The Demographic Transition

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Any intro environmental science book will list population growth and/or poverty as the number 1 & 2 environmental problems. Quite simply more people use more "stuff." As the developing nations strive to go from "have-not" to "have" (or at least "want"), then net consumption rises. Per capita income is a fair equator for growth.

http://dieoff.org/page57.htm

http://www.hubbertpeak.com/bartlett/worstPop.htm

http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2004/1/22/173143/411

on-line "Book" on Population and the environment

Pollution too, tends to be a "waste item", that is if it isn't used it's waste. If all processes were 100% efficient, then not worries - however, none are.
Hence pollution = inefficiency!

http://www.aag.org/hdgc/Population_Growth.html

annotated bibliography on Population and the environment

One thing I would be tempted to look at is the increasing gap between the "have" and have not" countries with respect to energy use, and caloric intake. The US (5% of world ppl) uses 25% of the energy output. Doesn't take a math wiz to figure out the Earth cannot support 6 billion Americans. Furthermore, There is an energy boundary that population will run up against one day. There is only so much sunlight to ; drive the hydrologic cycles, cause plant growth, sponsor winds, etc. Likewise there is only so much land (and of that, only so much "viable" land. If we measure the land, measure the sun and the rate plants "create" biomass - then we can estimate a gross sustainable population of the planet. Its not as big you'd think! (about 5 billion)

http://www.fao.org/english/newsroom/news/2002/7828-en.html

http://www.ifpri.org/2020/briefs/number18.htm

if you can access "Science" on-line: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/281/5381/1291

For stats of ALL kinds on may nations (pick a few of choice) go to http://nationmaster.com

I would think that ...