Environmental Inequities

Question 1

Changes in temperature

Answer 1

Urban impacts: Increased energy demand for heating/cooling; worsening of air quality

Health impacts: Increased vulnerability to respiration diseases; young and elderly particularly at risk

Question 2

Changes in precipitation

Answer 2

Urban impacts: Increased risk of flooding; increased risk of landslides; distress migration

Health impacts: Increase in waterborne and water-washed diseases; food shortages and malnutrition

Question 3

Sea-level rise

Answer 3

Urban impacts: Coastal flooding; salinization of water sources

Health impacts: Loss of land and property; health problems from salinated water (especially for children)

Question 4

Extreme rainfall/tropical cyclones

Answer 4

Urban impacts: More intense flooding; higher risk of landslides; disruption to livelihoods and city economies

Health impacts: Higher levels of mortality and morbidity; loss of income and assets

Question 5

Drought

Answer 5

Urban impacts: Water shortages; higher food prices; disruption of hydroelectricity

Health impacts: Higher prevalence of waterborne and water-washed diseases; food shortages

Question 6

Heat or cold waves

Answer 6

Urban impacts: Short-term changes in energy demand

Health impacts: Mortality from extreme heat or cold

Question 7

Abrupt climate change

Answer 7

Urban impacts: Rapid and extreme sea-level rise; rapid and extreme temperature change

Health impacts: Significant effects on morbidity and mortality (especially in most vulnerable groups)

Question 8

Population movements

Answer 8

Urban impacts: Movements from stressed rural habitats

Health impacts: Increased population; increased stress on infrastructure and resources

Question 9

Biological changes

Answer 9

Urban impacts: Extended vector habitats

Health impacts: Increased risk of diseases such as malaria and dengue

Question 10

What is the difference between social equity, social equality, and social justice?

Answer 10

Social equity refers to fairness and impartiality in the distribution of resources and opportunities. Social equality denotes equal rights and opportunities for all individuals regardless of their backgrounds. Social justice encompasses both equity and equality, aiming for fairness and impartiality in the structures and systems that govern society.

Question 11

What is meant by the term ‘poverty trap’? What factors maintain poverty traps?

Answer 11

A poverty trap is when people or communities get stuck in ongoing poverty. This happens because they can’t easily access education, healthcare, or money, and they have few chances to improve financially. Systemic inequalities and being excluded from opportunities also keep them trapped in poverty.

Question 12

How much of the world is living in absolute poverty? Is living with less than $5.50 per day?

Answer 12

9.1% of the global population lives in absolute poverty and 46% lives with less than $5.50 per day.

Question 13

What is multidimensional poverty and how does it differ from traditional definitions of poverty?

Answer 13

Multidimensional poverty assesses poverty beyond income or consumption, considering factors like education, health, and living standards. Unlike traditional definitions, which often rely solely on income thresholds.

Question 14

How many people are experiencing multidimensional poverty versus the traditional definition of poverty?

Answer 14

Over 1.3 billion people worldwide are estimated to be multidimensional poverty.

Question 15

Be familiar with how poverty strikes different demographics differently.

Answer 15

Poverty affects different demographics disproportionately, with factors such as gender, race, age, and geographic location playing significant roles. Women, children, and minority groups often face higher rates of poverty due to systemic inequalities and limited access to resources and opportunities.

Question 16

What is the Environmentalist’s Paradox?

Answer 16

The Environmentalist’s Paradox shows the struggle of balancing economic growth with protecting the environment, where actions for one can harm the other. It highlights the difficult choices and problems involved in trying to promote both economic progress and environmental health at the same time.

Question 17

What are some of the main factors that drive and maintain the poverty cycle?

Answer 17

Many things keep the poverty cycle going, like not enough access to education, healthcare, and jobs, and unfair treatment. Problems like bad infrastructure, weak government, political trouble, and environmental damage also make it hard for communities to break out of poverty by stopping economic growth.

Question 18

How does environmental degradation and crises lead to poverty and vice versa?

Answer 18

Damage to the environment, like cutting down trees or natural disasters, can really hurt economies and people’s lives. This makes poverty worse by making it harder to grow food, breaking things like roads and buildings, and making it even harder to get enough to eat. And poverty can also make people use up resources in ways that hurt the environment, making the problem worse.

Question 19

How do war and unrest lead to environmental degradation?

Answer 19

War and unrest often lead to environmental degradation through activities like deforestation for fuel or shelter, pollution from military operations, and damage to ecosystems due to conflict-related activities such as mining or bombing.

Question 20

What is the most common cause of food shortages worldwide?

Answer 20

The most common cause of food shortages worldwide is often disruptions in food distribution and access, rather than insufficient food production. This can be due to factors such as conflict, political instability, natural disasters, poverty, and inequitable distribution systems.

Question 21

Human displacement is most commonly caused by what?

Answer 21

Human displacement is most commonly caused by conflicts, violence, persecution, natural disasters, and environmental degradation.

Question 22

What happened in regards to the Millennium Development Goals drafted in 2000? How have
these goals changed in the interim?

Answer 22

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were a set of eight international development goals established in 2000 by the United Nations to address various global challenges, including poverty, education, gender equality, and health. These goals aimed to be achieved by 2015. While progress was made in some areas, not all targets were fully met by the deadline.

In the interim, the MDGs evolved into the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted in 2015, which expanded upon the MDGs and incorporated a broader range of issues, such as climate change, inequality, and sustainable development. The SDGs consist of 17 goals with 169 targets, providing a more comprehensive framework for addressing global challenges and achieving sustainable development by 2030.

Question 23

What are some solutions to these environmental inequities?

Answer 23

Policy interventions, community engagement, education and awareness, green infrastructure and sustainable development, and intersectional approaches

Question 24

Poverty degrees

Answer 24

Extreme poverty, moderate poverty, relative poverty, and multidimensional poverty.