Global Economy, Global Economy, Extreme PovertyExtreme Poverty and and Global Global WarmingWarming Dr. Sandra Cruz-PolProfessor Electrical and Computer EngineeringCLiMMATe Lab Director and UPRM-PI for the Center for Collaborative Adaptive Sensing of the Atmosphere

Fall 2006

Global Global EEconomyconomy

Why does it helps to enhance global economy, not only on a specific country but the whole world?

• Examples in history

• Relation to global warming

• Relation to extreme poverty

Global Economy

Global Warming

Extreme Poverty

Economic DivideEconomic Divide

*Sachs, 20051800

GNP per capitaGNP per capitapurchasing power parity

Poverty Trap – Clinical Poverty Trap – Clinical EconomicsEconomics• Physical Geography

– Arid conditions, high transport cost, isolation, mountain ranges, lack of navigable rivers, disease, climate

• Cultural Barriers– Role of women, ethic minorities, education

• Geopolitics: war, trade barriers, sanctions, debt• Lack of technology• Closed market=>Countries too poor to develop=>Need $ to hop onto 1st step of economic ladder

Sostenibility Sostenibility

Why countries like Why countries like England flourished?England flourished?

1. Open market

2. Island- used to navigation, trading

3. Technology- coal, steam engine

4. Weather – not prompt for disease, mosquitoes

5. Education

6. Basic needs: Nutrition, Health, Water

7. Infrastructure

China & IndiaChina & India

Certain conditions helped these 2 countries flourish economically. Usually Green Revolution follows technological growth.

• IndiaIndia: invested in education; Indian Institutes of Technology, now paying off; now a world IT leader.– Was an English colony until 1947. – Began economic reforms in 1991 (Open Market)

China & India…China & India…

• ChinaChina: growing economic rate (9%!) in the World, after it opened to global trading.– Ancient civilization. Past technology leader, until

1400’s. – 1434 Ming emperor closes international trade,

dismantled world’s largest fleet of ocean vessels.– Japan invasion 1937. Mao Tse-tung 1949- 1976.– Market reforms began 1978.

***Global Warming: coal , oil…

Why is Africa an Why is Africa an exception?exception?

Too much Corruption

Laziness of people

+Sexually active: AIDS

Bad land-use

---------------------------------Myth#1: Truth: Less corrupted

----------------------------Myth#2 Truth: Backbreaking labor

----------------------------------Myth#3 Truth: Equal or less

-----------------------Myth#4 Truth: Global warming

Lake ChadLake Chad• Was the 6th largest

lake in the World!• A study by U.

Wisconsin-Madison and NASA's EOS, the lake is now 1/20th of the size it was 35 years ago.

• W. Africa (Chad, Niger, Nigeria, & Cameroon), the region has suffered from an increasingly dry climate, experiencing decline in rain since early 1960s.

We are causing Extreme poverty in Africa due to our emissions which accounts for 25% of all world emissions compared to Africa’s 3%.

Why is Africa an Why is Africa an exception?exception?

• Geography– Disease prompt weather: malaria– Vast regions with no navigable rivers– Sparsely populated– Lack of infrastructure: roads, bridges, etc.– Lack of health systems

• Years of exploitation • Political reasons; frontiers set by Europeans,• Huge external debt• Global warming due to developed world emissions

We can banish extreme We can banish extreme poverty ,poverty ,

• “ yet 8 million people die each year because they are too poor to survive.” , J.Sachs, The End of Poverty

With only $70/person/year for 5 years, we can help poor countries be self-sustained! ($0.21 daily)

– Currently, U.S. gives ~$15/pp/yr.

CharitiesCharities help provide help provide the basics: the basics: foodfoodmedicinesmedicinesvaccinesvaccineseducationeducation shelter shelterclean waterclean water

Examples of Charities

Total Revenue

($mil)

Fundraising Efficiency

(%)

Donor Dependency

(%)

CARE USA 587 89 85

Feed the Children 570 91 99

Food for the Hungry 77 95 99

Food for the Poor 465 96 99

Habitat for Humanity International 773 84 77

International Aid 37 97 101

MAP International (medicines) 161 99 118

Save the Children Federation 246 87 92

United States Fund for UNICEF 247 91 103

World Vision 685 87 92

Source: forbes.com

World's governments committed to provide 0.7% of rich-countries' gross domestic product (GDP) to Official Development Assistance. First pledged 35 years ago in a 1970 General Assembly Resolution, … has been affirmed many times over the years, including the 2002 Monterrey Consensus.

