Week 5 Outline

PS 336, Global Environmental Politics 

Fall Semester 2005

Week 5 Outlines 

Monday, September 12:   The Division between the Rich and Poor in the World

I.      Terminology for the "South" 

•           Third World

•           Developing Countries

•           Less Developed  Countries (also least developed countries)

•           Poor

•          Nonaligned Movement (NAM) -- dates back to 1961

•          Group of 77 (G77) -- dates back to 1964

II.     The "North" 

•           The West

•           Developed Countries

•           Overdeveloped Countries

•           Industrialized Countries

•           First World

•           Rich

•          OECD Countries (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development)

III.    The "East" 

•            The Second World

•            Former Soviet Bloc

•            Former Communist/Socialist Countries

•            Countries in Transition

IV.     The Predicament of the South 

•             High population growth rates

•             A relatively young population

•             Slow or negative economic growth

•             Heavy interntional debt burden

•             Declining prices for exports and Barriers to Trade with Developed World

•             Technological backwardness

•             Week educational systems

•             Weak and corrupt governments

•              Violence and Civil War

V.      Income Gap between the World's Richest 20% and Poorest 20%

                      1820                      3:1 

                      1870                      7:1 

                      1913                      11:1 

                      1960                      30:1 

                      1990                      60:1 

                      2000                      74:1

•             The richest 20% now account for 86% of the World's GDP, the poorest only for 1%

                      (Source: United Nations Human Development Report, 1999)

                        UNDP,  Human Development Report 2005

VI.     The Rich and the Poor 

•         1 billion live in luxury, 1 billion live in destitution

•         1 billion travel by foot, 3 billion travel by bus or bike, 400 million by automobile

•         630 million lack a healthy diet, 3.4 billion eat grains, 1.2 billion eat meat

•         1.75 million drink contaminated water, 2 billion drink clean water, tea, coffee, milk

•         1 billion drink more soda than water

VII.   "North-South Dialogue" 

•         NIEO (New International Economic Order)

•         Charter on the Economic Rights and Duties of States (1974)

•         Global Negotiations (were to be held during the early 1980's)

•         UN Millennium Development Goals   (2000)

VIII.   Environmental Priorities and Perspectives 

Friday, September 15 --  Class Discussion 

Is Global Population Growth Really the Problem? 

Questions to consider prior to class:

You can think about these questions either simply on the basis of your general knowledge, or if you have the time you might consider clicking on the 2005 World Population Data Sheet.

1.  Is the world already overpopulated?  If not, how large a population can the world sustain?  What factors ultimately determine the maximum possible population? 

2.  Are there countries that are especially overpopulated?  On what grounds can they be considered overpopulated? 

3.  Is the United States overpopulated?  Should stronger laws be adopted to restrict immigration into the United States? 

4.  Which is the greater threat to the global environment---rapidly increasing populations in the developing countries or  high levels of consumption in the developed ones? 

5.  What are the most promising strategies for bringing world population under control? 

6.  What, if any, role should the United States play in international efforts to restrain world population growth?