geo

Development

Development

In the context of nations, development is often about reducing poverty

Relative poverty

Poverty in comparison to another group

Absolute poverty

Poverty not compared to other groups; when people consume less than $2.15 USD per day

Middle class

When people consume $10-$100 USD per day

Product lifecycle

All the things (materials, production, distribution, sale, use, disposal) that go into creating a product; phases of a product's lifecycle

Ecological footprint

The theoretical measurement of the amount of land and water a population requires to produce the resources it consumes and to absorb its waste, under prevailing technology

Negative externality

The negative cost other people have to pay for an individual action

Biocapacity

The biologically productive area available to provide the resources we use and to absorb our waste

Earth overshoot day

The day when humanity's demand for ecological resources and services in a given year exceeds what earth can regenerate in that year

Earth's water

97% salt water, 3% fresh water

Freshwater

69.56% permanently frozen or in glaciers, 30.1% subsurface water, around 1% available to humans

Uses of water

70% agriculture, 22% industrial use, 8% domestic use

Water footprint

An indicator of daily direct and indirect water used by us

Direct water use

Amount of water directly consumed (bathing, drinking)

Indirect water use

Amount of water indirectly consumes (water used to grow our food)

Grey water

Industrial waste water

Blue water

Surface and subsurface water

Green water

Rainwater, evaporated, unevaporated or absorbed by a crop

Privatisation

An individual private entity taking over something

Physical water scarcity

The demand for water is greater than the supply of water

Economic water scarcity

Water is available, but is inaccessible due to economic reasons

Farm inputs

Materials the farmer needs to produce food on the farm

Farm processes

Activities on the farm to produce food

Farm outputs

Items the farmer produces

Subsistence farming

The practise of growing crops and farming for one's use

Commercial farming

The practise of farming for commercial profit (larger scale)

Nutrition transition model

The shift in dietary consumption as a country develops

Food security

Having physical and economical access to sufficient food to meet dietary needs in order to live a healthy and productive life

Malnutrition

A state of poor nutrition. This usually comes from a deficiency of proteins, energy, or minerals. Leads to various health issues depending on the severity of malnutrition

Temporary hunger

A state where there is a desire of food and an absence of food. A short term need for food

Chronic hunger

A state where the desire of food becomes extreme due to prolonged food deprivation. Normal bodily functions begin to be affected by this

Famine

A situation where acute malnutrition rates among children exceed 30%, more than 2 people per 10,000 die due to hunger per day, and people are not able to access food (UN)

Circular economy

An economy that consists of systems that result in no waste produced or the waste being used as an input; reusing waste (no waste, biological consumables are consumable and technological resources are durable and continue being useful, infinitely renewable energy is used)

Biomimicry

Innovations inspired by aspects of nature

3 pillars of sustainability

Social, economic, environmental

Energy

80.2% fossil fuels, 11.2% renewable resources (Wind, Solar, Hydro)

Top renewable energy producers

China, US, Brazil

Pros of windmills

Renewable, non-polluting, relatively cheap to maintain

Cons of windmills

Expensive to produce, unpredictable and unreliable, noise pollution, impacts environment, nuisance to civillians

Sustainable development

Meeting the needs of the present population without compromising the ability to meet future needs

Linear economy

An economy that consists of systems that produce waste that cannot be reused

Virtual water

Indirect water embedded in the production of items