Extreme povertyExtreme poverty

UN Millennium Project GOALS:(www.unmillenniumproject.org)– Half extreme poverty by 2015– Aims to end extreme poverty by 2025

• What is extreme poverty?

• Versus relative poverty?

MP Goals:MP Goals:

Significant progress:1990 – 2002 • Average overall incomes increased

by ~ 21 percent. • The # of people in extreme poverty

declined by an estimated 130 million.

• Child mortality rates fell from 103 to 88 deaths per 1,000 live births a year.

• Life expectancy rose from 63 to 65 years.

• An additional 8% of the developing world's people received access to water.

• And an additional 15% acquired access to improved sanitation services.

Why bother?Why bother?

Less poor abroad means more poor here.• “Hard evidence has established strong linkages between

extreme poverty abroad and the threats to national security.”

• Better global economy provides new technologies developed in a diverse world. More products for everyone.

“Eliminating extreme poverty is a global responsibility that will have global benefits”

• Money spent on war instead could go to help the poor be self-sustained, to new technologies to stop global warming.

• This is the only way to achieve Global Peace

-----------------------------------------------------------Another Myth!Another Myth!

Poverty - a conflict Poverty - a conflict generating factor generating factor

“There is a close relation between poverty and internal conflict.“ Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), 2001

Global WarmingGlobal Warming

• World before Industrial revolution, 1800– CO2 level low <280ppm.

– ~No fossil fuel emissions (oil, coal, gas).

• Radiative transfer yielded thermodynamic global climate equilibrium for the last 100,000 years– We had a comfortable blanket– Now we have a huge blanket

• made of heat-trapping, heat-emitting IR greenhouse gases.

A report by economist Sir Nicholas Stern suggests that global warming could shrink the global economy by 20%!

Global WarmingGlobal Warming

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/sci_nat/04/climate_change/html/climate.stm

COCO22 in the atmosphere in the atmosphereYears: 1960-2000Years: 1960-2000

CO2 in Atmosphere

Years: 1000 -2100

Earth’s Surface

Temperature

Years: 1000 -2100How hot it ultimately gets depends on us.

Global average Global average temperaturetemperatureYears: 1860-2000Years: 1860-2000

Cold due to sulfuric emissions: (1940-1970) which caused lung cancer, asthma & acid rain

Clean Air Act

}

Consequences:Consequences:

• Polar caps melt • Sea level rise• Extreme temperatures• Cyclones/tornadoes• Drought / floods• Disease• Agriculture losses• Water (potable) scarcity• Extinction of animal species, corals, vegetation• Worst case scenario: stop ocean conveyor belt

Kilimanjaro (Tanzania, Kilimanjaro (Tanzania, Africa)Africa)

30 years later…30 years later…

Patagonia (Argentina)Patagonia (Argentina)Longest Glacier in S.A.Longest Glacier in S.A.

1928

2004

Costa RicaCosta Rica

First official lost species due to Global warming: golden toad

Female Male

HurricanesHurricanes

• 10 hottest years ever, occurred in the last 14 yrs.• Hottest of all time, 2006.• 2004 1st hurricane ever in the S. Altantic Ocean• 2005 highest # of hurricanes,

– most intense, 6 Greek letters

• 2005 Wilma strongest hurricane ever recorded AOThen…• 2006 Monica strongest hurricane ever recorded

• Luckily, this year, El Niño decreases # hurricanes

Icebergs with caves = Icebergs with caves = broken food chainbroken food chain

60% of krill population killed because of this.

Krill are small shrimp-like crustaceans zooplankton, food for baleen whales, mantas, whale sharks, seals, and a few seabird species

Worst case scenario: Worst case scenario: abrupt changeabrupt changeIPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change)Climate Change)

Due to change in salinity, if Artic keeps melting, this current could stop, creating a small ice age in Europe and North America.

On top of this…On top of this…

New blooming economies want to live their own version of the

“American Dream”.

Example: in China, the traditional bicycle lane was closed to lay way to an extra automobile lane. India is now also flourishing economically and greatly increasing their CO2 emissions.

