Unit 2: Contemporary Global Issues

1. Global Environmental Issues: Climate Change

Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns, primarily caused by human activities like burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and industrial processes. In global politics, it is seen as a "collective action problem" where no single nation can solve it alone.

Key Concerns in Global Politics

• Global Warming: The steady rise in the Earth's average temperature due to the greenhouse effect.
• Environmental Refugees: Large-scale migration caused by rising sea levels, droughts, and natural disasters.
• Resource Conflict: Competition over shrinking resources like fresh water and fertile land.

[Image of the greenhouse effect process diagram]

2. Major International Environmental Agreements

Because the environment knows no borders, the international community has developed frameworks to manage climate change.

Key Frameworks

• UNFCCC (1992): The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the parent treaty of all climate negotiations.
• Kyoto Protocol (1997): Introduced legally binding emission reduction targets for developed countries (Annex I countries).
• Paris Agreement (2015): A landmark agreement where nations pledged to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

Common But Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDR)

This is a fundamental principle in global environmental politics. It argues that while all nations are responsible for the environment, developed nations should bear more of the burden because they have historically contributed more to pollution during their industrialization.

3. Global Poverty: Meaning and Dimensions

Poverty is no longer seen just as a lack of income. In global politics, it is viewed as a multidimensional deprivation of the basic capabilities to live a dignified life.

Two Perspectives on Poverty

• Orthodox/Absolute Poverty: Focuses on survival—lack of food, clean water, and shelter. Often measured by the "International Poverty Line" (World Bank).
• Alternative/Relative Poverty: Focuses on social exclusion and lack of opportunities. It argues that poverty is relative to the standard of living in a particular society.

Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The international community shifted from MDGs (2000-2015) to SDGs (2015-2030). SDG 1 specifically aims to "End poverty in all its forms everywhere."

[Image of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals icons]

4. Inequality: The Global North-South Divide

Global inequality refers to the uneven distribution of wealth, power, and resources between different regions of the world.

The North-South Divide

The world is often divided into the Global North (rich, industrialized nations like the USA, UK, Japan) and the Global South (developing nations in Asia, Africa, and Latin America).

5. Exam Focus: Tips and FAQs