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In Unit 1 Reading 3, Paragraph 8 we read: "We have witnessed millions upon millions lifted from poverty". In a Guardian News article by Jason Hickle, January 29, 2019, titled Bill Gates says poverty is decreasing. He couldn't be more wrong". In 2019 the United Nations poverty line was $1.90 per day. So if people started earning double that per day, the UN would say they had been lifted out of poverty. However, Jason Hickle, an Academic at the University of London says in the article: "Scholars have been [calling] for a more reasonable poverty line....people need a minimum of $7.40 per day... Harvard Economist Lant Pritchett insist that the poverty line should be set even higher, at $10 to $15 per day". In May 2024 the UN re-set the poverty line to $3 per person per day.The theory being that if you earn more than $3 a day you are not living in poverty.
However, if stats were done on world poverty at Jasons or Lants suggested levels for the poverty line, many more 'millions' would be below the poverty line.
In Unit 1 Reading 3, paragraph 31, it talks about a number of different suggestions for saving money for sustainability such as "reforming tax systems ... ethic-driven investment" etc.It doesn't mention the following.
The Planetary Security Reference below tells us that "if 8 days of [global] military spending were stopped, [with that equivalent amount of money], we could provide education for the whole world for 12 years – just to put everything in perspective”1.
The UNDP 1994 Human Development Report pp.8-9 (ref 2 below) said that "an annual reduction of [just] 3% in global military spending would yield about $460 billion from 1995 to 2000". The reason it didn't happen is because military spending is big business and there was insufficient will power from the masses of humanity to demand it. This kind of money would go a long way in promoting sustainability and helping reduce global poverty.
- ^ Planetary Security: Peace and cooperation in times of Climate Change and Global Environmental Challenges. 2nd and 3rd November 2015. The Peace Palace. The Hague.
^https://hdr.undp.org/content/human-development-report-1994