Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Eco-labels are also being used to identify fish
caught by sustainable methods (certified by the Marine
Stewardship Council) and to certify timber produced
and harvested by sustainable methods (evaluated by
organizations such as the Forestry Stewardship Coun-
cil; see Solutions, p. 165).
Richest fifth
85%
18-3 REDUCING POVERTY TO
IMPROVE ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
AND HUMAN WELL-BEING
Distribution of the World's Wealth
Since 1960, most of the financial benefits of global
economic growth have flowed up to the rich rather
than down to the poor and middle class.
Poverty is defined as the inability to meet one's basic
economic needs. According to a 2000 World Bank
study, half of humanity is trying to live on less than $2
(U.S.) per day, and one of every five people on the
planet is struggling to survive on an income of roughly
$1 (U.S.) per day. Millions of people in developing
countries are homeless and often must sleep on the
streets (Figure 18-11).
Poorest fifth
1.3%
Figure 18-12 Global outlook: the global distribution of income
shows that most of the world's income flows up; the richest 20%
of the world's population receive more of the world's income
than all of the remaining 80%. Each horizontal band in this dia-
gram represents one-fifth of the world's population. This upward
flow of global income has accelerated since 1960 and espe-
cially since 1980. This trend can increase environmental degra-
dation by increasing average per capita consumption by the
richest 20% of the population and causing the poorest 20% of
the world's people to survive by using renewable resources
faster than they are replenished. (Data from UN Development
Programme and Ismail Serageldin, “World Poverty and
Hunger—A Challenge for Science,” Science 296 (2002): 54-58)
Poverty has numerous harmful health and envi-
ronmental effects (Figure 1-11, p. 14, and Figure 14-12,
p. 341) and has been identified as one of the five major
causes of the environmental problems we face.
According to most neoclassical economists, a
growing economy can help the poor by creating more
jobs, enable more of the wealth created by economic
growth to reach workers, and provide greater tax rev-
enues that can be used to help the poor help them-
selves. Economists call this the trickle-down effect. How-
ever, since 1960, most of the benefits of global economic
growth as measured by income have flowed up to the
rich, rather than down to the poor and middle class
(Figure 18-12). Since 1980, this wealth gap has grown.
According to Ismail Serageldin, the planet's three rich-
est people have more wealth than the combined GDP of
the world's 47 poorest countries. South African Presi-
dent Thabo Mbeki told delegates at the 2003 Johannes-
burg World Summit on Sustainable Development, “A
global human society based on poverty for many and
prosperity for a few, characterized by islands of wealth,
surrounded by a sea of poverty, is unsustainable.”
This upward flow of wealth does not mean that
economic growth causes poverty. Instead, it indicates
that rich nations and individuals have not been willing
to devote very much of their wealth to helping reduce
poverty and its harmful effects on the environment
Figure 18-11 Global outlook: according to the United Nations,
one-fifth of the world's people have inadequate housing, and at
least 100 million have no housing at all. These homeless people
in Calcutta, India, must sleep on the street. Many more poor
people live in crowded and dangerous shantytowns and slums
in major cities throughout developing countries.
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