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:
- Development of goals
- Roundtables focusing on
- fertility and migration,
- consumption and energy, and
- policy recommendations
- Symposium on Cairo Conference follow-up
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
- Dianne Dillon-Ridgley, Co-Chair, Citizens' Network for
Sustainable Development
- Timothy E. Wirth, Under Secretary for Global Affairs, U.S.
Department of State
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
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