Also Political IssuesAlso Political Issues

• Oil industry interests, – Lobbyists

• Governments covering up scientific evidence – (e.g. NASA climatologist, Jim Hansen)

• Real cost of Nuclear energy – versus cost of clean energy like solar or wind– Health hazards, radioactive waste deposit

Potential SolutionsPotential Solutions

Reduce CO2 emissions:• Reduce energy consumption • Alternative green power: solar, wind• Reforestation• Increase fuel efficiency; e.g. fuel cell, hybrid carsScientific propositions:• CO2 sequestration • Inject sulfur in stratosphere• Distribute iron oxide to SA oceanEmission trading- Kyoto Protocol:• Signed by 135 nations to reduce emissions. • Not signed by U.S. or Australia!, the 2 nations with the

highest emissions.

The Good News is…The Good News is…

We can make a difference…

We’ve done it before!:We’ve done it before!: Ozone LayerOzone Layer Montreal Protocol's ban Montreal Protocol's ban on CFCson CFCs• For years, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) were the

agents--contributing to the destruction of the Earth's ozone layer.

• After the Montreal Protocol's ban on CFCs, slightly-more benign HCFCs replaced them..

More Good News…More Good News…

You can save over $2,000 every year while helping

the planet!

Top 16 Things – Top 16 Things – Save $ with Save $ with NO initial NO initial costcost1. Turn off (or even better, unplug) appliances

• (consider a power strip), cord instead of cordless phones

2. Turn off water faucet, • shower not baths, flow • change shower head

3. Clean air-conditioning filters

4. Tune-up car, keep balanced, Accelerate minimum only

*MPG

5. Turn down Water heater, and air conditioner

• Use sheets instead of blankets

6. Turn off PC, printers, when not using:

• Use Laptop instead of PC

7. Use cold water for washing cloths!• Hang clothes if possible

8. Use dishwasher only when full• Wash by hand if possible

9. Eating habits:• Eat less meat (less methane);

• Eat local products

10.Plant trees• They also lower house T in summer,

• They reduce CO2

11.Car pooling, walking or biking

12.Avoid sanitary dishes/napkins• Both styrofoam or paper

13.Buy products with least packaging• Large family packs• Gift bags instead of wrapping• Water bottles!

*Packaging and clean water production needs a lot of energy and releases tons of CO2 in the atmosphere annually.

14.Be a wise consumer• Buy less• Give away things you not longer use.

15.Recycle! • (plastic, paper, cardboard, cans, glass)

16.Email your senators, government officials: • Sign petition at www.undoit.org

• Sign petition at climatecrisis.org

Top 10 Things – Top 10 Things – Save $ with Save $ with some initial some initial costcost

You will recover the initial costs quickly and at the same time, reduce emissions greatly.

1. Consider solar water heater

2. Replace light bulbs with coiled fluorescent

Top 10 (cont…)Top 10 (cont…)

3. Consider new appliances with Energy Star*

*Not all new appliances are efficient.

Top 10 (cont…)Top 10 (cont…)

4. Consider buying a small car or a Hybrid,

5. Use public transportation

6. Eat organic products (better health, less Br)

7. Consider wind or solar power8. Use silicone or dark baking pans: Bake T-25oF

9. Use reusable plastic or cloth coffee filter

10.Use rechargeable batteries

Transportation accounts for 67% of oil used!

Green means it’s also good for your HEALTH.

Small changes, make a big Small changes, make a big difference:difference:

In summary…In summary…

$ave Money, improve your Health, Save the Planet!

We can also help the extreme poor…

…is our moral responsibility.

With your help…With your help……we can save the World!…we can save the World!

Teachers have the power to

touch the lives of many homes… Use it!

Let’s use its Let’s use its resources efficiently resources efficiently so that we can all so that we can all benefit from it.benefit from it.

We are ONE We are ONE human race; human race; we only have ONE we only have ONE planet. planet.

Right steps:

0.7%GDP + green energy

Stop

Global Warming

End

Extreme Poverty

Take action! Take action!

Book References:Book References:

• The End of Poverty by Jeffrey Sachs

• Weather Makers by Tim Flannery

• An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore

• The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman

• Global Warming by Chris Spence

• Pathologies of Power, Paul Farmer

• Mini Atlas of Global Development, The World Bank

• Economics of Climate Change, Sir Nick Stern

Web References…Web References…

• www.nasa.gov• www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/globalwarming• www.povertymap.net• www.unmillenniumproject.org• www.st-edmunds.cam.ac.uk• www.noaa.gov• www.borgenproject.org• www.unicef.org• www.energyhog.org FUN!! (PC games)

This presentation can be This presentation can be found at:found at:

http://ece.uprm.edu/~pol/outreachhttp://ece.uprm.edu/~pol/outreach