GC10 Review: Sustainability and Poverty Test Prep

Poverty

A state of lacking basic human needs or the usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions.

Absolute Poverty

Severe deprivation of basic human needs—includes food, water, sanitation, health, shelter, education, and information.

Extreme Poverty

Living on less than $1.90/day (PPP), reflecting a severe lack of resources for basic survival.

Relative Poverty

Lacking the minimum income to maintain the average standard of living in one's society.

Human Development

Expanding people's freedoms and opportunities, including health, education, and living standards.

Basic Needs

Essential resources for survival—food, water, shelter, education, healthcare, sanitation.

Global Inequality

Unequal distribution of income, wealth, and opportunities globally.

Standard of Living

The level of wealth, comfort, and access to goods/services available to individuals or communities.

Carbon Footprint

Total greenhouse gases generated by human actions.

Modern Agribusiness

Large-scale industrial farming, characterized by monoculture, CAFOs, and heavy inputs.

Traditional Agriculture

Small-scale, often diversified farming with lower environmental impact.

Biodiversity

Variety of life in an ecosystem—different species and their populations.

Monoculture

Growing a single crop species over a large area, often reducing biodiversity.

Deforestation

Clearing forests for other land uses, leading to habitat loss and increased carbon emissions.

Overuse of Water Resources

Unsustainable water extraction—often for agriculture—depleting ecosystems (e.g., Aral Sea).

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Gases that trap heat—agriculture emits methane, nitrous oxide, and CO₂.

Food Miles

The distance food travels from producer to consumer; longer distances mean higher emissions.

Carbon Footprint of Food

Total emissions throughout a food item's lifecycle—production to disposal.

Consumerism

Belief in personal happiness through material consumption promotes acquisition as satisfaction.

Resource Stewardship

Using resources sustainably for future generations—includes environmental and social equity.

Linear Economy

"Take-make-dispose" system where products end up as waste.

Recycling Economy

Materials are recycled after use but may still follow a linear flow.

Circular Economy

Designing out waste—products are reused, repaired, and recycled to stay in use longer.

Remanufacture

Transforming used items into new products (e.g., old mattress → pet bed).

Recycling

Sending raw materials to be reused in new manufacturing (e.g., scrap metal).

Reuse

Using an item again as-is (e.g., selling used books).

Refurbish

Repairing and upgrading a used product for resale (e.g., fixing a phone).

Definition of Poverty

Poverty is defined as 'A state of lacking basic human needs or the usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions.'

Absolute Poverty

'A condition characterized by severe deprivation of basic human needs, including food, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, health, shelter, education, and information.' It depends not only on income but also on access to services.

Extreme Poverty

Defined by the World Bank as living on less than $1.90 per day (adjusted for purchasing power parity), reflecting a severe lack of resources for basic survival.

Relative Poverty

'A condition in which a person lacks the minimum amount of income needed to maintain the average standard of living in the society in which they live. It is a measure of inequality.'

Human Development

'A process of enlarging people's freedoms and opportunities and improving their well-being. It is about much more than just economic growth and includes factors like health, education, and living standards.'

Global Trends in Extreme Poverty

The world has witnessed a 'significant decrease in the number of people living in extreme poverty' in recent times, but this decrease has not occurred at the same rate across all regions.

Globalization

Defined as the 'reorganization of the world's economy in a transnational way so that people, products, ideas, and investments can move freely across borders.'

Anthropogenic Climate Change

The lesson focuses on climate change caused by human activities, primarily through the emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs).

Global Warming

Identified as the long-term heating of Earth's climate system since the pre-industrial period due to human activities, especially the burning of fossil fuels.

Global Middle Class (GMC)

As people move out of poverty into the 'global middle class (GMC),' their lifestyles change, often involving the consumption of more processed foods (including meat), which have higher GHG emissions.

Fossil Fuels

Identified as 'Combustible deposits of organic materials... Their burning releases greenhouse gases.'

Carbon Footprint

'The total amount of greenhouse gases (including carbon dioxide and methane) that are generated by our actions.'

Increased Trade

Leads to people buying products transported over long distances using fossil fuels, generating GHGs.

Increased Wealth

Enables more global travel, with air travel being a significant source of GHGs.

Higher Consumption Patterns

Involve purchasing electronics and appliances powered by electricity, much of which is generated by burning coal.

Production of Goods

Often occurs in countries with coal-reliant energy systems like China, contributing to GHG emissions.

Consumerism

The idea that buying lots of things makes life better.

Rampant Consumerism

Buying way too much, often without thinking if it's needed.

Drivers of Consumerism

People are constantly bombarded by advertisements through mass media and social media, using psychological tactics to make them feel the need to buy more 'stuff' for social acceptance and perceived well-being.

Beneficiaries of Consumerism

Transnational Corporations (TNCs) or Multinational Corporations (MNCs) get rich when we buy their products.

Negative Impacts of Consumerism

Increased consumption requires more energy for factories, leading to pollution and environmental degradation.

Environmental Degradation

The planet getting damaged because of pollution, cutting down forests, or using too many resources.

