9 Advances in Technology, Disease, Environment, and Economics

9.1 Advances in Technology and Exchange

  • Technology made large populations possible; large populations now make technology indispensable.   - Quote by Joseph Krutch: "Technology made large populations possible; large populations now make technology indispensable."

  • Essential Question: How has the development of new technology changed the world since 1900?

Growth of Globalization and Technological Development

  • Population Growth and Globalization: The world population grew; globalization made the world feel smaller.

  • Telecommunications Advances: Early 1900s saw radio bring news, music, and culture to many.

  • Shipping Innovations: Development of shipping containers enabled cost-effective and efficient transport of goods.   - Shipping containers could be transported on trucks, trains, and ships.

  • Advancements in Energy Technologies:   - Oil and Nuclear Power: Allowed for faster and cheaper transport of goods.

  • Internet Development: Originating during the Cold War, it became a public communication tool by the late 1990s.   - Enabled global interaction and the rise of knowledge economies.

Communication Technologies

  • Television and Radio: Predecessors to the internet, encouraging long-distance communication (e.g., calling).

  • Rise of Mobile Technologies: By the 1990s, cellphones made information creation and dissemination accessible to individuals.

  • Social Media Impact: Platforms like Twitter and Facebook made media accessible globally; played a significant role in social movements like the Arab Spring.

  • Example: Videos of police actions in the U.S. led to inquiries into racial profiling, prompting public reaction and protests.

Transportation Developments

  • Air Travel: Approximately 2 million flights daily; rapidly increasing cargo and passenger transport.

  • Shipping and Trade: Increase in large cargo ships facilitated global trade.   - Example: Some ships too large for the Panama Canal.

The Green Revolution

  • Emergence: Mid-20th century movement to address hunger.

  • Scientific Innovations: Development of hybrid crops through crossbreeding and genetic engineering.   - Higher yields and increased resistance to environmental stressors.

  • Agricultural Practices: Increased use of irrigation, fertilizers, and pesticides.   - Problem: Small farmers unable to afford these resources forced to sell land.   - Environmental Impact: Chemical use damaged soil and ecosystems.

Statistical Insight

  • Grain Production in China (1945-2010):   - Chart indicating millions of tons produced annually.   - Source: National Bureau of Statistics of China, 2009.

Concerns with Genetic Engineering

  • Pesticide Resistance: Genetically modified plants could affect pollinator populations.

  • Biodiversity Loss: Adoption of genetically engineered varieties could eliminate traditional crops.

Energy Technology Shifts

  • Historical Context: 1900 - Coal was 50% of global energy; rise of petroleum and natural gas for industrial power.

  • Nuclear Energy Development: Research from 1930s and 1940s influenced atomic energy use in electric generation.

  • Environmental Impact: Fossil fuels contribute to pollution and greenhouse gases.   - Nonrenewable resources face depletion.

  • Clean Energy Movement: Renewable sources such as wind and solar energy emerging slowly.   - Current global consumption: 5% from renewables and 5% from nuclear power.   - Connection: Compare with energy sources in industrial revolutions and 21st century (See Topic 5.5).

Medical Innovations

  • Advancements in Medicine: Significant impacts on human longevity and survival rates.   - Antibiotics: 1928 discovery of penicillin by Alexander Fleming; revolutionized treatment for bacterial infections.     - World War II usage prevented soldier deaths from infections.     - Caveat: Extensive use raises concerns over antibiotic resistance.   - Birth Control Innovations: Development of the birth control pill in the 1950s.     - Resulted in declining fertility rates; transformed sexual practices and gender roles.   - Vaccine Developments: Government and nonprofit efforts led to vaccine distribution; major successes include eradication of smallpox by 1980s.     - WHO data indicates vaccines prevent millions of deaths annually (3 million).     - Context: 1.5 million could be saved with better coverage.  

Key Terms by Theme

  • SOCIETY: Communication, crossbreeding, radio, internet.

  • TECHNOLOGY: Medicine (antibiotics, birth control, vaccines), travel (shipping containers, green revolution).

  • ENVIRONMENT: Ecology, Green Revolution.

9.2 Technological Advancements and Limitations - Disease

  • Quote by Nathan Wolfe: "We live in a world fraught with risk from new pandemics."

  • Essential Question: How have environmental factors affected human populations since 1900?

Medical Progress and Disease Management

  • Public Health Success: Post-1900 advancements in medicine reduced diseases; notable eradications (smallpox) were achieved through vaccination efforts.

