The stakes of Development: from development to sustainable

development

From development to sustainable development

Introduction

• The world population today totals 7 Billion inhabitants, twice as many as in 1960

• There have never been as many wealthy, healthy, educated people but there has also never been as much poverty, disease and hunger

• This can be explained by gaps between levels of development

• Inequalities define the world in which we live

Basic Facts about World PopulationI. The global distribution of population: a spatial term

which describes the arrangement or spread of the population over an area.

A. World population distribution is uneven. Places which are sparsely populated contain few people.

tend to be difficult places to live, usually hostile environments (e.g. Antarctica.)

Places which are densely populated contain many people.

habitable environments (e.g. Europe.)

B. Population Density• a value which indicates the number of people living

in a given area of land.

• It is an average number.

• calculated by dividing the number of people by area.

• usually shown as the number of people per square kilometer.

Document 1 : Estimated 2015 World Population Density

C. Factors influencing global population distribution:

–Physical: climate, relief, soil, vegetation

–Human: economic activities, human resources, natural resources, historical factors

Key Unit Questions:

1.What inequalities characterize the modern world?

2.What will be the needs of the 9 billion inhabitants in 2050?

3.Is sustainable development possible?

I. Inequalities in wealth and development on every scaleA. How can we measure wealth and development?

1. Wealth

GNP Gross National Product: the total value of goods and services produced within a country

• GNI (Gross National Income) : The total value of goods and services produced within a country together with the balance of income and payments from or to other countries (trade balance – imports/exports)

GNI/capita: the instrument used to measure the level of production in a country using the addition of the value of the goods and services produced in one year, divided by the number of inhabitants.

The GNI in PPP (Purchasing Power Parity) is an indicator of the standard of living (takes into account inflation, local cost of living)

World map for the year 2007, shaded by gross national income (PPP) per capita. Source: World Bank.

Which countries are the wealthiest? The poorest?

Map 1 Wealth and Poverty

Map 1: Wealth and Poverty

• Developed countries in the north have a high GNI/GDP $8,600 - $30,000 per capita

• Poor countries in the south have a low GNI/GDP less than $1,000 to $8,600 per capita.

• In subsaharan Africa and southeast and central Asia, 70 -74% of the population lives with less than $2/day

2. Limits of wealth measurements to assess development

• GNI and GNP are criticized as indicators of development because they do not take into account social factors

• In 1990, the UN implemented another indicator in order to measure development levels

UN Development Indicator:

HDI (Human Development Indicator) is calculated by:

• the per capita revenue ($/year),

• life expectancy per capita,

• literacy rates of adults and

• educational rates of children under 15

The value is expressed from 0 to 1

Map 2: Human Development Index

Map 3: North South Divide GDP in PPP

Maps 2 & 3: HDI

–What do you notice about the European, Asian and African continents when comparing maps 2 & 3?

The North South Divide (Map 3)

–Gap between North and South

–HDI ≥0.9 located in the north

–HDI ≤ 0.5 in the south

B. To what extent is development unequal?

1. On a world scale:

Long-standing development in the North, recent in the south

• Even if it is constantly evolving, a line separates the North from the South (Map 3)

The North

• In the North, development dates back to the 18th century (demographic growth, industrialization and urbanization in Europe, North America and Japan – The Triad)

• The Triad dominates

– more than 70% of the planetary production of wealth,

– 80% of trade and new scientific discoveries

• ≥ 80% of the world’s inhabitants, produces ≤30% of its wealth.

• localized areas of development began in the 30’s, but not generalized until the 60’s.

• Demographic explosion has slowed down development in the south (population has increased 3.5 times since 1950)

• Certain emerging countries in the south now compete against the north (BRICS countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa etc…)

The South

2. On a Regional Scale:•In the North: contrast between Northern and Western Europe vs. Southern and Eastern Europe

•In the South: even greater contrast between regional areas

- Eastern Africa and Central America, poorest areas

- Great heterogeneity between emerging powers (BRICS), intermediary developing countries (baby tigers like Indonesia) and LEDCs (Less Economically Developed Countries)