Workers in TNCs/MNCs

Often produce goods in countries where people are desperate for work and willing to accept low wages and poor working conditions in 'sweatshops.'

E-waste

Discarded electronic devices such as old printers, cell phones, computers, and televisions.

Hazardous Materials in E-waste

Components in electronic devices that include lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, and beryllium.

Informal Recycling

In many developing countries, e-waste is processed through burning and acid baths to extract valuable metals.

Dioxins

Highly toxic compounds produced during the burning of e-waste, known to be carcinogenic and harmful to human health.

Pollution from E-waste

Disposal and recycling of e-waste contaminate air, water, and soil with hazardous substances.

Unsustainable Trade

The global movement of e-waste from developed to developing countries with less stringent environmental regulations.

Origin and Destination of E-waste

China and the United States generate the most e-waste, often shipped to countries in Africa and Asia for informal recycling.

Agbogbloshie

A well-known e-waste processing site in Accra, Ghana, with severe environmental and health consequences.

Hyper-consumerism

The excessive and relentless pursuit of consumer goods.

Connection to Consumerism

The lesson links e-waste to consumerism and hyper-consumerism, as the constant demand for new electronics leads to a growing volume of discarded devices.

Modern Agribusiness

Large-scale, industrialized food production aimed at maximizing output to feed a growing population... characterized by monoculture, concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), and reliance on technology and inputs.

Traditional Agriculture

Smaller-scale farming practices, often more diverse, with potentially lower environmental impact compared to agribusiness.

Biodiversity

The variety of life in a particular habitat or ecosystem.

Monoculture

The practice of growing a single crop species over a large area, replaces diverse native plants and reduces habitats for various animals.

Deforestation

The clearing of forests for other land uses, such as agriculture, results in habitat loss, disrupts ecosystems, and releases stored carbon into the atmosphere.

Overuse of Water Resources

The unsustainable extraction of water, primarily for irrigation... leading to depletion of rivers, aquifers, and negative impacts on ecosystems.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Gases in the atmosphere that trap heat.

Food Miles

The distance food travels from its production site to the consumer.

Carbon Footprint of Food

The total amount of greenhouse gases emitted throughout the entire lifecycle of food, including production, processing, packaging, transportation, and disposal.

MNC/TNC

A type of corporation in which its organization operates in two or more countries.

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)

Investment by a firm based in one country (the home country) in productive activities in another country (the host country).

Complex Role of MNCs

MNCs can bring immense benefits or be a hugely destructive entity that contributes to systemically low income jobs and environmental destruction.

Advantages of MNCs in Lower Income Countries

Job creation (examples of Toyota and Volkswagen global workforces).

Contribution to economic growth

MNCs in low and middle-income countries contribute to a significant portion of global economic growth.

Potentially higher wages

Example of Brazilian workers in MNCs.

Exploitation of workers

Long hours, low pay, poor working conditions.

Environmental damage

Due to weaker regulations and enforcement.

Repatriation of profits

Limiting local economic benefits.

Role of the World Trade Organization (WTO)

The WTO sets rules for international trade that MNCs must operate within.

Goals of the WTO

Helping producers, exporters, and importers conduct their businesses and providing a forum for governments to negotiate trade agreements and settle disputes.

Resource Stewardship

The concept that humans can use resources in such a way that they will be available to future generations.

The Tragedy of the Commons

Explains how selfish individual actions can deplete shared resources.

Linear Economy

Take → Make → Use → Waste. The current dominant model, leading to a 'garbage nightmare' as highlighted by images of plastic waste accumulation.

Recycling Economy

Take → Make → Recycle → Use → Waste. While better than a linear economy, the 'recycling scam' is noted, with the bulk of plastic still ending up in landfills or oceans.

Circular Economy

Take → Make → Use → Return (Recycle, Repair, Reuse) → Use. Aims to minimize waste and keep resources in use.

Depletion of Resources

A graph illustrates the projected depletion timelines for various energy sources (oil, coal, gas, uranium) and metals used in renewable energy solutions and other industries.

Environmental Destruction from Resource Extraction

Mining is an example of activities causing environmental damage.

Circular Economy Principles

Design out waste and pollution. Keep products and materials in use. Regenerate natural systems.

Remanufacture

Turning an item into something else using its materials.

Recycling

Sending raw materials to a secondary market for remanufacturing.

Reuse

Using a product as-is.

Refurbish

Examining, repairing or replacing parts of an old product for resale.

Absolute poverty

A condition where a person lacks the means to meet basic needs for survival.

Relative poverty

A condition where a person's income is significantly less than the average income in their society.

Carbon footprint

A measure of the total greenhouse gases produced to directly and indirectly support human activities, typically expressed in equivalent tons of carbon dioxide (CO2e).

Food miles

The distance food travels from production to consumer, considered relevant when evaluating the environmental impact of food.

Consumerism

A social and economic order that encourages the acquisition of goods and services in ever-increasing amounts.

Global temperatures rise

The primary cause since the Industrial Revolution is attributed to increased greenhouse gas emissions.