Wealth and Poverty PDF

## 12.1 The World can be Improved Our daily lives are concentrated in a relatively small part of the world. We eat, drink, move and consume goods and services in places that are familiar to us. In the middle of this daily life, it can be difficult to know or think about what life is like in differe...

## 12.1 The World can be Improved Our daily lives are concentrated in a relatively small part of the world. We eat, drink, move and consume goods and services in places that are familiar to us. In the middle of this daily life, it can be difficult to know or think about what life is like in different parts of the world, and how our lives are determined by the things we do and use from day to day. Europeans belong to the quarter of the world's population that owns three quarters of Earth's wealth. Most of the people on the planet are significantly more poor than we are. The poorest quarter of the planet's population owns only two percent of its total wealth. Therefore, the things that we see as our standard quality of living is actually far above the norm when thinking about the question on a global scale. The products we consume contain many problems, most of which are invisible to us. They can be produced in conditions that are detrimental to the environment and to the health of the workers who make them. The workers who produce our goods can be underpaid, and their jobs can even make them suffer slavery-like conditions. Child labor is also used in some parts of the world. The ecological baggage of our goods can be heavy, which means that their production has used up large amounts of natural resources and energy. Even the food we eat can come at a great cost to the environment - especially if it is mostly animal-based and produced far away from us. The world will not become a better place if we do not change it ourselves. That is why each of us needs to understand what the world is like and how our actions affect it. Even when political decision-making is slow and inefficient, we can still have an effect as responsible consumers. ## 12.2 Wealth is Distributed Unevenly Every one of us has been born. However, where in the world this birth has occurred is not at all insignificant. In some parts of the world, a newborn infant is born into a place where they can have access to high-quality health care, good education, a varied and plentiful diet, and an enjoyable, safe environment to live in. However, in other parts of the world, the chance that a newborn infant reaches the age of one is just under 80%, the risk of contracting a serious illness is high and daily life is characterized by the struggle to procure food and clean water. The image is of a child in Kathmandu, Nepal, living in a waste dump. ## 12.3 How to Make the World a Better Place? When following the news and seeing all the inequality and problems that the world faces, it is easy to think that there is nothing to be done to improve things. However, things are not actually quite as bad as the news make them seem. This is due to the fact that news tend to focus on negative things and occurrences, whereas positive things are often not as interesting to read about. In fact, most of the things on the planet are better than they were before. For example, infant and childhood mortality rates have steadily decreased all over the world, and dangerous diseases can be prevented better than ever. In addition, the amount of people living in absolute poverty, meaning a daily income of less than two euros, has halved after the year 1990 ## Percentage of Earth's Population Living in Absolute Poverty | Year | Percentage of Earth's population living in absolute poverty | |---|---| | 1980 | 43% (Absolute poverty = a daily income of less than two euros) | | 1990 | 35% | | 2000 | 27% | | 2010 | 13% | | 2016 | 10% | The rate of illiterate people is steadily decreasing as the number of people with a basic education increases. Agricultural production has also become more efficient, and the amount of food produced on Earth should be able to feed all of the planet's population, if only the problem of food waste can be solved. However, many things still need to be fixed. Climate change is progressing rapidly, rainforests are growing smaller and plastic waste is accumulating in the oceans. Human rights are overlooked, many people lack a sufficient level of income and people in many areas live under a constant threat of violence. It is our duty as the citizens of the planet to solve these problems and to make the world a better place. ## Choices that can Help the World Change for the Better: - Consume responsibly, repair and recycle. - Consume energy. - Favor bicycles and public transport. - Choose a renewable source of electricity for your home. - Eat local foods and vegetables. - Choose Fair Trade products that guarantee a reasonable level of income to the producers. - Choose goods and services that are the best choice for human rights and the environment. - Reduce the use of plastic. - Trust the circular economy, where the effective use and recycling of materials lowers the need for new materials and waste. - Think about where the goods you consume come from. - Vote for candidates that understand the state of the world and know their responsibility. ## Summary - There are drastic differences between the levels of development of different nations. - The least developed countries are characterized by a high infant mortality rate, a low level of education, as well as weak health care and welfare systems. - The production of consumer goods often contains environmental and human rights problems. - Many problems, such as climate change, are growing worse in the world. However, some problems have become less grave: infant mortality and poverty have decreased and literacy and education are improving all around the world. - You can help to make the world a better place by making responsible and informed choices. **Key words:** undeveloped nations, developing nations, developed nations, Gross Domestic Product, Human Development Index, infant mortality, ecological baggage.