Social Studies: Quality of Life, Sustainability, and Globalization

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering quality of life indicators, environmental worldviews, sustainability pillars, and dimensions of globalization.

Quality of Life

The standard of health, comfort, and happiness experienced by an individual or group.

Economic Issues

Complex problems that involve money, wealth, employment, or people's access to things they need or want in life.

Social Issues

Complex problems that involve education, health, equality, population, and other factors that influence people's opportunities in society.

Political Issues

Complex problems that involve how people make decisions in groups, which can involve government, laws, human rights, and safety.

Environmental Issues

Complex problems that involve people's interactions with the natural world, including land use, water use, energy, and climate.

Income

Money received or earned on a continuous basis as a result of work or investments.

Wealth

Money and possessions accumulated by a person over the course of their lifetime.

Quality of Life Index

A measurement generated using actual information from the population rather than government statistics, based on seven factors: safety, healthcare, consumer prices, purchasing power, traffic commute, pollution, and property price to income ratio.

Human Development Index (HDI)

A model that uses life expectancy, access to education, and GDP per capita to determine the development of a country and rank it into four tiers of human development.

Life Expectancy

The average age people are expected to live.

GDP per Capita

The total value of goods and services produced in a country in one year divided by the population, representing average wealth production per person.

More Economically Developed Countries (MEDCs)

Wealthier countries with stronger economies and a high quality of life, typically featuring low birth and death rates, high life expectancy, and a GNP over US$10000$.

Less Economically Developed Countries (LEDCs)

Poorer countries with weaker economies and a lower quality of life, often characterized by higher birth rates, higher infant mortality rates, and a GNP under US$1250$.

North/South Divide

The socio-economic division describing how MEDCs tend to be located in northern regions of the world, while LEDCs tend to be situated in southern regions.

Freedom House Rating

An indicator that serves as a measure of political rights and civil liberties in a country.

Infant Mortality Rate

An indicator that measures the number of children who die before age one per $1000$ live births.

The Manhattan Project

The research and development project that produced the first atomic bombs, intended to end World War II quickly and peacefully, but resulting in catastrophic destruction and longstanding Cold War tensions.

Sustainability

The ability to meet our own needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Worldview

A collection of attitudes, values, stories, and expectations about the world around us that informs every thought and action, particularly regarding politics, philosophy, and religion.

Environmental Worldview

The way people describe their interactions with and use of natural resources and the environment, centered around whether human needs or the overall health of the environment are prioritized.

Anthropocentric Worldview

A human-centred worldview stating that humans are the controllers of nature, where the value of the planet and its resources is determined by usefulness to humans.

Expansionist View

An anthropocentric perspective asserting that the exploitation of nature and resources is justified to accumulate wealth and grow economies, assuming environmental problems can be solved through technology and management.

Biocentric Worldview

A life-centred worldview emphasizing the protection of ecosystems for all species, holding that humans have no greater value than any other species.

Ecological View

A biocentric perspective in which nature is seen as something to be valued and preserved rather than exploited and tamed.

Three Pillars of Sustainability

The interconnected environmental, social, and economic resources that must all be maintained to achieve successful sustainability.

Environmental Sustainability

The pillar of sustainability focused on avoiding the depletion and extraction of renewable and non-renewable natural resources so that they remain available for future use.

Social Sustainability

The pillar of sustainability focused on individuals making choices for the greater good (e.g., repurposing, recycling) so that all people share in the basic necessities of life.

Economic Sustainability

The pillar of sustainability focused on reducing negative economic impacts by considering jobs, costs of goods, and development while promoting sustainable practices.

Resource Scarcity

A condition that occurs when a vital natural or economic resource becomes increasingly hard to find.

Ecological Footprint

A measure of sustainability demonstrating the impact of human activities on the environment by calculating the amount of land and water resources needed to support a lifestyle.

Biocapacity

The capacity of a country, region, or the world to generate biological materials for its human population and absorb resulting waste materials such as carbon dioxide.

Sustainable Development

Meeting human development goals while sustaining the ability of natural systems to provide the resources and ecosystem services upon which the economy and society depend.

UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

A blueprint of $17$ global goals adopted by United Nations Member States in 2015 under the 2030 Agenda to foster peace, prosperity, inequality reduction, and environmental protection.

Globalization

A process leading to a more connected world characterized by greater interdependence and interconnectedness among the world's peoples.

Global Village

The concept of the world viewed as a single interconnected community where physical distance and isolation have been dramatically reduced.

Cultural Globalization

The gradual homogenization (blending) of world cultures, which often occurs at the expense of local cultures as shared attitudes and behaviors are adopted.

Economic Globalization

The integration of international economic systems that facilitates the free movement of goods, capital, labor, production, and resources.

Environmental Globalization

The trend of countries adopting shared attitudes, international accords, and unified priorities regarding resource management and environmental protection.

Political Globalization

The process through which nations adopt similar systems of government, shared policy frameworks, and multilateral decision-making structures.

Technological Globalization

The rapid cross-border spread and adoption of computer, telecommunication, and internet technologies throughout the world.

Perspective

A particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a personal point of view.

Socio-economic Status

A measure of a person's standing within a community or society, established by income, education, occupation of parents, and geographic location.

Life Experiences

The broad array of personal background elements—including age, gender, ethnic origin, schooling, travel, residence, and history with conflict or cooperation—that shape an individual's worldview.

Fact

Knowledge that is certain, objective, and can be verified by direct observation or experience without being distorted by personal feelings.

Opinion

A subjective judgment or belief that is not necessarily based on certainty or proof, arising from an individual's personal thoughts, emotions, and values.

Values

Core principles, morals, and standards of behavior that guide an individual's actions and decisions.

Bias

A preference or prejudice for or against a particular point of view, which can lead to information being presented in an inaccurate or one-sided manner.