At least three demographic trends are relevant to climate change:
(1) age structure transitions and attendant changes in consumption patterns, a relevant development for both industrialized countries as well as many populous emerging markets which by mid century will have age structures resembling those of the developed world;
(2) population movement and increases in consumption associated with urban residence; and (3) in-place population growth, a driver of greenhouse gas emissions. New research suggests population growth in both developed and developing nations is expected to play a very important role in global greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions; what the policy implications for this may be are perhaps a bit less clear.