3.1 Flashcards
sustainable development
meeting present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
possibility of sustainable development depends on:
1) number of people
2) natural resources available
3) can tech unlock new resources
4) typical consumption of a person
consumption
level of use a society makes of its available resources
why is global consumption growing
economic development + population growth + changing aspirations
what impacts accelerated resource consumption
economic development + population growth + changing aspirations
resources:
water security
food security
energy security
water security
when everyone always has sustainable access to necessary amount of acceptable quality water
threatening water security
1) population growth
2) new lifestyle => greater demands on water supplies
3) climate change
4) appropriation of some people’s water by other societies
food security
everyone always has access to sufficient + nutritious food that meets needs for healthy life
why may food security be threatened
food demand may double worldwide by 2050 due to new lifestyles and population growth
energy security
everyone always has the energy they need at affordable price
poverty reduction
efforts aimed at reducing/eliminating poverty
approaches to poverty reduction
1) direct assistance (cash, food aid)
2) creating job opportunities
3) improving access to education + healthcare
where is much of the growth out of poverty rn
asia and latin america
main countries growing out of extreme poverty rn
china and india
extreme poverty
when a persons income is too low for basic human needs to be met, potentially resulting in hunger + homelessness
less than 1.90$ a day
factors for NGMC growth
1) economic growth
2) urbanization
3) tech advances
NGMC
new global middle class
define NGMC
individuals whose wealth is above poverty levels but below wealthiest segments (annual income 3650-36500) — on higher end can spend on private healthcare, holidays or even cars
earn more than 10 dollars per day
how many people are NGMC
around 2.5 billion
how many are fragile middle class
4 billion
fragile middle class —
4 billion who have escaped extreme poverty but aren’t in the NGMC, 2-10$ daily. can easily slide into extreme poverty in economic crisis/natural disaster
effect climate change will have on fragile middle class
drive 70-130 million people back below poverty line, mainly in africa and south asia
theories for more people above poverty line
1) global labor force doubled
2) ees are getting scientific knowledge from europe japan etc
3) less neo colonial interference in global south countries
4) globalization + trade, increased participation of china, india, eastern europe in global economy
neo colonial
a degree of control certain developed countries still have of the development of their former colonies
why have the wealth gap extremities increased
bcs the rich are in the best position to invest in new opportunities such as property (prices of which have tripled over 2005-2015); ordinary people have less to invest in wealth making purchases
relative poverty
when a persons income is too low for an average standard of living in a certain society
why are more people in relative poverty
the per capita level of wealth in a country rises as the rich get even richer, while the poor segments potentially experienced no change in income
middle class
those who have disposable income after essentials (like heating) have been paid for.
on lower end — non essential t shirt
on higher end — cheap car, air con etc
why is growth of NGMC = new implications for future resource security and typical ecological footprint
1) different consumer behavior
2) diff global investment
3) diff social + political dynamics
4) emergence of new markets
negative effects of growth of NGMC
1) environment degradation – increased consumption + waste
2) resource depletion
3) rising inequality
other effects of growth is NGMC
1) new implications for businesses
2) chance to adress poverty
3) new markets
current new trends in resource consumption
NGMC growth –> new typical ecological footprint + implications for resource stability
ecological footprint
measurement of land/water needed to provide people w resources needed to live
earth overshoot day
the day calculated for each year when humans have used the resources earth has annual capacity to regenerate
carrying capacity
max number of people an area of land can support w current tech levels
earths = around 11 billion
earths carrying capacity
around 11 billion
scales at which ecological footprint can be calculated
1 individual
2 national
3 global –> increasing bcs economic development + population growth
causes of increased water consumption
1) agriculture (70% of global water), food and drink production – crop cultivation + processing + distribution, water is needed for all. irrigation = 90% of water withdrawn in many arid regions.
2) industry
3) household water consumption – poverty reduction + NGMC growth => increasing
how much water does the average european require daily
4600 litres per day bcs theres also water on crops, animals for food, power stations…
why are highest levels of consumption of water in HICs
1) modern appliances
2) swimming pools
3) internal bathrooms
4) food + manufactured goods production
challenges of nutrient transition
livestock farming:
1 increases animal feed demand
2 increases water supply pressure
3 leads to increased methane production
4 clearance of land for crops etc - deforestation
beef cattle eat 8 kg of grain per 1 kg of meat produced
renewable resources
natural resources that are renewed by the environment over relatively short periods of time. Forests, wind power, solar energy etc
non renewable resources
mineral and fossil fuel resources available at limited supplies.
fossil fuels — remains of creatures decayed millions of years ago => aren’t replaced easily
tipping point
resources may no longer be available beyond this point
peak oil
point when max rate of global oil production is reached — likely before 2030
embedded water
measure of amount of water used in production + transport to the market of a crop, product, service. for example 8000 litres on pair of leather shoes.
nutrition transition
change in diet towards meat, fish, dairy. typically happens among ngmc when income rises for 2 to 10
energy mix
proportion of contribution of each energy source to the total energy consumption, each country has a unique one
causes of increased energy consumption
1 increased global population
2 NGMC growth => more devices, vehicles etc
3 development = more industries = increased energy consumption
3 main types of energy for electricity
1) non renewable – hydrocarbons: coal, oil, natural gas, ‘unconventional gas’ –> shale gas
2) nuclear power – fission + fusion: future share in question after 2011 accident in Japan
3) renewable resources – wind, solar, tidal, hydropower, geothermal – heat from within earth
nuclear energy future
do not emit carbon, but there are concerns abt radioactive fuel. a lot of investment currently in fusion
fracking
extracting gas from pores of sedimentary rock; liquid injected at high pressure into rock to open fissures (трещины) and extract oil/gas
nuclear fusion
more countries investing in it. unlike fission (atoms split) – no significant radioactive waste and could never result in nuclear accident
what is a country energy mix determined by
1) physical factors – whether oil, coal is found in country. whether has the environment for renewable sources (eg sun)
2) environmental concerns
3) public perception – especially towards nuclear. after Japan disaster, many countries like Germany have stopped developing nuclear power
4) economic and political factors – changes in oil + gas prices; after russia - ukraine conflict less reliance on russian gas
5) technology access – improvements in technology = cheaper renewable energy
