestation of urban growth. Cities grow 
in different fashions. Urban form and shape is dependent on parameters 
such as size, growth rate, topography, available technology etc. It is 
the authors hypothesis that the time at which urban growth occurs will be 
greatly influence the shape and form of the urban area. Furthermore, it 
is assumed that there are more and less sustainable and harmonious 
pattern of growth. An attempt is made to devise a morphology of urban 
growth pattern to assist policy development regarding urbanization.



Gupta
	Although the demographic transition India is undergoing is well 
known, with references to its population problem being quite frequent, 
the other transitions India is undergoing are less well known. Several of 
these key transitions, such as the agricultural, urbanization and 
forestry transitions are exist in a feedback loop exacerbating 
demographic problems. Policy decisions in India have historically paid 
only lip service, or altogether ignored pressures created by these 
transitions, however India is currently going through a critical phase as 
these transitions are experiencing rapid rates of change. A beneficial 
effect has been, the acknowledgment of economic and structural maladies 
by the authorities.  Consequently a New Economic Policy has been adopted 
by the government entailing a fundamental shift in economic and social 
thinking. In this paper this economic policy is analyzed and its possible 
effects on other transitions are discussed. 

Han
	There is a vast, untapped field of natural gas in the world.  It 
grows in size every year, instead of diminishing.  And it can be found in 
every single country on earth.  This resource is, naturally, the 
landfill.  Technologies are currently being developed and improved upon 
to harness this energy that flows in the form of methane gas.  This 
process of energy recovery reduces odors, health risks, smog, acid rain, 
and ozone depletion while increasing income to the local community.  It 
is an ideal situation if the opportunity is exists.  This paper attempts 
to derive several methods that may be used to determine just that, that 
is, does the opportunity exist?  Problems and concerns with developing a 
landfill in the United States are examined along with possible solutions 
that may then be extrapolated to apply to various sections of the world.  
The major contributing factors are construction and operation, economics, 
social impact, and global feasibility.  Transition theory is applied to 
the last section as an important tool that may assist policy-makers in 
deciding where and when a energy reclamation system may be constructed.  
This is a new technology and may eventually be discovered to be an 
excellent local solution to a wide range of global problems.

Landweber
	This paper focuses on two epidemiological transitions in 
Thailand, one already past and one yet to come. Through governmental 
attention and infrastructure improvements, Thailand has faced its 
epidemiological problems directly, making great strides in reducing 
mortality for infectious diseases that mainly strike at the younger 
population. The successful accomplishment of that goal marked the end of 
the first transition, which is best illustrated by examining the war on 
malaria. However, Thailand now has an even greater problem: AIDS. Though 
the epidemic is only beginning to be felt in Thailand, predictions for 
the future point toward high death rates, particularly among the younger 
generations. This threatens to create a second epidemiological transition 
that would wipe out the progress made by the first, bringing with it 
catastrophic results for the nation as a whole. 

Lombard
	This paper traces the successes and failures of improved 
cookstove diffusion in India, Kenya and China.  Taking completely 
different approaches to cookstove dissemination, these countries together 
offer a short-list of necessary elements in effective cookstove 
programming.  The Indian government took a radical top-down approach to 
cookstove diffusion, heavily subsidizing hand-made clay stoves throughout 
rural India, resulting in the abandonment of millions of ill-constructed, 
low-quality stoves.  Kenya, by contrast, aided by development 
organizations, employed a gradual, cyclical refinement process to stove 
design and dissemination strategy.  Finally, by providing technical 
support and marketing for improved stove production, but allowing  local 
energy offices and entrepreneurs  to handle all aspects of stove 
production, the Chinese central government masterminded the most 
successful cookstove program to date.  Although failures at diffusing 
cookstoves were plentiful in the 1980s, the last ten years indicate that 
cookstove projects can remedy past mistakes and provide fuel-efficient 
technology to large numbers of interested consumers.

Nabalamba
	In Africa, more than anywhere else, political and economic 
choices made by the state have had important implications on how people 
and the environment interact.  This paper will attempt to draw lessons in 
population and environment dynamics from the experience of two 
countries--Uganda and Tanzania- that adopted contrary economic and 
ideological paths after their independence and the implications of these 
decisions on national population growth and urbanization trends.  The 
paper will discuss development theories that influenced national leaders 
on the population question.  Data presented will show a direct 
relationship between the rate of urbanization and the fast deteriorating 
urban environment.  I will argue that the degenerating environment is a 
consequence of national and urban population growth, and infrastructure 
deficiencies resulting from the inability of developing economies such as 
Uganda and Tanzania to sustain the growth.  The paper will conclude with 
some policy suggestions intended to interrupt what is increasingly become 
a crisis situation.

OConnell
	The country of Costa Rica is recognized internationally as a 
leader in conservation programs to preserve biodiversity.  The current 
government of Costa Rica plans to continue this emphasis on conservation 
by being  the first nation in the world to fully embrace sustainable 
development and development by implementing policy and institutional 
changes in accordance with Agenda 21 of the United Nations Conference on 
Environment and Development.  Past and current rates of deforestation, 
and variables contributing to deforestation are analyzed in the context 
of the Costa Rican model of sustainable development.  Deforestation 
increased during the social and economic transformation in the decades 
following the 1940's, and peaked during the 1970's. A national park 
system was instituted to protect the remaining forests, and today, 
approximately 25 percent of Costa Rica's land is protected.  However, 
deforestation continues outside of the protected areas, and Costa Rica's 
current rate of deforestation may be one of the highest in the Western 
Hemisphere if the protected land is not included in calculation of the 
deforestation rate.   If current trends continue, Costa Rica's forests 
will be exclusively located in national parks and protected areas.  

