Global Awareness: Final Exam

Chapter 8: Food

Vocabulary

● Monoculture crops: the agricultural practice of cultivating a single crop species in a specific area

○ Common in large-scale farming to maximize efficiency and yield

○ Can lead to soil depletion, increased vulnerability to pests and disease, reduced biodiversity

● Fair trade: a market driven model that aims to redefine trading dynamics to ensure fairness. Direct trade between

farmer co-ops and importers

○ Seeks to equalize power by providing growers with better market info and credit terms

● Valorization: process of increasing the value of a product through various means such as marketing, branding, or

improving quality

● Land grabs: transfer of the right to own or use land from local communities to foreign investors through large

scale aquisitions

● Niche marketing: terms like organic/firly traded that are used to help consumers differentiate products

● Sustainable agriculture: farming practices that aim to meet current food needs without compromising the ability of

future generations to meet their needs

● Food security: state where all people at all times have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and

nutritious food.

● Genetically modified food: products derived from organisms that have had their genetic material altered in a way

that does not occur naturally

● Food commodity Chain: the process that describes how food from a farm gets to our table

Discussion Questions

● What is the relationship between food production and population density?

○ As population density increases, so does demand for food which can cause problems in ensuring food

security for all individuals

○ High density can put pressure on agricultural resources, requiring more production to meet demand

● What is the relationship between food production, biofuels and water?

○ They are interconnected, biofuel production can compete with food production for water resources.

○ Competition for water can affect crop yield and food security

○ Biofuel production can contribute to water pollution

● How do fuel prices contribute to our globalized food economy?

○ Fuel prices influence the cost of transportation in the food supply chain.

○ Cheap energy enabled a system where food is transported long distances for processing and consumption

● What factors make it difficult to keep track of the origins of cacao beans and what relationship do these factors

have to the use of child labor?

○ Fast paced nature of global auction houses. Product is constantly moving

● What recent examples of niche marketing in either cacao/cocoa or coffee are you familiar with?

○ Promotion of dark chocolate for it’s antioxidant properties

○ High quality, ethically sourced coffee beans and unique brewing methods.

● How did the IMF and the World Bank shift the world map in terms fo coffee production, and how did the

activities of these organizations impact national coffee boards around the globe?

○ IMF and World Bank’s Structural Adjustment Programs weakened national coffee boards in africa,

indonesia, and mexico.

○ Imposed policies that favored liberalization and privatization leading to a shift in the global coffee market

dynamics with countries and multinational corporations.

○ Lack of global policing put pressure on these entities to operate in isolation impacting the global price of

coffee.

● In what ways might the general agreement on trade in services and the protection of intellectual property rights

enter into the world of global food production?

Global Awareness: Final Exam

○ The GATS and IPR impact global food production by influencing trade regulations, market access, and

protection of food-related innovations.

○ GATS affects food trade by regulating services related to food production and distribution.

○ intellectual property rights can impact food production through patents on GMOs, influencing seed

ownership and agricultural practices.

● How will water rights, intellectual property rights, and changing climate patterns affect food security in the next

ten years?

○ Climate change will impact crop yields, reducing production

○ Water scarcity due to mismanagement of water rights can exacerbate food insecurity

○ Intellectual property rights can limit access to seeds and technologies

● What might account for the preponderance of characterizations in the western pressthat china is one of the

primary land grabbers in africa?

○ Significant amount of land china purchased or leased

Chapter 9: Health

Vocabulary

● Inuit: indigenous people in canada who inhabit the arctic regions

● Nunavut: territory in canada located in the northern part f the country. Predominantly inhabited by the inuit people

● Aboriginal peoples: the original inhabitants of a region.

○ Examples: In canada

■ First nations

■ Inuit

■ Metis

● SIV: Simian immunodeficiency virus. Infects primates and is closely related to HIV

● Iatrogenic: illnesses or injuries caused by medical interventions

○ Ex: breaking ribs during CPR

● Artemisinin: medication reccomended by WHO for treating drug-resistant malaria

● World Health Organization (WHO): specialized agency of the UN responsible for international public health

● Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS): viral respiratory virus caused by the coronavirus sars-cov.

○ Emerged in China in 2002

● viral sovereignty: control and management of diseases should not be limited by national borders/traditional

soverignty.

● TRIPS provisions: refers to the Agreement on Trade-Related aspects of Intellectual Property rights. Established

by WTO and aims to protect IPR to ensure fair competition among member states.

○ Used by US gov to block production of a generic HIV medication in developing nations.

Discussion Questions

● Why might it be the case that health cannot be discussed outside of its social context?

○ Social factors impact an individuals health outcomes.

