Three pressing and pervasive issues in the world today are poverty, environmental degradation, and resource scarcity. Often these issues are treated as separate concerns, or worse, as trade-offs – in order to alleviate poverty or obtain enough resources the environment must be sacrificed. Yet this approach ignores fundamental connections between the three issues, and none of the problems will improve unless they are treated as one. This paper will demonstrate how poverty and resource scarcity can lead to environmental degradation and, in turn, to environmental problems that exacerbate the desperate conditions of poverty. These interrelated problems create a cycle of misery. However, if they are addressed as a whole it is possible to alleviate poverty while using resources sustainably and preserving the environment and all of its benefits for mankind.
| Presenter: | Rachel Amon (Undergraduate Student) |
|---|---|
| Topic: | Environmental Science & Biology |
| Location: | 104 Edwards |
| Time: | 1:15 pm (Session III) |
