One of the biggest problems Eastern Asia is currently facing is the exploding population in the region.  Great increases in population are having a highly adverse effect on the local environment.

The extreme density of the population in a few areas exacerbates the problem created by high population levels.  In countries such as Pakistan and Bangladesh, this is an extreme problem.

High population density causes many environmental problems.  Deforestation, water scarcity, and increased land usage are all problems that are increasing with the growing population.

Land usage has increased heavily as more people have needed places to live.  More importantly, farmers have had to increase food production to feed a growing population, and have expanded onto new land to grow crops and raise livestock.

Another population problem is the increasing move of the rural population to the urban areas.  As a result, levels of pollution have risen because of the massive amounts of waste produced by concentrated populations.  This pollution has been disastrous for the environment, especially native ecosystems.

Urbanization is also causing serious deforestation.  Much of the problem comes from the need for wood to be used as fuel, and already supplies of wood are beginning to be depleted.

General low levels of consumption help to prevent some of the problems that are occurring in more modernized areas of the world.  For example, relatively less energy is used in Eastern Asia, meaning that less carbon dioxide is emitted.