Level(s): Grades 8 - 12
Overview
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Students examine the material lives of families around the world, study inequities in the use of natural resources, and consider the environmental impacts of different consumption patterns.
Learning Outcomes
Students will recognize global inequities in consumption of the Earth's natural resources and understand how this affects our environment as well as the lives of people around the world.
Time Required
2 class periods
Preparation and Materials
Photocopies of:
Procedure
If possible, obtain a copy of the book Material World: A Global Family Portrait by Peter Menzel and keep it in the classroom, allowing students to browse through the book for a week or more before conducting this activity. The photographs in the book will enhance students' understanding of the activity. However, if the book is not available, the activity can be implemented effectively without it.
Explain that the class will be studying the lives of typical families in countries around the world. Be sure students understand that the families they will be studying are real families. Based on statistical data from the United Nations and other sources, each of these families represents an average family in their country, based on where the family lives (urban, rural, suburban, small town, village); the type of dwelling they live in; family size; annual income; occupation; and religion.
Divide the class into groups of three students.
- To each group, distribute a copy of the Group Discussion Questions and a Family Profiles selected from those provided. Permit time for students to discuss the questions and prepare their answers to share with the class as a whole. (Note: Cards are provided for 11 families/countries, so that the activity can be conducted in a large class with small groups each studying a different country. However, many other approaches could be utilized, including larger student groups or multiple cards per group. It is not necessary that all cards be used. Canadian educators might want to see if they can find Canadian statistics to create a Canadian Family profile.)
- Allow each group to make a brief presentation to the class, as described on the Group Discussions Questions handout.
Distribute the background reading Wasting Away: Natural Resources and the Environment and ask students to read it.
Guided Discussion
Ask students to consider the following questions. (You might wish to conduct a discussion with the class as a whole; or ask students to write their responses as a homework assignment; or assign small groups specific questions to discuss and present to the class.)
- What are the essential needs of families everywhere? (Examples include clean water, adequate food, a home, warm clothes, access to medical care.)
- Of the families we studied, which spend their time and income primarily on essential needs? Which have more time and income to spend on other, nonessential items or activities?
- Once their basic needs are met, are most families satisfied with what they have, or do they usually want more?
- Does commercialism affect our desire for material goods? (Yes, commercialism stimulates artificial wants.)
- Do you think that American families are exposed to more or less commercialism than families in most other countries?
- How could commercialism affect the environment? (By stimulating increased consumption of material goods and thus increased consumption of natural resources and increased environmental impacts.)
- How might a high level of commercialism affect a country and its culture? (For answers to this question, read The Culture of Commercialism: A Critique.)
Present the overhead What Causes our Environmental Problems?
Since mid-century, world population has doubled. Global economic output, which can be considered a measure of the amount of natural resources harvested and consumed, has increased fivefold. However, this increase in total consumption on a global level has not been linked with improved living conditions for most of the world's population. Statistics indicate that the rich have become richer and the poor have become poorer.
These three factors - increased population, increased consumption, and greater disparity in distribution of income - are not independent but interrelated. (For example, population growth is greatest where poverty is greatest. In country after country, birth rates have decreased when health care, education, economic opportunity, and economic security were improved.)
Present the overhead Global Income Distribution
This table shows the distribution of global income, comparing the proportion of income received by the world's wealthiest and poorest people. In 1960, the richest 20% or one-fifth of the world's people received 70% of global income. In 1989, almost thirty years later, the richest fifth were receiving even more, almost 83% of global income. During t he same time frame, the poorest fifth of the world's people experienced a decrease in the share of global income that they received, dropping from 2.3% to 1.4%. In 1960, the ratio of the amount of income received (and thus resources used) by the richest fifth compared to the poorest fifth was 30 to 1. By 1989 that disparity expanded to a ratio of almost 60 to 1.
Some experts consider this inequity to be at the root of many of our environmental problems. It leads to very high levels of consumption by those with the most of income and persistent poverty among those with the least income. Those who live at the ends of the income spectrum, rather than those in the middle of the spectrum, contribute the most to the world's environmental problems.
The world's wealthy impact the environment through consuming large amounts of natural resources (as energy, raw materials, and manufactured goods). The world's poor impact the environment through their daily struggle to survive. As they can give little attention to anything other than trying to meet their basic needs day by day, they are forced to cut their forests for firewood, grow crops on steep slopes, and graze cattle on already impoverished land.
Conclusion
Although the students clearly did not cause these problems, if they wish they can incorporate these concerns into their lives both now and as adults. Discuss:
- What advantages might there be to reducing the income disparity between the world's richest and poorest? (Reduced human suffering; reduced environmental impacts of over consumption; reduced environmental impacts of the poor struggling to survive; world population growth slowed; also, as many wars are fought over land and natural resources, less war.)
- How do these social inequities and environmental concerns relate to our own lives? (On a personal level, through choices related to consumption and charitable giving.)
- How do they relate to our society as a whole? (To political and economic policies in many areas.)
- Which of the world's citizens are best able to contribute to balancing the income inequity? (The richest 20%, which includes almost all Americans and Canadians.)
- For most North American families, would consuming less mean living in poverty? (No. It would mean giving up luxuries that many families in other countries never dream of.)
- Do you think that most Americans could still be happy if they consumed less? (Yes. The per capita income of Americans more than doubled from the 1950s to 1990s. Throughout these decades, surveys showed that the percentage of Americans who considered themselves happy did not increase but remained essentially the same.)
Variations / Extensions
Activity One
Assign an estimated numeric value to represent the impact that a person in each country has on the environment. (Ehrlich and Ehrlich have estimated that the per capita environmental impact of the U.S. population is one and one-half times that of Russia; twice that of Britain, Sweden, France, or Australia; 14 times that of China; 40 times that of India; and almost 300 times that of Laos or Uganda.) Then multiply the impact per person values by the population of each country to project the total estimated environmental impact of all the people of that country. Discuss the concept that both impact per person and number of people determine total environmental impact. Or study the work of Rees and Wackernagel, who have calculated per capita impact in terms of an "ecological footprint," defined as the amount of land necessary to support a person at a given level or in a given country.
Expand the discussion to include one or more of these points: Natural resources form the basis for every economy. Long-term economic prosperity depends on the availability and responsible use of resources. The availability of natural resources influences the political strength and international influence of nations. The history and even the demise of many civilizations has been determined by the use or misuse of environment and resources.
Activity Two
Have students read and respond to Michael F. Jacobson's essay The Culture of Commercialism: A Critique.
Sources: Brown et. al.; Durning, A.; Ehrlich & Ehrlich; Menzel, P.; Rees & Wackernagel; World Population; and World Resources.
