Global Issues: An Introduction

An introduction to the most important issues facing an increasingly globalized world with this thoroughly updated and revised sixth edition. Global Issues is an accessible, wide-ranging introduction to the major environmental and development issues confronting the modern world. Spanning disciplines such as political science, economics, sociology, ecology, international relations, and development studies, this popular textbook enables students to develop a broad perspective on the relationships between nations, society, corporations, and the environment in various contexts. Exploring issues surrounding wealth, poverty, inequality, climate change, natural resources, pollution, technology, and others, the text illustrates the importance of global solutions to the issues facing increasingly interdependent nations around the world.  This sixth edition has been extensively revised to ensure contemporary relevance, featuring updated case studies and compelling research on food security, poverty, and the impact of climate change on development. New discussions explore energy, the UN Sustainable Development Goals, differences in the social and economic conditions of rich and poor countries, and environmental trends. Providing an integrated, multidisciplinary perspective, this unique text: Examines the intersection of development, inequality, environment, and society Covers topically relevant issues such as population growth, shifting demographics, renewable energy, and the threats that development poses to the environment Discusses possible future scenarios and governance concerns related to global issues Explores shifts in traditional development pathways and policies around the world Global Issues: An Introduction, Sixth Edition is an ideal entry-level textbook for a range of courses including global studies, international studies, environmental studies, geography, politics, sociology, sustainable development, and more.

Table of Contents:
List of Plates xiii List of Figures, Maps, and Tables xv Acknowledgements xix Introduction 1 The Creation of Global Issues 1 1 What is Development? 3 Developing Toward What? 3 Twentieth‐Century Approach: Development as Economic Growth 4 Twenty‐First‐Century Approach: Developing towards Sustainability 6 Wave of Hope: The Millennium Development Goals (2000–2015) 7 Sustainable Development Goals (2015–2030) 8 Development Assistance and Foreign Aid 10 Culture and Development 14 Conclusion 16 Notes 18 Further Reading 19 2 Wealth and Poverty 21 Can We Eradicate Poverty? 23 Mainstreaming Sustainable Development 27 A Pessimistic View: The Persistence of Poverty 29 Systematic Approaches 33 A Market Approach 33 The State as Economic Actor 36 A Blended Approach 40 Trade and Global Economic Interdependence 41 Global Interdependence 43 Positive aspects 43 Negative aspects 44 Geography and Wealth, Geography and Poverty 45 Conclusions 46 Notes 48 Further Reading 52 3 Population 55 The Changing Population of the World 56 Shifting Demographics: Rural to Urban 61 Causes of the Population Explosion 67 Demographic transitions: population and development 68 How Population Growth Affects Development 74 Rapid growth 74 Slow growth 76 An aging population and low birth rates 76 How Development Affects Population Growth 79 Factors lowering birth rates 80 International Conferences on Population 82 Governmental Population Policies 84 Managing growth 84 Mexico 86 India 88 China 88 Promoting growth 89 The Future 92 The growth of the world’s population 92 The carrying capacity of the Earth 92 “Optimum” size of the Earth’s population 94 Population‐related challenges in our future 96 Conclusions 98 Notes 99 Further Reading 105 4 Food 108 How Many Are Hungry? 109 World Food Production 110 Arable land 111 Climate 112 How Development Affects Food 113 United States: Industrial Agriculture and Farm Consolidation 114 Brazil: Becoming a Food Exporter by Expanding the Agricultural Frontier 116 Contents ix China: Limited Land to Grow, Many Mouths to Feed 116 Feeding a Growing Population 118 The “Green” Revolution 119 Fertilizers 120 Pesticides 121 Energy 121 Irrigation 122 Biotechnology 122 Fishing and aquaculture 125 Traditional/sustainable/organic agriculture 126 Causes of World Hunger 128 How Food Affects Development 132 The type of food 134 What’s your Footprint? 138 Food Waste and Food Loss 139 The Future 140 Governmental Food Policies 141 Future Food Supplies 143 Conclusions 145 Notes 146 Further Reading 156 5 Energy 158 The Relationship between Energy Use and Development 159 Nonrenewable Energy Sources 161 Oil 162 Global Oil Supplies and Price Shocks 163 Coal 165 Natural Gas 166 The Energy Transition 167 Renewable Energy Sources 169 Solar Power 169 Wind 171 Hydroelectric Power 172 Wood, Agricultural/Forestry Residues, and Animal Dung 173 Geothermal Energy 174 Hydrogen‐Powered Fuel Cells 175 Energy and Development: Critical Challenges and Opportunities 176 National Approaches to Energy and Development 177 China 179 The United States 180 Western Europe 183 Japan 184 The Decoupling of Energy Consumption and Economic Growth 185 Conservation/Energy Efficiency 186 x Contents Nuclear Power: A Case Study 188 The potential and the peril 188 The choice 192 Withdraw support for nuclear power 192 Continue to support nuclear power 194 Conclusions 195 Notes 196 Further Reading 201 6 Climate Change 203 An Unprecedented Global Challenge 204 How Increased Temperatures Impact the Earth 206 Regional impacts 206 Africa 207 Asia 207 Low‐lying islands 207 Europe 207 Latin America 207 North America 207 Polar regions 207 Types of impacts 209 Monster storms 209 Extreme heat 210 Infectious diseases 210 Agriculture 210 Melting ice 212 Sea level rise 212 Disruption of natural ecosystems 213 How Bad Will It Get? 213 Planet at a crossroads: high stakes choices 215 Air pollution 215 Uncertainties 216 Abrupt climate change 216 Slower Atlantic currents 216 Clouds 216 Other positive and negative feedbacks 216 Global Agreement for a Global Problem 217 What More Can Be Done? 218 Conclusion 221 Notes 221 Further Reading 223 7 The Environment: Natural Resources 225 The Awakening 225 Water 228 Contents xi Land 229 Minerals 229 Deforestation 230 Governing the Commons 235 The Extinction of Species 236 Responsible Use 240 Resource efficiency 240 Recycling 241 Substitution 243 Reducing needs 243 Conclusion 244 Notes 244 Recommended Readings 248 8 The Environment: Pollution 249 Air Pollution 250 Acid rain 254 Ozone depletion 258 Climate change (global warming) 260 Water Pollution 261 The Workplace and the Home 263 Cancer 263 Chemicals 264 Pesticides 265 Managing Waste 267 Solid wastes 267 Toxic wastes 269 Governmental and industrial responses to the waste problem 270 Environmental Politics 271 Conclusion 274 Notes 275 Further Reading 282 9 Technology 283 Benefits of Technology 284 Unanticipated Consequences of the Use of Technology 285 DDT 287 Factory farms 288 Inappropriate Uses of Technology 289 Limits to the “Technological Fix” 294 War 296 The Threat of Nuclear Weapons: A Case Study 298 The threat 298 New dangers 301 Nuclear proliferation 301 The cleanup 303 The threat of nuclear terrorism 303 xii Contents Conclusions 304 Notes 305 Further Reading 308 10 Alternative Futures 310 Development Pathways: Evaluating Our Current Situation 311 Current Outlook: Business as Usual 312 Collapse and Sustainable Development 314 Choices 318 Improve production 318 Reduce demand 319 Governance: Deciding How to Act on the Choices We Make 320 Conclusion 324 Notes 326 Further Reading 330 Appendix 1: Studying and Teaching Global Issues 332 Appendix 2: Relevant Videos 340 Glossary 349 Index 355

About the Author :
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.