■ Ex: lower socioeconomic backgrounds face can limit their access to healthcare, discrimination,

social support, and community resources shape health outcomes.

● What processes have contributed to the link between processed foods and disease?

○ High levels of added sugars, unhealthy fats and artificial ingredients lead to health issues like obesity,

diabetes and heart disease.

○ Lack of nutrients in processed foods contribues to poor health

○ Convenience and affordability leads to widespread consumption

● How have globalization and the increase in boarder crossing and migration changed the shape of disease spread?

○ Facilitated the spread of disease across continents.

● How is global climate/environmental change affecting the emergence of new diseases?

○ Creating new niches for diseases to thrive

Global Awareness: Final Exam

■ Ex: deforestation and environmental damage has led to new diseases

● How does globalization introduce new diseases and what is the most recent example?

○ Exchange of pathogens between regions

○ Ex: Zika (2014)

● How do structural adjustment programs and intellectual property provisions impact health programs and

outcomes on a global level?

○ They influence healthcare accessability, affordability and quality.

○ May lead to reduced government spending on health, privatization and increased costs

■ Low income individuals may face challenges accessing essential healthcare

● What is the relationship between NGOs, multinational drug companies, and local and regional infrastructures?

○ Interconnected

○ NGOs provide healthcarein underserved communities

○ Drug companies can impact outcomes through pricing and availability

○ Local infrastructures deliver healthcare services and and address health challenges

● What are the conditions that cause a public-health issue to become a security issue?

○ Potential for widespread harm

○ Intentional use for harm

○ Destabilization of societies

■ Ex: bioterrorism/pandemics

● What are some ways to devise a more equitable resource distribution between “disease darlins” (HIV) and “old

stalwarts” (malaria, tuberculosis, etc.)?

○ Increasing funding to research and develop treatments for neglected tropical diseases

● How would you decide how to fund bioterrorism research and relief versus pandemic research and relief?

○ Consider the likelihood and impact of the threat.

○ Balance resources based on likelihood.

Chapter 10: Energy

Vocabulary

● Hubbert’s Peak: point in time when production of oil in a specific region reaches its maximum level before

gradually declining.

○ Based on a prediction made by M. King Hubbert

○ Ised to describe peak oil production in a specific region or globally

● Peak Oil: point in time when the maximum rate of oil extraction is reached, after which production enters a

terminal decline.

● Petroleum: natural fossil fuel formed from the remains of ancient marine organisms.

● International Energy Agency: autonomous organization that works to ensure reliable, affordable, and clean energy

for its member countries. Helps to shape energy policies and promote energy security.

● OPEC: Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. Group of 13 oil producing countries that coordinate to

unify petroleum policies to stabilize oil markets, ensure steady income, and secure reliable supply.

○ Holds majority of oil reserves and plays a significant role in pricing.

● Fracking: process used to extract oil and natural gas from deep underground.

● Psychic numbing: behavior where individuals ignore or become desensitized to potentially distressing or

threatening situations to cope with daily life without hightened anxiety.

Discussion Questions

● What is the peak oil movement?

○ Based on M. King Hubbert’s 1956 prediction.

○ Believes that global oil production would follow a bell-shaped curve, peaking then gradually declining

while demand from emerging economic powers increases.

○ Proponents argue that reserves aren’t being discovered as fast as they are being depleted.

Global Awareness: Final Exam

● Why is it the case that canada’s role as a U.S. neighbor seems to have made it so invisible in policy discussions

regarding petroleum?

○ Declining financial value of canadian oil exports compared to the united states.

■ Fracking revolution reshaped economics o foil and deceased the value of american crude oil

imports from supplying countries.

○ Alberta focuses too much on pipeline issues and needs to focus on declining demand

● Will there likely be a point in the future when people will decide that the environmental costs are too high to

extract oil in areas like the oil sands?

○ There is growing concern about extracting oil from areas like the oil sands.

○ As technologies advance, knowledge of environmental impacts increases.

○ Issues with oil sands production impacting land air and water

● What are some examples of “psychic numbing”?

○ Ignoring nuclear power plants or fracking equiptment near their homes.

○ Ignoring the dangers to go about their normal life without additional anxiety

● What is the difference between Hubbert’s peak and peak oil?

○ Hubbert’s peak specifically refers to U.S. oil production, while peak oil is a broader term that can be

applied to global production of oil..

Chapter 11: Environment

Vocabulary

● Biodiversity: total variability among genes, plant and animal species, and ecosystems found in nature. Measures

the richness of life in an environment

● Biological hotspot: regions with high levels of biodiversity

● Chloroflurocarbons (CFCs): synthetic compounds composed of carbon, Chlorine, and fluorine. Commonly used

in various products like refrigerators and aerosol sprays.

