BUSI 496 - Sustainable Business Practices - Lesson 4 - Consequences of Change (1)

Flashcards covering key concepts from BUSI 496 - Sustainable Business Practices, Lesson 4: Consequences of Change (1), focusing on drivers of change, escalating appetite, consuming passions, and consequences of change related to global issues.

Resource Demand in 2020

Combined consumption of construction materials, ores, minerals, fossil fuels, and biomass reached 100B tonnes, a 10 times growth since 1900.

Impact of Increased Demand

More demand for energy, water, and resources results in more waste, emissions, and pressure on natural systems.

Bottled Water Consumption

In 2021, 350 billion bottles were produced, predicted to rise to 460 billion in 2030. Production of the plastic for bottled water accounts for 50% of the energy use.

Wasteful Culture

Culture of take, make, use, and lose, contributing to increased waste generation.

Solid Waste Disposal Methods

Bury, Burn, Recycle, Compost, or Anaerobic Digestion (Organic Matter)

Recycling Aluminum

Making aluminum cans from recycled waste saves 90% energy compared to using ore.

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)

Man-made pollutants that persist and bioaccumulate in larger organisms.

Bioaccumulation: DDT example

DDT in Water 0.000003ppm, 0.04 in zooplankton, 0.5 in small fish, 2ppm in predatory fish, X10million 25ppm =toxic level in bald eagle

The Global Age: Consequences of Change

Positive: Interconnection speeds up economic growth. Negative: Causes negative consequences for the natural world.

Internet Benefits

Information flow, innovation, financial capital access, entrepreneurship, labor enhancement, shared research data, and diminished power of established media.

Internet Access: Information Flows

Increased access, Improved human resources, Enhanced speed

Cellphone History

Cellphone developed 1973, commercially available 1983

Mobile Subscriptions in 2023

There were more than 8.9b mobile subscriptions in use worldwide in 2023, compared to a global population of around 8b

Mobile Broadband Coverage

95% of world’s population has access to a mobile broadband network

Rise of air travel

Passenger Journeys – 1970 300m, 2024 4.7bn, 0.5m flying at any time

9 ethical issues in Artificial Intelligence

Unemployment, Artificial stupidity, Inequality, Humanity, Racist robots, Security, Singularity, Robot rights, Evil genies

Extreme Poverty Line

Since 2017, the Extreme Poverty Line is <$2.15/day

Main causes of poverty

Lack of access to clean water and nutritious food, Lack of access to basic healthcare,Inequality or social injustice, War, conflict and instability, Lack of education, Lack of access to jobs and livelihood, Poor basic infrastructure, Lack of government support, Lack of personal safety nets, Climate change

UN Water Development Report 2023

2 billion (26%) lack safely managed drinking water and 3.6 billion (46%) lack safely managed sanitation

Global percentage of adults lacking basic literacy skills

88% in 1820 13% in 2020 now improving by about 1.3% every 5yrs

Pneumonia, bronchitis, tuberculosis, HIV, diarrhoea Poorest countries

Leading cause of death overall

coronary artery, stroke, lung cancer, Alzheimer's and other dementia Richest countries

Leading cause of death overall

UNICEF: Child Mortality

Death of children under 5 declined by 60% from 1990 (93/1000) to 2022 (37/1000)

In more equal societies

Violent crime, mental illness, drug abuse, and teenage pregnancy go down

How is Inequality quantified?

Between countries: GDP/Capita Within a country: Gini Coefficient (video)

Top 10% of the population own

76% of wealth 52% of income

Top 10% of the population are responsible for:

48% carbon emissions

Corruption Examples

Bribery, embezzlement of funds, obstruction of justice

The Rise of Terrorism

“Illegal force and violence by a non-state actor to attain a political, economic, religious, or social goal through fear, coercion, or intimidation.”

Global Terrorism Index (GTI)

GTI has strong correlation with political instability, Inter group tensions, and lack of legitimate states.

Main drivers of The Rise of Terrorism

Religious ideology and political, nationalistic, and separatist movement

Displaced People

Forcesibly displaced or stateless people

Displaced People (UNHCR)

2014, 60 million – 2023, 117.2 million (UNHCR) 38% under 18yrs old

Displaced People and Climate Change

Climate-related disasters trigger more than half of new reported displacements in 2022

Climate change is a “threat multiplier”

it magnifies the impact of other factors that can contribute to displacement such as poverty, loss of livelihoods, and tensions relating to dwindling resources, ultimately creating conditions that can lead to conflict and displacement