MODULE 2

ENVIRONMENTAL
SCIENCE
 • POVERTY is general scarcity, dearth, or the state of
one who lacks a certain amount of material
WHAT IS possessions or money. It is a multifaceted concept,
POVERTY? which includes social, economic, and political
elements. Poverty may be defined as either absolute
or relative.
• Suspicious
 • Vulnerability to natural disasters. In regions of the world that are
already less wealthy, recurrent or occasional catastrophic natural
disasters can pose a significant obstacle to eradicating poverty. In
each of these cases, already impoverished people became refugees
within their own countries, losing whatever little they had, being
forced out of their living spaces and becoming almost completely
dependent on others for survival.
• The Solomon Islands experienced an earthquake and tsunami in
2007 and the losses from that disaster equalled 95 percent of the
national budget. Without foreign aid assistance, governments in
these countries would have been unable to meet the needs of their
people. National Debt.
• Many poor countries carry significant debt loads due to loans from
CAUSES OF wealthier nations and international financial institutions. Poorer
nations pay an average of $2.30 in debt service for every $1
POVERTY received in grant aid. In recent years, calls for debt reduction and
forgiveness have been increasing, as activists see this too as a key
means of reducing poverty.
• Discrimination and social inequality. Poverty and inequality are
two different things, but inequality can feed widespread poverty by
barring groups with lower social status from accessing the tools
and resources to support themselves. According to the United
Nations Social Policy and Development Division, “inequalities in
income distribution and access to productive resources, basic
social services, opportunities, markets, and information have been
on the rise worldwide, often causing and exacerbating poverty.”
 EFFECTS OF POVERTY

MALNUTRITIO
EDUCATION
N
 EDUCATION
Education is largely affected by poverty. Many people living in
poverty are unable to attend school from a very early age. Families
may not be able to afford the necessary clothing or school supplies.
Others may not have a way for their children to get to school.

Whatever the reason, there is a clear correlation between families living in

poverty and their lack of education. Without the ability to attend school, many
people go through life illiterate. The literacy rates in countries with high
poverty levels indicate that these two are linked. Low literacy rates can affect
society in various ways including the labor force and politics.

Obtaining a basic education could bring 171 million people out of

poverty. A bad cycle is created; poverty prevents people from gaining
a good education, and not obtaining an education prevents people
from escaping poverty
 EDUCATION CON’D
Among the effects of poverty includes
its impact on the economy of the
country. Mainly, the number of people
living in poverty influences
employment rates heavily. Without an
education, people are unlikely to find a
paying job.
For example, the Indian economy has
Unemployment hinders a country from
not been able to develop at a high rate
developing into a strong economic
for many years because of the high
system. A high unemployment rate can
number of people living in poverty.
impede a country from progressing in
About 22 percent of the population in
all aspects. The labour force suffers
India lives in poverty and their
when a large part of the citizens cannot
economy can only improve when this
contribute to economic development.
percentage decreases.
 • The most common effect of poverty is malnutrition.
• This is especially seen in children of poor families.
People living in poverty rarely have access to highly
nutritious foods. Even if they have access to these
foods, it is unlikely that they are able to purchase
them.
• The healthiest foods are usually the most expensive;
therefore, a family on a very small budget is much
more likely to purchase food that is less nutritious,
simply because that is all they can afford.
MALNUTRITION
• Sometimes people in poverty are malnourished
simply because they do not eat enough of anything.
For some people around the world, quality food is a
luxury. A total of 14.3 percent of people in
developing countries face hunger and about 25
percent of Sub-Saharan Africa is considered
malnourished.
• Poor nutrition causes 45 percent of deaths in children
under the age of 5. Malnutrition can also lead to
many other health issues as well.
 EFFECTS OF MALNUTRITION IN
CHILDREN

Malnourished children may be short Nutritional disorders can affect any They may also produce
for their age, thin or bloated, listless system in the body and the senses of anxiety, changes in mood and other
and have weakened immune systems.  sight, taste and smell. psychiatric symptoms.
 OTHER SYMPTOMS INCLUDE

• Pale, thick and dry skin

• Bruising easily
• Rashes
• Changes in skin pigmentation
• Thin hair that is tightly curled and pulls out easily
• Achy joints 
• Bones that are soft and tender
• Gums that bleed easily
• Tongue that may be swollen or shriveled and cracked
• Night blindness
• Increased sensitivity to light and glare
 VISCOUS
CYCLE OF
POVERTY

• Very common in less

economically developed
countries.
 TYPES OF POVERTY

ABSOLUT
RELATIVE
E
POVERTY
POVERTY
 ABSOLUTE POVERTY

• Absolute poverty is when household income is below

a certain level. This makes it impossible for the person
or family to meet basic needs of life including food,
shelter, safe drinking water, education, healthcare, etc.
• In this state of poverty, even if the country is growing
economically it has no effect on people living below
the poverty line. Absolute poverty compares
households based on a set income level. And this
level varies from country to country depending on its
overall economic conditions.
 RE L ATI V E
P O V ERTY

Relative poverty is when households receive 50% less

than average household incomes. So they do have
some money but still not enough money to afford
anything above the basics. Relative poverty is
changeable depending on the economic growth of the
country.

Relative poverty is sometimes described as “relative

deprivation” because the people falling under this
category are not living in total poverty. They are not,
however, enjoying the same standard of life as
everyone else in the country. It can be TV, internet,
clean clothes, a safe home (a healthy environment, free
from abuse or neglect), or even education.

Relative poverty can also be permanent. This means

that certain families have absolutely no chance of
enjoying the same standards of living as other people
in the same society currently have access to. They are
basically “trapped” in a low relative income box.

When the relative approach is used to measure poverty,

there is another concept that needs to be explored –
persistent poverty. This is when households receive 50
or 60% less income than average incomes every 2 out
of 3 years.
 • On the whole, poverty is about exclusion. In
its most extreme form, it’s the inability to access
what you need for a decent life. Relatively
speaking, in more developed countries, it’s
being excluded from what constitutes normal
daily life:
• Internet to access jobs or public services
• The proper clothes to find that job
RELATIVE • Paying for education

POVERTY IS • Access to decent housing (respiratory diseases

is one of the most common symptoms of poor
ABOUT housing)
EXCLUSION • Relative poverty depends on the level of
development of the country. It’s about giving
everyone the chance to enjoy the same living
standards so that everyone has an equal
opportunity to live their life to their full potential.
In that sense, fighting poverty is about unlocking
huge, untapped economic potential within each
country.