The interconnected dangers of overpopulation, climate change, and pollution have been in the headlines for years, but doomsday has not yet arrived. Bill McKibben examines two important questions: What if we already have inflicted serious damage on the planet; and, What if there are only a few decades left to salvage a stable environment?

Nancy Birdsall, who is the executive vice president of the Inter-American Development Bank, examines the extent of economic inequalities in the world. Causes of this inequality are examined in this essay along with future prospects for narrowing the gap between the world's rich and poor.

Nearly 6 billion people now inhabit Earth, which is almost twice as many as in 1960. Some time in the next century, this figure probably could double. Actions taken in the next decade are likely to determine if this extraordinary future can be prevented.

East Asia's changing demographics could present social and economic ramifications for the region in the 21st century and beyond. Average life expectancy in East Asia, for instance, has increased between the early 1950s and early 1990s, a trend that influences savings rates, pension burdens and economic conditions in general. The increase in male and aged populations, meanwhile, could result in social tension and political crisis. Another significant demographic trend in East Asia is the declining manpower availability.

The dramatic slowdown in East Asia's population growth suggests that traditional patterns of employment and family relations are changing. The effects of the declining population will not only be felt by the countries in the region, but also by the rest of the world.

An international family planning effort is necessary to curb exponential population growth. In the next 15 years, 3 billion people in Asia, Latin America and Africa will be of childbearing age. Growth in developing countries may create dire food shortages.

A revolution in reproductive behavior has swept the globe since the 1960s. In the developing countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America, contraceptive use, once rare, is now widespread and the average number of births per woman has fallen by half, from the traditional six or more to closer to three today. In the industrialized world, fertility has already dropped below two children per woman. This unprecedented development has led the United Nations to revise downward its latest forecast of world population. As a result, some fear a "population implosion" or claim that the world population explosion is over.

Despite optimistic forecasts of falling birthrates in the developed world, high fertility in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East remains a threat to the planet's resources.

The various techniques of population studies have not been fully able to explain the main causes and consequences of population change and the role of population in international affairs due to several factors. These include the wrong definition and use of the term 'overpopulation' and the complex relationship between population growth and material poverty in low-income communities. Therefore, a thorough analysis of the empirical record is suggested. This record shows important economic and demographic information of several countries collected over several years.

Demographics issues directly influence international security concerns. Population surge and aging are anticipated to have a significant impact on politics and international conflict. Other issues affecting international security include mortality trends and differential fertility.

The urbanization of poverty has become a major global concern, with 23 of the 27 mega-cities expected to be in developing countries by the year 2015. These cities do not have enough resources to support the bulging population. Although UN members are committed to pushing economic development, the effort has been slowed down by several factors, mostly political in nature. The World Health Organization is expected to carry the burden of mitigating the consequences for casualties of poverty and showing their situation to the world.

There never have been so many long-term refugees as there are today---over 16 million people. "The reality behind this stark figure is the multitude of human tragedies being played out in encampments" around the world. Rony Brauman describes the history and current realities of this tragic situation in this report.

Little attention has been paid to the issue of the demand for food. But, like energy and water, food can be conserved and the demand adjusted. William Bender examines the factors that influence food demand and analyzes how they are likely to affect world food supplies.

Climate change is understood by most to mean the warming of the atmosphere due to an increase in greenhouse gases. Many global warming theorists have predicted that this will lead to heat waves, flooding, and severe windstorms. William Calvin argues that, paradoxically, the initial warming could lead to drastic cooling that would threaten the survival of civilization.

The prospect of the elimination of the world's rain forests has caused alarm among environmentalists. However, little has been done to slow the destruction. In this report, the economics of deforestation are analyzed, which generates some interesting new policy recommendations.

In this essay, the last great oil rush of the century is described, along with classic power politics that will determine the winners and losers in obtaining this essential natural resource.

The world is faced with an enormous need for change in a short period of time. Human behavior and values, and national priorities that reflect them, change in response to either new information or new experiences. Regaining control of our destiny depends on stabilizing population as well as climate.

The basic assumption of globalization is that economic integration reduces traditional politics based on national interests and expansionist desires. Peter Beinart critically examines this assumption and concludes that globalization reflects wishful thinking by the leading powers rather than the realities of traditional power politics. 

Globalization has its problems. Its dangers must be navigated successfully or the United States and others may be compelled to backtrack, diminishing the free movement of goods, services, and capital, which would result in slower growth, less technological innovation, and lower living standards.

The end of the Cold War in 1989 marked the end of the political systems that were defined by the concept of balance of power and the urge for imperialist expansion. This is evident in the new European order which is founded on the principles of openness and mutual interference. This is reflective of the post-modern world where the lines between domestic and foreign affairs are blurred, conflict resolution is through peaceful means, national borders are disappearing and security has evolved beyond nationalist concerns to mutual interdependence.

Some observers have predicted that ethnic conflicts are likely to become a world-wide political epidemic. Based on an analysis of recent historical trends, Yahya Sadowski rejects this forecast. He concludes that while ethnic conflicts are a serious problem, today's prophets of anarchy suffer from a simplistic view of ethnicity.

The series of nuclear tests that were conducted by India and Pakistan in May of 1998 ushered in a new era, for they were a serious setback to international efforts to prevent the proliferation of these weapons. The two countries' efforts to boost their power and prestige may, in fact, have the opposite result. An overview of this important development is offered along with a variety of perspectives on the situation.

The role of nuclear weapons to deter the use of chemical and biological weapons is discussed. Specific recommendations are made regarding U.S. military policy in light of the spread of these other types of weapons of mass destruction.

The anti-land mine campaign is an excellent example of a new form of post-cold war political action in which a broad, grassroots coalition works outside the bounds of major international institutions to foster political change.

Rushworth Kidder has made many contributions to the literature on ethics. In this essay, he reports the results of interviews with two dozen "men and women of conscience" from around the world. Eight common values are identified that Kidder believes can guide a troubled world through a tumultuous future.

Despite environmental costs, the burning of fossil fuel for energy will not end anytime soon. Robert Fisher argues that it will take a major shift in thinking, rather than economic considerations, to move away from fossil fuels to renewable resources, i.e., from valuing wealth and power to improving how we relate to each other.

The growing political role of women in all countries is one of the most significant developments of the past decade. Jane Jaquette describes this historical trend and the differences in perspective that women bring to the political arena. 

The idea of poverty has been reduced to a drab, predominantly economic issue. Its social concomitants--drug abuse, violence, panhandling, children having children--inspire few visions of opportunities to enhance compassion, equality, and justice. Their sordidness is unalloyed, encouraging the rest of society to block out poverty and retreat to its own more comfortable and intelligible world.