The most powerful forces the world has ever seen are the simple ambitions of those who inhabit it from the moment they wake up in the morning. Seven billion people, all wanting their own piece of the middle-class pie. So far, the philosophy of the free market has prevailed in that quest by lifting entire nations out of poverty, but it is facing an uphill battle by trying to provide a Western lifestyle across the globe without consequences from destroying its environment. The needs of the world’s economies and standards of living simply do not coincide with the long term survival of its environment. It is being destroyed so that we may live more comfortably.
The first step taken down this road, unbeknownst at the time, was the Industrial
Revolution.
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The world that was once made by hand was now being made by machine, and people that once toiled for themselves in the country ran machines for someone else in a city factory. From the steam engine came the invention of countless other machines; from trains to telegraphs, each one being reliant on the other for its production. One invention led to another, and eventually these technological changes to the nature of society would create, for the first time, a middle class no longer destined by birth to be either rich or poor. All of this was made possible by the inventive, profitable use of resources that lay dormant beneath our feet for millions of years. Fast forward to today, and the effects of the exponential growth of the world’s populations and economies are farther reaching than anyone could have predicted looking at a simple steam engine.
The most worrying effect of this fundamental change to society is climate change, fueled by rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This carbon dioxide is a byproduct of the burning of fossil fuels, which are the remnants of carbon based life from millions of years ago.
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2). Many Americans simply find it easier to believe that the scientific interests, not business interests, are the biased ones and therefore don’t believe them. Pundits on cable news will say that there is nothing to worry about and discredit science they aren’t qualified to understand. Even if people are exposed to the science, and led to believe it, the consequences are still way off in the future and there is still time to change things (or procrastinate). To those viewing, the need for economic growth and job creation is just as real as it was 250 years ago, so the choice is easy, especially when you have student loans, a mortgage, or a couple of kids. The actions necessary to truly mitigate climate change would require a real sacrifice in standards of living by this generation to save the next; something which the newly middle class countries of China and India, let alone the United States, aren’t willing to do. Who would? In the end, nature will force sacrifice upon the world. It may not happen quickly, and it may not happen to those alive today, but if current trends continue, humans will pay the
but you won't get no land. You'll be a swamper here till they take you
How would you describe the economy today in part of the world you are living? From my point of view I would say the economy is taking two steps forward and ten steps back. On a daily basis, people around the world, whether they are poor, middle class or rich, are faced with the most important economic question. How do I allocate my limited resources to fulfill my insatiable wants? Many people use up all their resources, end up with a higher demand of wants and their basic need are not met; resulting in falling into the loop hole of poverty. Why don’t government seek better ways to curb the economy by controlling the rapidly increasing population, decreasing poverty levels of the nation and injecting funds in to skill development institutions?
dioxide in the air build up and as you know carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas. The more carbon
The disparity and divide among various levels of the society locally and globally are rooted in many factors. Unfortunately, growing effects of globalization appear to widen the abyss between the rich and poor, leaving no hopes that eventually the world could collectively and uniformly prosper and poverty would be completely eradicated. The natural resources are not evenly distributed on the various continents on the planet Earth. While some countries enjoy the wealth and prosperity as a result of abundant resources, such oil and natural gas reserves, others are stricken by natural disasters and persistent droughts, having no access to clean water, fertile soil, or any sustainable means of existence. Blaming eruption of violence and flourishing
By adding more of these gases to the atmosphere the natural process is interrupted and create enhanced global warming. Fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas releases carbon dioxide when burned. Carbon dioxide is the gas responsible for the most warming in the atmosphere.
During the time that humans have been living on earth the environment has evolved especially the way we have treated it. Now that we
One way to raise the standard of living in a country would be through economic development. The Global North was able to achieve this economic development through the boom of technological progress during the Industrial Revolution. This economic growth catapulted these countries into the modern age while poor countries were left in the dust. As these countries got richer, the standard of living for their citizens increased dramatically. The rise of the rich countries has been an inspirational model for poor countries. Today, poorer nations hope to follow the same, successful path of industrialization taken by the North.
The ingenuity of man that lead to the unprecedented global development of the twentieth century would certainly not have been possible without the earth’s rich natural resources. In this century, Earth has endured a population explosion, yet still has the agricultural capacity to nourish a global population of over six million people. At the same time, the quality-of-life in industrialized nations is perceived to have risen in tandem with the availability and affordability of mass-produced consumer products made possible by the resourceful use of raw materials and energy. Many trumpet this situation that man has created, and urge further industrial growth in the
In contrast, the lack of economic growth in the poorest countries of the world has meant that living conditions for hundreds of millions of people are appalling by the standards of rich countries; per capita income levels in many 21st-century countries are much lower than they were in 19th-century.To understand why the human race has become so much wealthier and why our wealth is shared so inequitably among the inhabitants of the world, we need to understand what drives economic growth.
On of the biggest cause of climate change is carbon-dioxide which come primarily from the burning of coal for electricity and heat in transportation, and from the burning of coal, oil, and natural gas in industrial activity. Carbon dioxide produced in the burning of these fossil fuels have been hugely responsible for the climate crisis. That is why most discussion of how to solve the climate crisis mainly focuses on producing energy in ways that will not produce dangerous emissions of Carbon dioxide. The burning of oil, coil and natural gas is not only the largest source of carbon dioxide but it also is a source of increasing warming pollution.
Every day the economies and companies grow with greater speed and more facilities in the markets. One of the main concerns and problems is that this growth is not being done in a transparent, integral or sustainable way, which is bringing the planet and the society to their limits or what the International Institute for Sustainable Development has called the crisis of responsibility or lack thereof (IISD, 2009). Indeed, environmental, economic and social problems are growing hastily on a planet with 7 billion inhabitants, where almost 1 billion go to bed every night hungry, 2.7 billion live on less than $ 2 a day, there's 394 ppm of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. A place where a wealthy minority group has the most conformable life on the top of the problem (Dietz, O'Neill, O'Neill, & Daly, 2012).
There is only one world habitable for human beings which is the one we are living in at present. It is our duty to take care of it, but one of the things that gets in the way is economic growth.
During the last century, burning of fossil fuels like coal and oil has increased the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide. This happens because the coal or oil burning process combines carbon with oxygen in the air to make CO2. To a lesser extent, the clearing of land for agriculture, industry, and other human activities has increased concentrations of greenhouse gases.
These pollutants which could last in the atmosphere for up to centuries trap heat causing the planet to grow hotter.
a lot of human use of fossil fuels, so that an increase in carbon dioxide