Perry
	This chapter examines the effects of increased urban growth on 
the natural environment in Kenya.  First, the author looks at what stage 
of the demographic transition Kenya is, making generalizations about 
population growth.  Then, specifically growth in urban areas is examined, 
including the phenomenon or urban-rural migration.  Once a correlation 
between population growth and growth in the urban population is 
established, the chapter moves on to the larger issue of how the natural 
system in Kenya is being affected.  The chapter seeks to answer the 
questions:  what is the relationship between population growth and growth 
in cities;  what effects do larger urban areas and an increasingly urban 
population have on the environment;  and what policies will be effective 
in improving environmental quality as well as improving economic development.


Preston
	Deforestation is increasing recognized as the number one threat 
to mountain ecosystems.  Despite the fact that the causal relationships 
between deforestation and human populations is still largely unknown and 
debated, policy makers continue to move forward with piece meal 
strategies to combat the problem.  The situation in Sikkim, India is no 
exception.  Sikkim is in the midst of a forestry transition yet very 
little data has been collected about the actual amount of forest cover, 
the rate of deforestation or the causes of deforestation.  However, using 
comparative case analyses, this study has determined that while 
deforestation in Sikkim is occurring at a more rapid pace than in other 
areas of the Himalayas, deforestation is also at a much earlier stage.  
Given that deforestation is only in the beginning stages, there is great 
potential for Sikkim as a country to reverse these trends before they 
reach the levels of destruction that have been reached in other areas.   
The first step in reducing deforestation is to understand the factors 
that contribute to it.  This study examines the variety of contributing 
demographic factors as a means of illustrating the interrelationships of 
factors causing deforestation.  One aspect of the problem treated in 
isolation will not be effective.  Instead, policy makers need to 
understand the complexity of the problem and then develop comprehensive 
policies which address the full range of issues in an integrated 
comprehensive strategic plan.  This study outlines policy recommendations 
which could enable Sikkim to reverse its deforestation trend and emerge 
as a leading example of a sustainable mountain ecosystem and economy.

Rowe
	Nepal is a mountainous region with a number of Himalayan rivers 
flowing throughout the country, and there is no doubt that harnessing 
some of these waters will assist in improving the socio-economic 
well-being of Nepals people.  It is a country where more than half the 
population lives at or just above the starvation level, a fact that has a 
significant impact on the environmental degradation.  Its one abundant 
resource is water and its potential for hydroelectric power is great.  
However, there is an ongoing debate over small and large dam projects to 
be implemented.  Large dam projects are intended to bring in revenue to 
the country, and small dams are designed to enhance rural development. It 
is Nepals task then, to recognize the trade-off that exist in 
implementing these different types of dams.  With dam projects, the 
positive and negative effects are influenced by and vary greatly 
depending on the environmental, social and political context within a 
country or region.  Potential dam construction will have a strong impact 
in many sectors, most directly effecting the agriculture, forestry and 
energy sectors. An examination of these sectors, and Nepals geography, 
environmental condition, and social and political status leads to the 
conclusion that  large dams pose too much of a risk for Nepal. 

Torng
	The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991, 
ISTEA, designated $21 billion to extend the interstate highway system.  
Subsequently, a 158,000-mile national highway system has been proposed 
much of the extension of which will be built in metropolitan fringe 
areas.  Empirical urban development reveals that transportation and land 
use affect each other interactively.  Existing studies have discussed the 
aggregate effects of interstate highway systems on demographic and 
socio-economic evolution.  This research explores the intensity of 
interstate highway effects on suburbanization by examining the 
directional effects on growth and migration of population in the 
suburbs.  Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is selected for longitudinal analysis 
over three decades of interstate highway and suburban growth from 1960 to 
1990.  A major transition in the influence of spatial effects on 
suburbanization between 1970 and 1980 is detected.  The directional 
effect of highway systems on encouraging urban to rural migration is 
fading (i.e., spatial correlation effect).  Meanwhile, the expansion of 
urban areas is taking place evenly in all directions surrounding the 
existing urban areas (i.e., spatial neighboring effect).

Tracy
	The paper focuses on the possibility the existence of a 
sustainable building material transition.  It uses thinking similar to 
traditional transition theory.  It also attempts to describe the effects 
of the timing of other transitions on the sustainable building material 
transition.   In addition, the text makes recommendations on how to 
facilitate such a transition.
	It is of importance that this paper deal with the issues of 
resource use in the building industry.  Specifically, this paper will 
deal with the topic of renewable and nonrenewable resources as they apply 
to the materials used for the structure of buildings.  Of interest are 
the choices people in the United States make with regard to the way they 
build in the context of the environment as a whole.  Of particular 
interest is the comparison of the impact of traditionally popular 
methods/materials of construction and "Green" or "Sustainable" 
methods/materials of construction.