Well, that’s the first module over and you should be familiar with the global issues and how we can tackle them, so test your knowledge with this quiz! You can also find a copy of the quiz in your Student Sheets.
Enter your name, then click ‘Start!’.
Match the year to its current or predicted world population total:
6/6
Good work!
Click next to move onto the next question
5/5
Correct
answers!
Nice try...
Reliance on fossil fuels for energy, transport and industry
The turning of fertile land into arid dry land
Logging, climate change irresponsible farming
The loss of coal gas and oil
Global warming and melting of polar ice caps
Increased exposure to flooding, loss of the polar ice sheets
Removal of natural vegetation
The loss of rainforest ecosystems
Drag the paintbrush across the boxes to colour match the global challenge with its definition and cause.
The changing of weather patterns
Greenhouse gas and air pollution due to reliance on fossil fuels
Reduce
waste
Renewable
Energy
Prevent
deforestation
Sustainable
Design
Sustainable
Agriculture
Reduce
water
pollution
Reduce
resource
depletion
Sustainability
solutions
Look at the sustainability solutions in the left hand column. Click to select which global issues will be impacted as a result of each solution.Hint: Sustainable design will lead to more than just reducing waste!
Reduce
CO2
emissions
Waste
Minimisation
Impact on global issues
/5
Click next to move on to the next question
caused by food insecurity and have
water
Nice Try...
and has access to
to drink and wash with. To have a truly sustainable future, we must
poverty
means that everyone is treated fairly and justly
Meeting the needs of our growing population is not easy.
equality
.
hunger
eradicate
It is important that we live in a healthy , free from
environment
education
, and create peaceful societies where
2/5
Definition
Cause
Challenge
0/36
Correct
Incorrect
This should allow students to fully understand the United Nations definition of sustainable development.
Global Development
v 1.30 (6)
This section is about promoting students’ understanding of sustainability, addressing the tension between existing and emerging global issues and meeting human needs as the world’s population grows.
Managing the use of natural resources to protect the environment.
In this module you will learn:
According to the United Nations (UN), global development promotes prosperity,
greater social well-being, and protection of the environment.
• How sustainable development can change the
way we live on planet earth.
sustainability
Keywords
Warm up with some
starter questions!
global development
What is population growth?
Population growth refers to the increasing number of people currently living on our planet.
What problems can overpopulation cause?
Overpopulation is a contentious issue. Some people argue that the world can never be overpopulated. Others argue that the world is already overpopulated.
Overpopulation may cause environmental damage, social and economic problems because the planet does not have enough resources for the population to survive.
New to this?
• About issues facing global development.
• What is meant by 'human needs'.
1950
2100
Click on each year to see how
much our population will grow
The Big Picture
2030
2015
2050
Button
Living without hunger or poverty
The way we move around, from the method of transport to the route taken.
Living without conflict
Human Needs
< back
Living with dignity and equality
Humans need nutritious and clean food to survive, along with the means to provide for themselves and their families through decent employment.
Built-up areas such as towns and cities.
Humans need peaceful, inclusive societies with justice for all and effective, accountable institutions.
Humans need to live in fair, equal societies, free from persecution and exploitation, with access to education and sanitation for all.
mobility
Living in a healthy environment
urban environments
Managing use and avoiding the depletion of natural resources to protect the environment.
Humans need access to clean water to drink and wash, clean air to breathe and shelter from weather and extreme climate events.
Quality shelter and sanitation prevents the spread of disease.
< back
Changes in weather patterns occur naturally, but burning fossil fuels for electricity, heat,
and transportation, increases levels of greenhouse gases
in the atmosphere.
The use of fossil fuels for energy, transport and industry is a major cause of air pollution, causing climate change and public health issues.
Desertification is the unnatural turning of fertile land or seas, lakes and rivers into barren desert.
Food security means access to enough food to be fit and healthy.
Since 2003, climate change and melting polar icecaps have contributed to 75% of sea level changes. Some causes remain unknown.
Reliance on fossil fuels for energy and transport has significantly depleted our natural resources of coal, gas and oil.
Meeting our needs in the past has not been easy and it is important to recognise that our planet has it’s own needs.
In some cases, meeting some human needs have led to global issues and environmental problems. For example, the burning of fossil fuels for energy has contributed to air pollution and climate change.
Climate change includes changes to the temperature and the frequency of extreme weather events.
Loss of biodiversity is the decrease in different types of plants and animals.
Caused by removing natural vegetation and unsustainable farming practices e.g. overgrazing, which damages fertile soil.
Sea levels could rise by about 2 metres by 2100, majorly impacting island communities.
This can be caused by overpopulation, climate change, poor sanitation, or pollution.
It is caused by toxic chemicals and agricultural waste tipped into our oceans and rivers, threatening ecosystems and our access to clean water.
Air pollution is the introduction of harmful substances like carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and methane into the atmosphere.
The UN estimates we need 50% more food by 2050 to feed the world's population. Increasing food production depends on maintaining biodiversity, which is threatened by climate change.
As carbon dioxide is absorbed by trees, deforestation increases the impact of air pollution on our environment.
Water pollution is the contamination of water bodies.
Global Issues
These ’non-renewable’ energy sources will become increasingly expensive and eventually run out, causing economic
and social instability unless viable alternatives are used.
It is caused by unsustainable farming practices, overfishing, deforestation, pollution and climate change.
Water stress occurs when the demand for water is greater than its availability.
Deforestation is the loss and destruction of forests. Over 18 million acres of forest is lost each year.
With these global issues in mind...
U.N. Brundtland Report, 1987
Sustainable
development is development that
meets the needs of
the present without compromising the
ability of future generations to meet
their own needs.”
“
Sustainable Futures
So how can we apply this? Click on each point to
see how to begin to meet our needs sustainably.
Sustainable Mobility
Its key aspects include electro mobility (the introduction of electric or hybrid cars) and the integration of transport networks through digital technology. It also includes the changing of our mobility behaviour, for example using shared vehicles, walking and cycling.
Sustainable design takes into account all aspects of a product’s life, from the sourcing of the materials, to its manufacture, use and disposal.
Waste Minimisation
Sustainable mobility looks at reducing the environmental impact of our movements.
This is contrasted to intensive farming, and aims to protect biodiversity. Reducing our reliance on animal products, in particular cow products, will also contribute to reducing the amount of CO2 produced by cow farming.
This can be done through designing products to be long-lasting and repairable. Use of biodegradable materials reduces the impact of waste for products with a small lifespan.
Sustainable Agriculture
Sustainable agriculture is farming in ways that protect the environment, respect local communities, ecosystems and livestock.
Renewable Energy
The use of renewable energy sources produces energy with no harmful emissions, such as carbon dioxide, and its use has a low impact on our environment.
Sustainable Development
Sustainable Design
Waste minimisation aims to prevent the pollution caused by waste. Although recycling and reusing products contributes to waste minimisation, reducing waste is also important.
Sustainable design can reduce the overall waste and carbon emissions generated in making the product. Sustainable design may include the decision to use recycled parts or locally sourced materials.
Living on planet earth has not been easy for us, or our planet. With 7.3 billion people on the earth already, and another 3.9 billion joining us by 2100, how can we all live comfortably and have our human needs met in the future?