  • Legacy of Smallpox: Prevalent across history; global vaccination led to its eradication by 1979.

Persisting Diseases Related to Poverty

  • Malaria: Major cause of death in low-income areas; preventive methods include mosquito nets.   - WHO recognizes successful regional initiatives.

  • Tuberculosis: Airborne; previously treated by antibiotics with increasing multi-drug resistance.

  • Cholera: Spread through contaminated water sources; preventative methods involve sanitation and vaccination efforts.

Statistical Insights

  • Top 10 Causes of Deaths in Low-income Countries (2016): Includes infectious diseases and complications during birth.

  • Top 10 Causes of Deaths in Upper-middle-income Countries (2016): Heart disease, stroke, and other noncommunicable conditions.

Historical Disease Impact

  • Polio: A viral disease leading to paralysis and death; vaccines developed significantly reduced cases worldwide.

  • Emerging Epidemics: Include examples like HIV/AIDS and Ebola; societal responses varied based on context and funding.   - HIV/AIDS: Various funding strategies; Brazil noted for successful free healthcare implementation for treatment.

Environmental Factors' Role in Disease Spread

  • Highlight: How poverty, housing conditions, sanitation deter health initiatives and disease control.

Ethical Considerations

  • Raise awareness of how social inequities shape disease resilience and response.

Key Terms by Theme

  • ENVIRONMENT: Epidemics, pandemic, smallpox, cholera.

  • TECHNOLOGY: Medical advances, tuberculosis, AIDS, malaria.

9.3 Technology and the Environment

  • Quote by Ban Ki-moon: "Climate change does not respect borders."

  • Essential Question: What were the causes and effects of environmental changes from 1900 to the present?

Causes of Environmental Changes

  • Population Growth: World population grew from 1.6 billion in 1900 to 6.12 billion by 2000; agricultural expansion led to deforestation and habitat decline.

  • Urbanization: Expected increase in urban dwellers; pressures agricultural practices and creates waste concerns.

  • Globalization and Industrialization: Industrial growth in developing nations strains natural resources, leading to environmental concerns.

Effects of Environmental Changes

  • Resource Depletion: Half of finite resources utilized since industrialization began; remaining reserves risk rapid depletion.

  • Water Scarcity and Inequality: UN reports on water scarcity affecting numerous nations; primarily impacting women’s ability to work and gain education.

Environmental Awareness and Movements

  • Increase in Environmental Activism: Solutions sought to combat degradation; rise of organizations like the Green Belt Movement and international agreements.

  • Climate Change Debates: Global warming attributed to emissions; various stances taken by governments and corporations on pollution and environmental responsibility.

Key Terms by Theme

  • ENVIRONMENT: Deforestation, water scarcity, global warming.

  • GOVERNMENT: Agreements and activism (e.g. Kyoto Protocol, Greenpeace).

9.4 Economics in the Global Age

  • Quote by Charles Wheelan: "A market economy is to economics what democracy is to government."

  • Essential Question: How did the global economy change and remain the same from 1900 to the present?

Global Trade Evolution

  • Post-Cold War Globalization: Enabled increased trading opportunities among previously isolated nations.

  • Economic Liberalization Trends: Proponents like Reagan and Thatcher favored market-oriented policies leading to extensive global interaction.

Economic Changes in Specific Countries

  • Chile: Shift towards free-market policies under Pinochet; introduced economic reforms amidst political turmoil.

  • China: Economic reforms promoted by Deng Xiaoping; focus on growth and global integration; allowed selective privatization.

Knowledge Economies Growth

  • Emergence of Knowledge-Based Sectors: Countries leveraging education and technology to innovate economy.

  • Examples: Finland's technological growth, India's growth in IT, Japan's manufacturing policies.

Key Terms by Theme

  • ECONOMY: Globalization, free market, economic liberalization.

  • SOCIETY: Social issues surrounding economic changes.

9.5 Calls for Reform and Responses

  • Quote by Nelson Mandela: "We pledge ourselves to liberate all… from poverty, discrimination."

  • Essential Question: How have social categories, roles, and practices changed and stayed the same since 1900?

Global Movements for Rights

  • Global Frameworks: The UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights sets the foundation for international norms.   - Protects against abuses and establishes legal rights for individuals.

