To reduce carbon emissions is to enforce stricter regulations on the richest to reduce their carbon emissions
so that the poorest can still be lifted out of poverty and allowed to consume more. Neither carbon emissions nor poverty should be ignored in this
The top 1% of emitters hold
15% of global emissions
The bottom 50% of emitters hold
10% of global emissions
If the top 50% of emitters were to halve their emissions
Global emissions would drop by 40%
Lifting people out of poverty globally and allowing them to consume more would raise carbon emissions
by only 1%
Welfare trap
Welfare programs provide them more money when they’re unemployed than what they get from the salary of being employed, hence more people understand that working is disadvantageous and stay in poverty, making less jobs, slowing the economy, and creating more poverty
Welfare programs
government- provided subsides for people below a certain regionally - determined level. Regardless of actual financial stability, anyone even slightly above that level will get no assistance
Poverty trap
Economic and environmental consequences (lack of means to access education, corruption in government, climate change) that reinforce themselves in perpetuating poverty generationally
Countering welfare traps include
Phasing out governmental benefits for a certain time even after they receive a job; Governmental benefits like education and healthcare given to all citizens; establish a universal basic salary that the government provides relief based on- lessening amount of relief given as units earn more and more
Lion/Tiger economies
Fastest growing economies in Africa
Extreme poverty
Persons earning $2.15 a day or less/ income too low to meet basic human needs
Public transport
is essential in many cities to help the poor get established in their communities with jobs, etc.
In last 30 years, extreme poverty has been
on a steep decline
David Davies’ was the first to try to
systematically measure poverty by counting the amount of money one needed to live in tolerable comfort
Relative poverty
Persons with income too low to maintain an average standard of living within a particular society
As extreme poverty drops,
relative poverty rises
Level 1 (extreme poverty)
vegetable-based diets in small portions that lack variety and nutrition with unstable housing infrastructure that is cramped, overfilled or built from natural materials, with unfiltered water from the river
Level 2 (low middle income)
Bigger portions, 1-2 main dishes with a focus on locally-bought carbs with housing that lacks electricity and is made from cheaper, lower quality materials. They are vulnerable to water shortages from water that is communally shared.
Level 3 (high middle income)
Multiple dishes with meat and more variety, city/urban APARTMENTS, with more personal, fairly clean water dispenser which might be subject to shortages.
Level 4 (high income)
Multiple, complete, balanced dishes with personal property and aesthetically pleasing exteriors and interiors with a garage. They have a personal sink/tap with a smooth, controlled flow of water and multiple settings. Usually not subject to shortages.
Measuring relative poverty
A wholistic approach to poverty considering people’s access to health, sanitation, and education- can be difficult for LICs to measure
Fragile middle class
2 billion people globally who have escaped poverty but not firmly within NGMC- like a “lower-middle class”
New Global Middle Class (NGMC)
People with discretionary income to spend on consumer goods like private healthcare, holidays, cars- between $3,650 and $36,500 OR $10,000+
Millennium development goals
Predecessor of SDGs, introduced in 2000 in UN Millennium Summit
The size of the global middle class will continue to
rise, predictably to 4.9 billion by 2030 with most of the growth being in Asia
New Middle class remain vulnerable with their employment and education which separates them
from the Old Middle class that was seem to be the precipice of economic growth due to consumer behaviors- now anyone with enough discretionary income to purchase Coca-Cola is considered “middle class”
Prices of key resources increase as
demand increases but supply is limited
Ecological footprint
A crude measurement of the area of land or water required to provide a person with the energy food and resources needed to live (including waste absorption)
Carrying capacity
The maximum number of people an area of land can support with current levels of tech
Renewable resources
NRs that are replenished by the environment over relatively short time periods
Non-renewable resources
Mineral and fossil resources that are available only in limited supplies and cannot be replaced easily
Peak oil
The point when the max rate of global oil production is reached
Overfishing of Cod in Canada
1992 = fish market crash because fish (renewable) taken out too fast and cannot regenerate in stock; government gives meager compensation ($225/week); teach fisherman new skill but they’re too old; young kids get new opportunities but lose fishing heritage
Retreat of Aral Sea
River feeding into Aral sea is diverted for irrigation by Soviet Union; 90% of sea disappeared since 1960s; World Bank built dam in Northern Region, increasing water a bit
Positive viewpoint on consumption of resources
As demand and prices increase, research for alternate resources will be invested in
Negative viewpoint on the consumption of resources
As demand increases but supply decreases, there will be conflicts over resources
As time passes and demand for resources increases
carrying capacity decreases
Earth Overshoot Day
The day on which humanity’s demand for ecological resources in a given year exceeds what Earth can regenerate/provide
First overshoots
HICs, esp in Middle East (Qua-tar Feb 11, Luxembourg Feb 20, UAE March 4) bcs of excessive lifestyles low NR and high imports
Last overshoots
LICs, esp in Africa + south/central America (Ecuador + Indo Nov 24, Jamaica Nov 12, Cuba Oct 14) bcs of conflicts, colonization, and lack of development
Water stress is contributed by
crop cultivation/processing, food distribution, hydropower, industry, sanitation, recycling, etc.