○ Montreal protocol attempts to phase out the use of CFCs because of their harmful effects on the

environment.

● Sixth extinction: current period of mass extinction where a significant number of species are at risk of

disappearing due to human activities.

● Debt-for-nature swaps: agreements where a portion of a developing countries foreign debt is forgiven in exchange

for local investments in environmental conservation and protection.

● Kyoto accord: international treaty aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions to combat climate change.

Adopted in 1997 and began to be enforced in 2005.

○ Sets binding targets for developed countries to reduce emissions of six greenhouse gases.

● Methane hydrates: ice-like structures in which methane molecules are trapped in a crystal lattice of water

molecules, found in polar regions and deep ocean sediments. Can potentially release large amounts of methane

into the air.

● Small island developing nations (SINs): a group of 40+ countries, characterized by their small size, limited

resources and vulnerability to external shocks, including climate change. Located in the Pacific, Caribbean, and

Indian ocean.

○ These islands face significant challenges because of rising sea levels.

● Keeling Curve: graph that shows the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere over time. Demonstrates steady rise

in CO2 levels

● Greenhouse Gases: gases in the atmosphere that trap heat from the sun contributing to the greenhouse effect.

● World Biosphere Reserve: and ecosystem that merits protection and recognition due to its significant biodiversity.

Discussion Questions

● Why might environmental issues reflect globalization perhaps more powerfully than other thematic issues

presented?

○ Transcend national borders and impact the entire planet.

Global Awareness: Final Exam

○ Interconnected issues that require international cooperation for effective solutions

○ Example: the Amazon

■ Destruction driven by social and economic factors involving local communities and global

demands for resources

● How do northern nations perceive the future of the Amazon, and how do southern nations perceive its future?

○ Amazon needs protection and concervation efforts

○ Global concern due to the significance of the biodiversity and climate regulation

○ Southern nations view the efforts to impose environmental values on them as a form of modern

imperialism. They view it as a threat to their soverignty.

● What are the policy implications resulting from the fact that the areas of the world with the greatest biodiversity

also are undergoing the most rapid population growth?

○ Areas with high biodiversity facing rapid population growth may experience increase pressure on natural

resources which could lead to:

■ Habitat destruction

■ Species loss

■ Ecosystem degradation

○ Policy implications: sustainable development strategies, conservation efforts, land use planning, and

population control measures.

■ Creating protected areas, implementing conservation programs, educating communities

● Is the cost of saving an individual species worth it?

○ Can be due to the importance of biodiversity and the benefits it brings to ecosystems.

○ Preserving species can have positive impacts on environment, economies and human health

● What are key points of the anti-environmental movement?

○ Environmental movement creates a narrative of constant environmental decline without nuance in

environmental trends.

○ Environmental movement is politically driven and advocates for impractical policies.

● What is a debt for nature swap? Why might individuals in the Global South problematize this type of assistance

from the global north?

○ Global South is concerned these swaps is a way for the global north to exert control over their natural

resources and environmental policies in exchange for debt relief

● What is the relationship between rising sea levels and emigration?

○ Rising sea levels can lead to emigration as people from SINs resettle in the US, New Zealand or Sri

Lanka

○ Rising sea levels force people to migrate from affected areas to safer areas.

● How should nations adjudicate rights of current citizens facing displacement due to rising sea levels?

○ Consider implementing policies that focus on building resilience among residents and paying attention to

the identity of affected areas.

○ address legal, sociocultural, and economic challenges.

● How should policymakers work with the knowledge of native communities regarding climate change?

○ Utilize their deep understanding of the ecosystems

○ Their traditional knowledge can offer innovative solutions tailored to the needs of the area. Policy makers

can ensure that policies are culturally sensitive and effective in addressing climate change in these

communities.

● Why is it likely that nations that have not contributed in any major way toward global warming may suffer the

most, particularly in the pacific?

○ These nations are more vulnerable to the effects of global warming such as sea level rise due to their

geographic location and low-lying nature.

Chapter 12: Where to go Next?

Global Awareness: Final Exam

Vocabulary

● Department of Homeland Security: Federal agency, established post 9/11, responsible for ensuring the security of

the country from various threats and coordinating efforts from other agencies

● International organizations: entities created by multiple countries to achieve certain goals

○ Examples: UN, World Bank, Organization of American States

● TESOL: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

● TESL: Teaching English as a Second Language

● TEAL: Teaching English as an Additional Language

● Foreign Area Officer: military officer who specializes in a particular region of the world