Global trends in consumption

Question 1

what is meant by the “new global middle class”

Answer 1

The growth of the middle class demographic that causes an increase in: resource consumption, demand, and expectations of living

Question 2

what has been the impact of the MDG around the world

Answer 2

• increase in global middle class
• 1965: total number of middle class was 732 million out of 3.3 billion
• 2030: estimated middle class will be 4.9 billion out of 8 billion people

Question 3

define biocapacity

Answer 3

land and water to provide resources for humanity

Question 4

define ecological footprint

Answer 4

hypothetical area of land required by a society, group or an individual to fufill all their resource needs and assimilate all their waste. Measured in global hectares (ha)

Question 5

name 3 positives of increasing population

Answer 5

• rapid innovation -> boosts economy
• expansion of market size for goods
• Asia - 53% of global GDP in 2050

Question 6

name 3 negatives of an increasing population

Answer 6

• higher waste disposal
• increased energy demand
• increase consumption of foreign goods can have disastrous environmental impacts (cattle rearing)

Question 7

what is the distribution of biocapacity globally

Answer 7

• high biocapacity in rainforests, icier regions
• low biocapacity in desert areas -> MENA

Question 8

what is the distribution of the ecological footprint globally

Answer 8

• high EF in HIC
• low EF in LIC

Question 9

is a high ecological footprint bad or worse

Answer 9

• high ecological footprint is bad

Question 10

do the trends of the growth of the middle class continue? + example

Answer 10

No
-> 1960s -> Brazil and S Korea experienced similar growth rates and income
-> 1980s -> Brazil’s middle class accounted for less than 30% of the population, and South Korea was more than 50% of to the population
-> due to South Korea’s growth over Brazil, it could diversify its economy away from export–consumption to domestic consumption
-> not all middle class has economic security. Many are on $4 incomes and remain vulnerable to unemployment, unemployment and informal jobs

Question 11

factors used in full ecological footprint

Answer 11

• bioproductive land and sea
• energy land
• built land (urban)
• biodiversity land
• non-productive land

Question 12

What is the global trend of the middle class

Answer 12

A huge shift in the middle class to Asia from Europe and North America:
-> estimated 400 million in the middle class by 2030 in most parts of Asia in especially: India, China, Indonesia

Question 13

What is the water-food-energy Nexus concept?

Answer 13

Refers to the close link between these three sectors, and stresses the need for stewardship of these resources

Question 14

What is an ecological creditor

Answer 14

An ecological creditor is a country with an ecological footprint lower than their carrying capacity.

Question 15

what is ecological debtor

Answer 15

An ecological debtor is a country with an ecological footprint greater than their carrying capacity

Question 16

What is the global distribution of ecological debtors

Answer 16

Higher income countries: North America, Europe, MENA, Central/East Asia

Question 17

What is the global distribution of ecological creditors

Answer 17

South America, South Africa, Oceania, Scandinavia

Question 18

Name three factors affecting Nexus

Answer 18

-Climate change
-urging economies means higher resource use (BRICS)
Pollution

Question 19

name the four key benefits of Nexus-based adaptations

Answer 19

-Goal
-core principles
Main focus
-broad strategies

Question 20

Briefly explain the benefits of the goal of a Nexus-based adaptation

Answer 20

The goal in order to use resources efficiently to achieve water, energy and food security objectives in order to build adaptive capacity against climate change risks

Question 21

Briefly explain the benefits of the core principles of an Nexus based adaptation

Answer 21

The principle that aims to minimise resource waste and increase economic efficiency by managing and reducing vulnerability to climate change risk risks

Question 22

Briefly explain the benefits of the main focus of an Nexus based adaptation

Answer 22

Provided integrated solutions at multiple scales in order to minimise shock, risks and vulnerability with climate change to reduce overall poverty

Question 23

Briefly explained the benefits of broad strategies in an nexus based adaptation

Answer 23

Broad strategies include policy integration, harmonisation and governance to generate co-benefits across all sectors and stakeholders. This helps build resilience for climate change mitigation