Feminist Movements

  • Global Women’s March (2017): Millions globally gathered for women’s rights; key milestone in global feminist activism.

  • Historic Feminist Events: Timeline of major international gatherings advocating for women's rights throughout history.

Cultural and Religious Movements

  • Negritude Movement: Emphasizes African cultural identity amidst global narratives; laid the groundwork for later forms of black pride.

  • Liberation Theology: Helped shape movements in Latin America focused on social and economic equity.

Key Terms by Theme

  • SOCIETY AND CULTURE: Human rights, negritude, feminism.

9.6 Globalized Culture

  • Quote by Malala Yousafzai: "What is interesting is the power and impact of social media."

  • Essential Question: How has globalization changed culture since 1900?

Evolution of Arts and Culture

  • Modernism Emergence: A significant shift in arts focusing on new perspectives post-1900; rejection of traditional methodologies.

  • Harlem Renaissance: Flourishing of African American culture and influence on contemporary arts.

Popular Culture Expansion

  • Technological Developments in Media: Availability of cinema and radio transformed societal culture.

  • Americanization: Global spread of U.S. culture; generated mixed responses including resentment over perceived homogenization of regional identities.

Global Interactions in Culture

  • Cultural Appropriation and Exchange: Two-way cultural influences; diverse genres and traditions blending in global contexts.

  • Technology's Presence: Rise of anime, K-pop, and Bollywood as global phenomena that intersect with Western audiences.

Key Terms by Theme

  • CULTURE: Consumer culture, modernism, popular culture.

9.7 Resistance to Globalization

  • Quote by Bill Bryson: "The whole of the global economy is based on supplying the cravings of two percent of the world's population."

  • Essential Question: What were the various responses to globalization from 1900 to the present?

Pushback Against Globalization

  • Opposition Roots: Concerns over economic inequality and corporate practices leading to social and environmental harm.

  • Seattle Protests (1999): Marked the anti-globalization movement's emergence; diverse groups expressed discontent with globalization's repercussions.

Environmental Concerns and Labor Abuse

  • Examples of Worker Exploitation: Child labor in chocolate production highlighted; massive incidents like the Rana Plaza collapse emphasized urgency for ethical manufacturing practices.

  • Environmental Damage: Critics highlighted unsustainable practices perpetuated under global trade that further exacerbated pollution crises.

Institutional Critique

  • Critique of Global Financial Institutions: Asserted that organizations like IMF prioritize wealthy nations’ agendas, often to the detriment of developing nations.

Key Terms by Theme

  • SOCIETY: Child labor, Rana Plaza, human rights movements.

9.8 Institutions Developing in a Globalized World

  • Quote by Dean Acheson: "We have actively sought and are actively seeking to make the United Nations an effective instrument of international cooperation."

  • Essential Question: How did globalization change international interactions between states after 1900?

UN’s Role and Structure

  • Founding Context: Establishment aimed at preventing conflict through collective action post-World War II.

  • UN Bodies:   - General Assembly: Comprised of all member states; crucial in dictating budgetary and security-related matters.   - Security Council: Enforces compliance and manages international peacekeeping efforts.

Human Rights Advocacy

  • Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948): Landmark document establishing fundamental human rights applicable universally.

  • UN’s Continued Efforts: Engage in humanitarian missions; assist refugees, facilitate food aid, advance educational opportunities globally.

Key Terms by Theme

  • GOVERNMENT: UN structure, human rights, peacekeeping.

9.9 Continuity and Change in a Globalized World

  • Quote by Francis Fukuyama: "Today, no country can ever truly cut itself off from the global media or from external sources of information."

  • Essential Question: How did science, technology, politics, justice, transportation, communication, and the environment change and stay the same after 1900?

Scientific and Technological Advancements

  • Major Breakthroughs: Scientific understanding expanded greatly; medical advancements led to improved health and longevity.

  • Impact of Renewable Energy: Technological advances make renewable energy more feasible and cost-effective.

Globalization Effects on Society

  • Population Growth Consequences: Disparities observed in developing and developed countries; brain drain exacerbates challenges in low-income nations.

  • Economic Rivalry: Increase in competing economies; collaborations shifting towards Asia.

Cultural and Environmental Transformation

  • Global Interconnectedness: Fast spread of ideas and cultures; modernization begins to blur traditional boundaries amid increased migration.

Conclusion

  • While advancements offered improved living conditions, they also unveiled distinct challenges related to inequality, identity, and environmental impact.