1. Getting Started With Global Issues
Answer Key

2. 5 Characteristics of a Global Issue
Persistent
Widespread
Affects large #’s of people
Is an underlying cause of events
Is connected to other global issues

3. Mobile as a metaphor for relationship between global issues
As with a mobile, changes with one part of the system affect other issues and the entire system

4. Darfur, Sudan crisis & interconnected issues
Desertification, poverty, migration & high fertility rates heightened competition between Arab herders and African farmers for the scarce resources of wood, food, & water

5. Good Quality of Life Factors
Food
Water
Shelter
Health
Education
Family
Community
Political & Religious Freedom,
Happiness
Security

6. Developed vs. Developing Countries
Developed countries have higher average per capita income than developing countries

7. Sustainability
Ability to meet our needs without limiting the ability of future generations to meet their needs in the areas of economy, environment, & society

8. Renewable Resources
Can be restored or replenished at basically the same rate they are consumed
Ex: forests, fish, wind, water, tides, solar energy

9. Non-renewable Resources
Exist in fixed amounts and cannot be readily restored through human or natural processes
Ex: metal, minerals, fossil fuels

10. Carrying Capacity
The maximum number of people the Earth can support without permanent ecological damage or resource depletion
Increased by the agricultural revolution’s food production technology
Decreased by higher population, pollution, & resource consumption rates

11. GDP vs. GPI
GDP calculates economic growth as the total amount of goods & services produced annualy in a country; GPI also adds desirable non-material services such as volunteerism and childcare and subtracts negative factors such as crime & pollution

12. Pg. 11 Graph comparing GDP & GPI betweebn 1970 & mid 1990’s
GDP up, GPI down

13. “No Exit” Cartoon
“The grass is always greener on the other side” - our notion of “happiness” is sometimes driven by what other people have

14. Personal vs. Structural Solutions
Personal solutions are individual actions that can contribute to sustainability, but structural solutions attempt to address underlying causes and often involve government decisions and policies that encourage or discourage certain behaviors

15. Tax Policies or Subsidies on Fossil Fuel Use
Governments can reduce gas consumption by raising the gas tax or subsidizing the auto industry to develop higher mileage vehicles

16. System (living/non-living)
Non-systems approach: a quick fix, doesn’t consider the interrelations, alternative, or mobile affect
Systems approach: a sustainable approach that considers causes & multiple effects, now and in future

17. Worldview + influences
A person’s basic assumption & beliefs about how the world works
Influenced by culture, history, family, religion, & education

18. Real World Event (Iceberg Model)
Events = tip of iceberg, what we
first hear or see in the
news
Patterns = recurring events
Structures = the underlying cause
of patterns & events

19. Multiple Perspectives & Critical Thinking for Sustainability
Multiple perspectives leads us to appreciate & benefit from the viewpoints of diverse peoples.
Critical thinking demands that we gather necessary information and credible evidence to reach wise solutions.

20. End