There are more than 6 billion people living on Earth today, and the United Nations predicts that this number will surge to 9.1 billion by the year 2050. However, the natural resources necessary to sustain the world's population - including freshwater, arable land, and fossil fuels - are dwindling. In order to achieve sustainable development, the stress exerted on the environment by the world's population will have to be controlled through reduced rates of consumption.What steps must be taken to reduce humanity's global footprint and keep within the boundary of the planet's carrying capacity? What are the strategies that governments can pursue to reduce population growth and energy consumption and to preserve and increase the supply of freshwater and energy resources? ""Natural Resources and Sustainable Development"" explores the impact that overconsumption has had on natural resources as well as possible alternative strategies in the United States, China, India, Germany, and Brazil.

Throughout the world, countries are battling soaring food prices, food-borne illnesses, food shortages and undernourishment, and the detrimental effects of certain farming and manufacturing practices on health, nutrition, and the environment. Even in the United States-which historically has had an abundant food supply-more and more people are suffering from food insecurity, especially with the onset of the global financial crisis. Recent advances in agriculture and distribution have positively affected many regions of the world, but there has yet to be an outright and satisfactory solution to this ongoing crisis. Food Security examines the three pillars of this timely topic-availability, access, and nutrition. This brand-new resource analyses the current and past efforts of private and governmental groups to combat food insecurity, and detailed case studies of food security issues in the United States, Bangladesh, China, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, and Yemen are also provided.