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Global Issues. Introduction to International Seminar Unit 1. What are Global Issues?. Global issues are significant issues relating to or involving most or all of the Earth. Global issues are: Persistent or long-lasting Transnational or transboundary Affect large numbers of people
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Global Issues Introduction to International Seminar Unit 1
What are Global Issues? • Global issues are significant issues relating to or involving most or all of the Earth. • Global issues are: • Persistent or long-lasting • Transnational or transboundary • Affect large numbers of people • Underlying causes of events • Connected to other issues that meet these criteria • Example: global warming • How is this a global issue?
Interconnections • Global issues are separate and unique, but they affect one another. • How is a mobile a good example of the interconnectedness of global issues? • Example: The conflict in Darfur • What other situations (past or present) could be represented this way?
Why care about global issues? • Global issues will determine what the world will be like in the future • Everyone deserves a good quality of life • What is your vision for the future?
Sustainability • Sustainability means that we meet our own needs without limiting the ability of future generations to meet their needs • Must consider environment, society, and economy • Sustainability is a work in progress!
Sustainable Development • The efforts made by nations and organizations to enable people to have a good quality of life without destroying the environment or endangering the future welfare of people or the planet. • Not only economic development
Resources • How people use the Earth’s resources affects the sustainability of these resources • The consumption of resources determines how many people the Earth can support • Renewable resources • Nonrenewable resources • Distribution of resources can lead to scarcity
Quality of Life • Measurable aspects • Income • Access to education • Health care • Goods and services • Immeasurable aspects • Happiness • Creative expression • Freedom and justice
Quality of Life Indicators • Gross Domestic Product (GDP) • Total monetary value of goods and services produced each year in a country • May increase from negative events (ex: hurricane) • Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) • Adds the value of nonmaterial services (work) • Subtracts negative factors (crime, pollution) • How do you define quality of life? • How would you measure progress in Columbus? In the U.S.?
Sustainable Solutions • Personal solutions • Structural solutions • Borders • Access to resources • Utilities • Health care • Immigration
System • A system is a group of interrelated components that form a complex and unified whole • School system • Circulatory system • Predator/prey relationships • How can we develop sustainable solutions using systems thinking?
Worldview • A person’s beliefs and assumptions about how the world works • Influenced by: • History • Family • Politics • Religion • Education • How do different worldviews affect global problems and their solutions?
Iceberg Model Events Patterns Structures
Critical Thinking • Acquiring information and evaluating it to reach a logical conclusion • Is there evidence for a particular position? • Is the evidence credible? • What are other positions? • Does the range of positions account for the scope of the issue? • Are positions solutions-oriented? • Does the solution meet the standard of sustainability?