#1 water stress contributor
Agriculture
#2 water stress contributor
Industry (1980-2021 = $2 trill - $18 trill)
As poverty is reduced, more people expect
unlimited access to clean water
An average European uses 4600L of water daily
(counting embedded water, too)
Nutritional transition
Change in diets due to income/economic class/access to resources change
Nutritional transitions has its exceptions in which
people who are vegan or vegetarian will not change their diet no matter their economic status
Cattle farming
large volumes of grains and cereals used to feed cattle when could be sold separately, instead; high water usage to the cattle’s drink- could feed human pop directly, instead; releases CO2
Livestock farming
Leads to enhanced GHG emissions and increased climate change which decreases the crop yield in places other than the benefitting region
Energy mix
proportion of hydrocarbons (fossil fuels), renewable energies, and nuclear energy a country uses to meet its domestic needs
Total energy consumption is predicted to
increase by 40% from 2000 levels in 2030
2 billion of the Fragile Middle class is predicted to
join the NGMC by 2030
Almost 3 billion people still use wood for fuel,
risking severe health issues
Hydrocarbon powers
Oil and gas (conventional), shale gas (unconventional- by “fracking”) and coal (highest contributor)
Renewable energy sources
Wind turbines, Solar power, Wave tidal power, hydroelectric power, geothermal
Nuclear power
14% of global energy with no CO2 emissions but significant concerns about radioactive uranium and disposal of nuclear waste.
A country’s energy mix is determined by their
physical geography (physically available?), environmental concerns (global commitments to reduce carbon emissions), public perception (trends, etc.), economic/political factors (fluctuations in oil/non-renewable energy prices), access to tech (constant innovation and increased use decreases the cost involved esp in renewable)
Asia has the highest population and
consumes the most water
More than a billion people lack access
to safe, clean water
Water consumption is predicted to
double every 20 years
A person’s income is considered “low” when it is
less than 80% of the area’s medium income
Food insecurity has been worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic
28.6% of world’s population was food insecure in 2020
Hispanic persons made up _% of food insecure persons
35.7
Black persons made up _% of food insecure persons
43.6
Food insecurity is of more prominent concern to POCs because of
systematic racism that affects their income and access to healthcare and general welfare services
A rise in the scarcity of water and food waste has seen a
decline in the amount of land available for agriculture
Groups that are vulnerable to food insecurity are
low income with low productivity (i.e farmers)
Russia and Ukraine make up 20% of global wheat, and 30% of global maize production, importing to over 50 countries (esp Africa + LICs) so the Ukraine war
puts many in positions of food scarcity and cause inflation of even the most basic food products
Finland has achieved high food security (83.7) on the Global Food Security Index through a FEW nexus approach in
investing in agricultural research, developing reliable and safe water and sanitation services, investing in green energy markets, etc.
There are 660 million people without access to electricity
making them run risks like “slow clean cooking” with more rural forms of energy
2 billions people will continue to rely on polluting fuels in 2030, especially in
heating and transport sectors
Micro-grid
small scale electrical networks with independence from bigger networks, which enhances its resilience against power outages by potentially storing energy to be used
Russia is one of the largest producers of crude oil however due to sanctions being pushed on them due to the war, countries need to
find an alternate source, however, this exposes the current reliance countries have on non sustainable energy as price fluctuations match that of Russia’s energy export rates by 70-74%
From 2015 to 2022, the people who had access to clean water increased from
69% to 73%
In 2020, there were __ people living in water stressed countries
2.4 billion
Central and South Asia have
high water stress
Northern Africa has
critical water stress
Over extraction of water leads to
the decrease in the quality of water and the increased scarcity of water
Extreme droughts by climate change has caused
30-80% decreases in water availability
1959, the Aral Sea was redirected by the
Soviet Union, causing loss of livelihoods for many as private companies used public water
Nestle uses excessive amounts of water for their products, draining the
Fyerburg, Strawberry Creek, and Dead River water shed in their production of products
With population growth comes a _% increase in water demand by 2030
68
Water scarcity can be solved by investigating in research about
recycling waste water
Appropriately pricing waste water to prevent the
overbuying and waste of water
Biocapacity deficit
Demands outpace the natural regeneration rate of land and sea products
Ecological footprint
hectares of productive land and sea needed to sustain current lifestyle and absorb its waste + negative effects
Biocapacity surplus
regeneration rate exceeds current demand(s)
Bioapacity reserve
When biocapacity of a population is greater than its ecological footprint of consumption
Liquidating ecological assets
Overfishing, deforestation, etc.
Carbon footprint measures
the CO2 generated in numbers that directly impact Climate Change and can be used to a admission and ask for carbon credits
Ecological footprint measures
renewable and non renewable resources used by a person to consider both carbon and wholistic environmental impact to understand global consumption and how to continue life on Earth.
Green water
Soil water derived directly from rainfall (free and unproblematic use as implemented directly where it falls)
Grey water
Water used domestically, commercially, and industrially, already, including untreated water generated from washing machines, bathtubs and sinks
Blue water
Both surface and ground water that can be used for irrigation/by water companies to meet the needs of the general population
Physical water scarcity
The physical presence/availability of water that are needed to fulfill both human and environmental needs
Socioeconomic water scarcity
Situations in which socioeconomic factors such as not having enough money/status to purchase water, or not having infrastructure to process water, hinder access to the water needed to meet their human and environmental needs
CWSI
composite water scarcity index that combines physical and socioeconomic water scarcity
Generally, the movement of virtual water is UNFAIR
meaning that countries EXPORTING virtual water have higher water scarcity than the countries that are IMPORTING this virtual water (positive index gap for exporter)
The Mekong delta is along the Tibet plateau
is fed by the meltwater from the glaciers and run through China, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia (progressively getting downstream)
How long is the Mekong delta?
4,350 kilometers long