Summary test 1 – week 1/5
VD-GLOBHLTH-S5/6-19
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,Learning goals:
- Understand and explain the WHO sustainable development goals (SDG’s)
- Recognize the relationship between climate change and health and the associated themes and
trends
- Understand the nature of complex problems that result from interconnected social, political and
climate change issues, and the associated challenges
- Articulate key public health concepts that relate to climate change
- Demonstrate an ability to explain, describe and justify arguments that relate to sustainability,
climate change, sustainable eating (health promotion)
Sustainable development goals
o Also known as the Global Goals adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015 as a universal
call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by
2030
o The 17 SDG’s are integrated that is, they recognize that action in one area will affect outcomes in others,
and that development must balance social, economic and environmental sustainability
o United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) support countries in achieving the SDG’s through
integrated solutions
Seventeen sustainable development goals:
1. No poverty: end poverty in all its forms everywhere
2. Zero hunger: end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable
agriculture
3. Good health and well-being: ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
4. Quality education: ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning
opportunities for all
5. Gender equality: achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
6. Clean water and sanitation: ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for
all
7. Affordable and clean energy: ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
8. Decent work and economic growth: promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full
and productive employment and decent work for all
9. Industry, innovation and infrastructure: build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable
industrialization and foster innovation
10. Reduced inequalities: reduce inequality within and among countries
11. Sustainable cities and communities: make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and
sustainable
12. Responsible consumption and production: ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
13. Climate action: take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
14. Life below water: conserve and sustainability use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable
development
15. Life on land: protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainability
manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
16. Peace, justice and strong institutions: promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable
development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at
all levels
17. Partnerships for the goals: strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global and
partnership for sustainable development
2
, Food system
o FAO defines food systems as encompassing all the stages of keeping people fed: growing, harvesting,
packing, processing, transporting, marketing, consuming, and disposing of food
o Not just one system, its systems within systems ecosystems, agricultural systems, processing systems,
transportation systems, marketing systems, and much more
o It’s the interconnected web of resources, activities, and people and the decisions that they make that
gets food to your table
Climate change basics
o Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are rising, temperatures are increasing, the growing seasons are
changing, ice sheets are melting, sea level is rising, some extreme weather events like heat waves and
droughts are becoming more frequent
o Human activity (burning fossil fuels, agriculture, clearing land) affect about 97% of climate change
Risks to the global food systems:
o The impact of climate change on the food system is being felt locally, regionally, and globally
o Overall climate change will have a negative impact on food production, which means less food will be
available and it will be more expensive
o Pests, plant diseases, and invasive weeds are expected to increase with rising temperatures, resulting in
crop loss
o Water cycles and systems are likely to become less predictable with changes to long-established patterns
of drought and precipitation. Rising sea levels threaten to introduce salty water into irrigations systems,
inhibiting crop growth
o Energy could become intermittent if heat or extreme weather cause disruptions to electrical systems.
This could make refrigeration, communications, and financial transactions less reliable
o Transportation can be affected by extreme weather with disruptions to roads, ocean shipping, and air
transport
How climate change affects our food systems:
o Oceans: for three billion people, fish is a primary source of protein, and 12% of the worlds population
makes a living by fishing and aquaculture
- Key indicators of how climate change is affecting oceans include heat, sea level, coastal flooding,
and ocean acidity
o Extreme weather: warmer temperatures can lead to heavy precipitation events. This can effect the size
and frequency of floods, larger and more frequent floods can effect soil health
- crop loss
o researchers expect rising sea temperatures associated with climate change to intensify tropical cyclones.
These severe storms can damage crops and farmland, and interrupt the system that gets food from the
field to your table.
o Temperature change: warmer temperatures affect the physical environment and plants and animals
o The arctic region: most of the worlds fish catch comes from the Arctic and subarctic waters. Scientists
report that climate change is happening more quickly in the Arctic than elsewhere
How our food systems affects climate change:
o Food waste: food is lost on farms, during harvesting, processing, and storage. One-third of it is lost or
wasted, from the time it is produced until it is consumed
- Plate waste and portion size: plate waste is a major contributor to food waste. It usually end up in
landfills, where it decomposes and become a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Over
the past 30 years, portion sizes have increased significantly. Today, portion sizes can be two to eight
times larger than standard serving sizes.
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