  Human population is at the centre of research on global environmental change.
On the one hand, population dynamics influence the environment and the global
climate system through consumption-based carbon emissions. On the other hand,
health and wellbeing of the population is already being affected by climate
change. The knowledge on population dynamics and population heterogeneity thus
is fundamental in improving our understanding of how population size,
composition and distribution influence global environmental change and how
these changes affect subgroups of population differentially by demographic
characteristics and spatial distribution. Existing theoretical concepts and
methodological tools in demography can be readily applied to the study of
population and global environmental change. In the past couple of decades,
demographic research has enriched climate change research both in the analysis
of the impact of population dynamics on the global climate system as well as
the impact of climate change on human population. What is missing in the
literature is the study that investigates how global environmental change
affect current and future demographic processes and consequently population
trends. If global environmental change does influence fertility, mortality and
migration, the three key demographic components underlying population change,
population estimates and forecast need to adjust from the climate feedback in
population projections. Indisputably, this is the new area of research that
directly requires expertise in population science and contribution from
demographers.
