Global Issues

KRISTEN A. HITE leads climate work for Oxfam America and teaches on global issues at the graduate level. Professor Hite has consulted for UN and nonprofit organizations, served as an attorney for the US government and environmental clients, and instructed graduate students at Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, American University, and the University of Maryland. Her approach centers on working across geographies to bridge the intersections of rights, land, and climate in pursuit of sustainable development.JOHN L. SEITZ is Professor Emeritus of Government at Wofford College, USA. He earned a BA and MPA from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University, and a PhD in political science from the University of Wisconsin. He is a Member of Phi Beta Kappa and has extensive first-hand experience of South Korea, Iran, Brazil, Liberia, and Pakistan. Previous editions of this book, for which he was sole author, have been used around the world and have been translated into a number of languages, including Chinese, Japanese, and Portuguese.

• List of Plates xiiiList of Figures, Maps, and Tables xvAcknowledgements xixIntroduction 1The Creation of Global Issues 11 What is Development? 3Developing Toward What? 3Twentieth‐Century Approach: Development as Economic Growth 4Twenty‐First‐Century Approach: Developing towards Sustainability 6Wave of Hope: The Millennium Development Goals (2000–2015) 7Sustainable Development Goals (2015–2030) 8Development Assistance and Foreign Aid 10Culture and Development 14Conclusion 16Notes 18Further Reading 192 Wealth and Poverty 21Can We Eradicate Poverty? 23Mainstreaming Sustainable Development 27A Pessimistic View: The Persistence of Poverty 29Systematic Approaches 33A Market Approach 33The State as Economic Actor 36A Blended Approach 40Trade and Global Economic Interdependence 41Global Interdependence 43Positive aspects 43Negative aspects 44Geography and Wealth, Geography and Poverty 45Conclusions 46Notes 48Further Reading 523 Population 55The Changing Population of the World 56Shifting Demographics: Rural to Urban 61Causes of the Population Explosion 67Demographic transitions: population and development 68How Population Growth Affects Development 74Rapid growth 74Slow growth 76An aging population and low birth rates 76How Development Affects Population Growth 79Factors lowering birth rates 80International Conferences on Population 82Governmental Population Policies 84Managing growth 84Mexico 86India 88China 88Promoting growth 89The Future 92The growth of the world’s population 92The carrying capacity of the Earth 92“Optimum” size of the Earth’s population 94Population‐related challenges in our future 96Conclusions 98Notes 99Further Reading 1054 Food 108How Many Are Hungry? 109World Food Production 110Arable land 111Climate 112How Development Affects Food 113United States: Industrial Agriculture and Farm Consolidation 114Brazil: Becoming a Food Exporter by Expanding theAgricultural Frontier 116Contents ixChina: Limited Land to Grow, Many Mouths to Feed 116Feeding a Growing Population 118The “Green” Revolution 119Fertilizers 120Pesticides 121Energy 121Irrigation 122Biotechnology 122Fishing and aquaculture 125Traditional/sustainable/organic agriculture 126Causes of World Hunger 128How Food Affects Development 132The type of food 134What’s your Footprint? 138Food Waste and Food Loss 139The Future 140Governmental Food Policies 141Future Food Supplies 143Conclusions 145Notes 146Further Reading 1565 Energy 158The Relationship between Energy Use and Development 159Nonrenewable Energy Sources 161Oil 162Global Oil Supplies and Price Shocks 163Coal 165Natural Gas 166The Energy Transition 167Renewable Energy Sources 169Solar Power 169Wind 171Hydroelectric Power 172Wood, Agricultural/Forestry Residues, and Animal Dung 173Geothermal Energy 174Hydrogen‐Powered Fuel Cells 175Energy and Development: Critical Challenges and Opportunities 176National Approaches to Energy and Development 177China 179The United States 180Western Europe 183Japan 184The Decoupling of Energy Consumption and Economic Growth 185Conservation/Energy Efficiency 186x ContentsNuclear Power: A Case Study 188The potential and the peril 188The choice 192Withdraw support for nuclear power 192Continue to support nuclear power 194Conclusions 195Notes 196Further Reading 2016 Climate Change 203An Unprecedented Global Challenge 204How Increased Temperatures Impact the Earth 206Regional impacts 206Africa 207Asia 207Low‐lying islands 207Europe 207Latin America 207North America 207Polar regions 207Types of impacts 209Monster storms 209Extreme heat 210Infectious diseases 210Agriculture 210Melting ice 212Sea level rise 212Disruption of natural ecosystems 213How Bad Will It Get? 213Planet at a crossroads: high stakes choices 215Air pollution 215Uncertainties 216Abrupt climate change 216Slower Atlantic currents 216Clouds 216Other positive and negative feedbacks 216Global Agreement for a Global Problem 217What More Can Be Done? 218Conclusion 221Notes 221Further Reading 2237 The Environment: Natural Resources 225The Awakening 225Water 228Contents xiLand 229Minerals 229Deforestation 230Governing the Commons 235The Extinction of Species 236Responsible Use 240Resource efficiency 240Recycling 241Substitution 243Reducing needs 243Conclusion 244Notes 244Recommended Readings 2488 The Environment: Pollution 249Air Pollution 250Acid rain 254Ozone depletion 258Climate change (global warming) 260Water Pollution 261The Workplace and the Home 263Cancer 263Chemicals 264Pesticides 265Managing Waste 267Solid wastes 267Toxic wastes 269Governmental and industrial responses to the waste problem 270Environmental Politics 271Conclusion 274Notes 275Further Reading 2829 Technology 283Benefits of Technology 284Unanticipated Consequences of the Use of Technology 285DDT 287Factory farms 288Inappropriate Uses of Technology 289Limits to the “Technological Fix” 294War 296The Threat of Nuclear Weapons: A Case Study 298The threat 298New dangers 301Nuclear proliferation 301The cleanup 303The threat of nuclear terrorism 303xii ContentsConclusions 304Notes 305Further Reading 30810 Alternative Futures 310Development Pathways: Evaluating Our Current Situation 311Current Outlook: Business as Usual 312Collapse and Sustainable Development 314Choices 318Improve production 318Reduce demand 319Governance: Deciding How to Act on the Choices We Make 320Conclusion 324Notes 326Further Reading 330Appendix 1: Studying and Teaching Global Issues 332Appendix 2: Relevant Videos 340Glossary 349Index 355