is this the State of the World that school curricula should present?

At the CoRk Symposium in June 2012, Jaroslav Kalous outlined the range of problems that comprise a global crisis facing humanity and the planet that fails to get full recognition in the curricula of schools in most countries, let alone in the policies of most governments. Kalous went on to suggest that the global crisis will not be solved due to: unconcern related to the way humans are programmed by evolution; consumer-driven individualism that blinds people to the long term common good; and the political inability of nations to act with common purpose at the international level. Perhaps educators, aware of the gravity of these problems, prefer to protect their students from Kalous’ conclusion that, as a species, we are incapable of solving them?

 

The demographic-economic paradox

The higher GDP per capita, the fewer children are born in any industrialized country. Mortality rates are low, birth control is understood and easily accessible, and costs of child-rearing are often deemed very high because of education, clothing, feeding, and social amenities. In addition, lengthy periods of higher education often mean that women start to have children later in life.

In developing countries on the other hand, families desire children as labour and as caregivers for their parents in old age. Fertility rates are also higher due to the lack of access to contraceptives, generally lower levels of female education, and lower rates of female employment in industry.

Ageing

The world is ageing. With only a few exceptions, this process is taking place in every country and region across the globe. Population ageing arises from two demographic effects: increasing longevity and declining fertility. In 1900, the global average lifespan was just 31 years and even in the richest countries below 50 years. In 2005, the average global lifespan reached 66 years; over 80 years in some countries.

Consumption

An exponentially growing population needs to be matched by exponential growth of food production, extraction of raw materials, building homes, roads, etc. People are living longer, and urbanisation and population expands most in regions where it is most difficult to provide for basic material needs. Since World War II humanity has consumed more natural resources than during the whole of previous history.

Environment

Population growth also brings rapid growth of other problems. Each problem multiplied by seven billion involves enormous quantities. The problem is not population growth as such, but the growth of consumption. The environmental burden is caused not only by numbers but also by increasingly affluent lifestyles.  Some consequent environmental problems are: soil erosion, desertification, deforestation, air and water pollution, water contamination by toxic substances, depletion of stocks of oil and mineral resources, flushing the soil into rivers and water reservoirs, spread of human habitation onto arable land, falling ground water levels, shrinking wilderness area, global warming, radioactive waste, acid rain, and so on.

The Ecological Footprint is a measure of humanity’s demand on nature. It measures how much land and water area a human population requires to produce the resource it consumes and to absorb its wastes, using present technology. Humanity is now using nature's renewable services 50 % faster than the rate at which the Earth can renew them.

The Ecological Footprint of our species has more than doubled since 1966. In 2007, humanity used the equivalent of 1.5 planets to support its activities. Even with modest UN projections for population growth, consumption and climate change, by 2030 humanity will need the capacity of two Earths to absorb carbon dioxide waste and keep up with natural resource consumption.

Mass extinction

The last global mass extinction which eliminated the dinosaurs and many other species was most likely caused by an asteroid hitting the earth. This happened sixty-five million years ago. Another similar catastrophic extinction of species is happening now. We are causing it and only a tiny fraction of humans are aware of it. Twenty-five thousand species are going extinct every year. If humans were not here, it is estimated that there would be one species going extinct every five years. We have pushed up the natural extinction rate a hundred thousand times.

Twenty global problems

In 2002 Rischard published a book “High Noon. Twenty Global Problems, Twenty Years to Solve Them”. Ten years later we are not very far down the road to solutions. They are divided into three groups:

Sharing our planet: Issues involving the global commons

•             Global warming

•             Biodiversity and ecosystem losses

•             Fisheries depletion

•             Deforestation

•             Water deficits

•             Maritime safety and pollution

Sharing our humanity: Issues requiring global commitment

•             Massive step-up in the fight against poverty

•             Peacekeeping, conflict prevention, combating terrorism

•             Education for all

•             Global infectious diseases

•             Digital divide

•             Natural disaster prevention and mitigation

Sharing our rule book: Issues needing a global regulatory approach

•             Reinventing taxation for the 21st century

•             Biotechnology rules

•             Global financial architecture

•             Illegal drugs

•             Trade, investment and competition rules

•             Intellectual property rights

•             E-commerce rules

•             International labour and migration rules

David Oldroyd