Key Vocabulary from SDG-oriented Lectures (Agriculture, Environment, Labour, Health, Education)

Vocabulary flashcards cover central terms and concepts across lectures on agriculture, environment, labour, health and education, aligned with Sustainable Development Goals. They aid English-language revision for upcoming exams.

SDG 2

Sustainable Development Goal that aims to end hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture by 2030.

Food Security

Physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets dietary needs for an active, healthy life.

Malnutrition

A condition that includes both under-nutrition and over-nutrition (obesity) resulting from inadequate or imbalanced diets.

Sustainable Food Chain

A food production and distribution system upgraded to integrate ecological, social and economic sustainability principles.

Upgrading (Food Chains)

Improving processes, products or market linkages so agricultural producers capture higher value and sustainability benefits.

Ad-hoc Approach (Agriculture)

Short-term, piecemeal solutions that solve immediate food problems but lack structural or environmental sustainability.

Market Failure (Food)

A situation where food markets do not reward sustainable production or ensure equitable access, causing hunger or environmental harm.

Malthusian Theory

Thomas Malthus’ idea that food production grows arithmetically while population grows geometrically, leading to inevitable famines.

Sen’s Entitlement Theory

Amartya Sen’s concept that famines arise from unequal food distribution and lack of purchasing power, not absolute scarcity.

Anticipation Policy

A famine-prevention strategy focused on analysing food management and reallocation options before shortages occur.

Food Crisis 2007/08

Global spike in food prices driven by market speculation, climate shocks and resource competition, exposing food system fragility.

LTO Netherlands

Dutch farmers’ association representing agricultural producers, especially the dairy sector, in policy and market discussions.

Agricultural Efficiency (NL)

High output per hectare and per unit of input achieved in Dutch farming through technology and innovation.

Ammonia Emissions

Air pollutants (NH₃) mainly from livestock manure that contribute to acidification, biodiversity loss and climate impacts.

Net Food Exporter

A country or region that exports more agricultural products (by value or volume) than it imports.

Greenhouse Gas (GHG)

Gas that traps heat in the atmosphere, such as CO₂, CH₄, and N₂O, driving global warming.

Externality

A cost or benefit from an economic activity experienced by third parties and not reflected in market prices.

Carbon Pricing

Policy instrument that assigns a monetary value to each ton of CO₂-equivalent emitted, internalising climate externalities.

EU Emission Trading System (ETS)

Cap-and-trade market where European firms buy or receive allowances to emit greenhouse gases within a declining cap.

Implicit Energy Subsidy

Under-pricing of fuels relative to their full social cost, including uncharged environmental and health damages.

Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA)

Systematic comparison of discounted benefits and costs of a policy to determine its net present value (NPV).

Discount Rate

Rate used to convert future costs and benefits into present values; lower rates give more weight to long-term effects.

Net Present Value (NPV)

Sum of discounted benefits minus discounted costs; positive NPV indicates a project increases welfare.

Energy Technology Perspectives

IEA report outlining technology pathways required to achieve net-zero emissions by mid-century.

Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS)

Technology that removes CO₂ from industrial processes or air and stores or reuses it to avoid atmospheric release.

Green Hydrogen

Hydrogen produced via electrolysis powered by renewable energy, emitting virtually no GHGs.

European Green Deal

EU growth strategy targeting climate neutrality by 2050, including a 55% GHG reduction by 2030 (Fit for 55).

Social Cost of Carbon

Monetary estimate of the global damages caused by emitting one additional ton of CO₂.

UNFCCC

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (1992) establishing the foundation for global climate governance.

Kyoto Protocol

1997 treaty committing developed countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by roughly 5% vs. 1990 levels.

Paris Agreement

2015 accord aiming to limit global temperature rise to well below 2 °C and pursue efforts for 1.5 °C.

Free-rider Problem

Tendency of actors to benefit from others’ emission reductions without contributing themselves, undermining collective action.

Utility Possibility Frontier

Curve showing all efficient distributions of welfare between individuals given resources and technology.

Pareto Optimality

Allocation where no one can be made better off without making someone else worse off.

Coase Theorem

Theory that assigning property rights and allowing negotiation can solve externalities if transaction costs are low.

Command-and-Control Regulation

Government rules that set limits or require specific technologies rather than using price incentives.

Public Good

Good that is non-rival and non-excludable, such as clean air, often underprovided by markets.

Flexibilisation (Labour)

Shift toward short-term contracts, gig work and self-employment, increasing employment insecurity.

Automation

Substitution of human labour by machines or software, often via digitalisation and AI.

SDG 8.5

Target to achieve full, productive employment and equal pay for work of equal value by 2030.

SDG 8.8

Target to protect labour rights and promote safe working environments, especially for migrant and precarious workers.

Resilience (SDG 1.5)

Capacity of vulnerable groups to absorb economic, social or climatic shocks without falling into poverty.

Non-linear Climate Impact

Relationship where modest warming benefits cooler economies but severely harms already warm countries.

WAO (Netherlands)

Dutch law (1967) providing long-term disability insurance and income replacement until retirement age.

Platform Worker

Person providing services mediated by online platforms (e.g., ride-hailing) often classified outside traditional employment.

Hybrid Social Security

Combination of public mandates and private insurance to cover sickness, disability or unemployment risks.

Universal Health Coverage (UHC)

All people receiving needed health services without financial hardship.

Baumol Effect

Rising relative costs in labour-intensive sectors with slow productivity growth, such as healthcare or education.

COVAX

Global initiative co-led by WHO to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines for all countries.

Vaccine Nationalism

Practice of high-income countries securing vaccine doses for their own populations at the expense of others.

Pipeline Production Model

Traditional linear value chain where a firm controls R&D, manufacturing and distribution end-to-end.

Platform Production Model

Business model that matches independent suppliers and consumers via a digital platform, enabling scalability and innovation.

Population Health Management

Approach that segments populations by risk and delivers preventive, coordinated care to improve outcomes and lower costs.

Multimodal Diagnostics

Combining diverse data sources (lab tests, imaging, genetics) with AI to enhance diagnostic accuracy.

Five Ps of Medicine

Future healthcare principles: Precise, Personalised, Predictive, Preventive, and Proactive.

Circular Care Model

Healthcare system aiming at zero waste through reuse, recycling and resource efficiency.

SDG 3

Goal to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.

SDG 4

Goal to provide inclusive, equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities.

Human Capital Model

Framework linking education levels and distribution to future earnings and income inequality.

Education Inequality

Unequal distribution of schooling years or quality across individuals, regions or social groups.

Return to Education

Increase in earnings or productivity associated with an additional year or level of schooling.

Lifelong Learning

Ongoing acquisition of knowledge and skills throughout adult life to adapt to changing labour markets.

Non-cognitive Skills

Traits like perseverance, self-confidence and social abilities that influence economic and educational outcomes.

Brixiova Study

Research examining how education and training affect female entrepreneurship performance in Eswatini.

Why Nations Fail

Book arguing that inclusive economic and political institutions determine long-run national prosperity.

Shareholder Capitalism

Corporate model prioritising shareholder returns over wider stakeholder interests.

Carbon Price Gap

Difference between the social cost of carbon and the actual price levied on emissions in a country.

Implicit Carbon Pricing

Estimate of carbon cost embedded in existing energy taxes, regulations and subsidies.

Net-zero Emissions

Balance between anthropogenic GHG emissions and removal, achieving no net addition to the atmosphere.

Hydrogen Economy

Energy system where hydrogen plays a major role as fuel, feedstock or storage medium.

CO₂ Cap

Upper limit on total emissions allowed within an ETS, reduced over time to meet climate targets.

Social Safety Net

Public or collective mechanisms that protect individuals from poverty or income loss.

Gig Economy

Labour market characterised by short-term, task-based work mediated by digital platforms.

Automatic Stabiliser

Fiscal mechanism (e.g., taxes, unemployment benefits) that cushions household income during economic downturns without new legislation.

Gini Coefficient

Statistical measure (0–1) of income inequality; higher values indicate greater inequality.

Inclusive Growth

Economic expansion that distributes benefits broadly across society, reducing poverty and inequality.

Shankey (Sankey) Diagram

Flow diagram showing energy or material inputs, conversions and losses across an economy.

Biomass Carbon Debt

Temporary increase in atmospheric CO₂ when biomass is burned before regrowth re-absorbs emissions.

Carbon Leakage

Relocation of emissions-intensive activities to jurisdictions with laxer climate policies, undermining reduction efforts.

Global Public Good

Good whose benefits are worldwide and non-excludable, such as a stable climate.

Transaction Cost

Expense incurred in making an economic exchange, including information, negotiation and enforcement costs.

Marginal External Cost

Additional harm to society from producing one extra unit of a good, used to set Pigouvian taxes.

Pigouvian Tax

Levy equal to the marginal external cost of an activity to internalise negative externalities.

Command-and-Control

Regulatory approach imposing specific limits or technology standards rather than market-based incentives.

Energy Subsidy Reform

Adjustment of energy prices to reflect private and external costs, often raising fossil-fuel prices.

Climate Justice

Principle that those least responsible for climate change often bear the greatest impacts and deserve support.

SDG 1.5

Target to build resilience of the poor and reduce their vulnerability to climate-related and other shocks.

Digitalisation

Integration of digital technologies into business and social processes, transforming production and services.

Occupational Automation Risk

Probability that tasks within an occupation can be computerised or performed by machines.

Health Technology Assessment (HTA)

Systematic evaluation of properties, effects and impacts of health technologies to inform policy decisions.

Value-based Healthcare

Financing model that rewards providers for health outcomes rather than volume of services delivered.

AI Ethics

Study and application of moral principles to the development and use of artificial intelligence.

UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Set of 17 global objectives adopted by the UN in 2015 to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity.