UTS CRICOS 00099F
Week 2
Identifying Global
Issues
60006
Scientific Perspectives for Global Issues
Slides prepared by Dr Yvonne Davila
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What are global issues?
01
01 What are global issues?
Let’s look at the word cloud from Week 1 – What words come to mind when you hear the
phrase ‘global issue’?
What is most prominent?
Are there any words that you didn’t think of?
How do you know these are global issues?
Revisit Week 1 post-workshop activity
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01 What are global issues? What makes an issue ‘global’?
Drawing on your pre-workshop readings and examples of global issues that you know about,
can you describe the:
• Scale of global issues
• Impacts – what, who are impacted
• Complexity – who is involved or responsible for addressing it, what else makes them complex
Think-pair-share
First take a minute to think about the question above. Write down a few dot points.
Chat to the person next to you about about the features you identified. Share with your
pod group.
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01 What makes an issue ‘global’?
• issues that transcend national boundaries and cannot be resolved by any one country acting
alone (United Nations (n.d.), https://www.un.org/en/global-issues/)
• challenges exist pervasively across the world (Myers, 2020)
Scale
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Think about atmosphere, oceans, forests, pollution, smoke that is not restricted to nation or
state borders …
Think about extreme weather events, disease, loss of biodiversity, need for and lack of food and
water, security, energy demands across the world …
Anything else?
01 What makes an issue ‘global’?
• impact on greater number of people; includes the entire world and all peoples (Myers, 2020)
• issues that are so important that the failure to solve them will adversely affect the lives of
many people on this planet (Hite and Seitz, 2016)
• collectively, global issues share a focus on matters of equity and justice. Learning about and
acting on global issues is concerned with making the world a better place for all. (Myers,
2020)
Are all global issues relevant or important for the general public?
Think about whether people around the world are impacted in the same ways.
Impact on People
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01 What makes an issue ‘global’?
• global issues represent the defining environmental and human development challenges for
improving the world into the future (Myers, 2020)
• some of these issues are so important that they can affect how suitable this planet will be in
the future for supporting life (Hite and Seitz, 2016)
Future survival
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01 What makes an issue ‘global’?
• global issues are often seen as being interrelated and interconnected. One issue affects
other issues. (Hite and Seitz, 2016)
• addressing both the root causes and the relevant solutions require the actions of all people
(Myers, 2020)
• complex problems have complex solutions?
Let’s explore further this concept of interrelated global issues …
Complexity
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Identifying global issues
02
02 Identifying global issues
What are the current global issues? Are different issues prioritised by different institutions and
organisations?
What is on the list? Who’s list is it?
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United Nations list:
https://www.un.org/en/global-issues/
02 Identifying global issues
What are the current global issues? Are different issues prioritised by different institutions and
organisations?
What is on the list? Who’s list is it?
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World Economic Forum list:
https://intelligence.weforum.org/topics?type=Global+Issues
02 Identifying global issues
What are the current global issues? Are different issues prioritised by different institutions and
organisations?
What is on the list? Who’s list is it?
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CSIRO seven global megatrends list:
https://www.csiro.au/en/research/technology-space/data/Our-Future-World
02 Interconnectedness of global issues
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Climate Council:
02 Interconnectedness of global issues
Look at the topics listed by the UN and WEF. Discuss which you would like to explore
further and choose one that your group agrees that the scientific community can address.
Go to the WEF website: https://intelligence.weforum.org/topics?type=Global+Issues
Group activity – 15 min
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Choose your topic (global issue) and explore the Transformation Map – your topic will be at the centre,
surrounded by key issues and strategic trends shaping that topic/global issue. The outer circle shows other
global issues or topics relating to the central topic and key issues.
On a group word doc or powerpoint slide include (to be showcased to the rest of the class, dot points are fine):
• Your global issue or topic, and why it is a global issue
• How many key issues (inner circle) and other global issues (or topics) are linked to the global issue?
• Choose one of the interconnected issues and repeat. Are the interconnected issues what you expected?
Are there any issues that you were not aware of or knew were linked? Summarise your answers.
Image from: https://intelligence.weforum.org/topics/a1G0X000006DO7RUAW
02 Interconnectedness of global issues
Nominate one person from your group to share what your group has found with the class.
Tell us:
• The global issue your group chose to explore
• A short summary of why this is a global issue
• Identify a few of the other global issues that are linked. Are there any issues that you were
not aware of or knew were linked?
Class discussion
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02 Interconnectedness of global issues
Make a copy of your doc or slide for your own records. It might help you later on for your final
critical reflection.
e.g. save it and email everybody a copy, or take a photo, save and label it with your SPGI info.
Keep a copy of your doc or slide
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Stretch break!
Take a few minutes to stretch your legs
and get some fresh air outside.
The role of science and
scientific thinking in
addressing global issues
Image by Hpeterswald, CC BY-SA 4.0
03
03 Role of science and scientific thinking in addressing global issues
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Science is a process of discovery, innovation, and problem solving.
Scientists aim to understand the structure and behaviour of the physical and natural world, and
how it got to be this way, through observation and experimentation.
For example, manipulation experiments are invaluable tools in global change ecology because
they enable causal and process-based understanding (de Boeck et al. 2015).
Scientists are increasingly researching links between global issues.
03 “The imperative to help solve global problems”
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From the International Council of Science (n.d.):
”Major contemporary challenges confronting humanity have global impacts that
demand global responses that almost invariably require strong engagement from the
world of science. As the range of challenges embedded in the United Nations 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development shows, these problems are often highly coupled
and profoundly complex. Scientists are increasingly expected not only to advance
scientific understanding of their nature, but also to make decisive contributions to
solving them. The pressure on science is to produce “actionable” knowledge that
responds to the needs and expectations of society and that supports
transformative societal responses to challenges of the present and foreseeable
future.”
https://council.science/2-science-in-an-evolving-global-context/
03 Role of science and scientific thinking in addressing global issues
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Scientists also play a role in communicating
scientific knowledge which can inform policies
and management strategies.
How is scientific knowledge constructed?
03 Scientific knowledge
Scientific knowledge is an aggregate: it is not
based on any single source of information.
Scientific knowledge has been developed over
thousands of years before the scientific
method was formalised.
Humans have survived as a species because we
have always made observations about the natural
world, looked for patterns and made testable
predictions.
Image from: University of California Museum of Paleontology’s 60006 SPGI
Understanding Science (http://www.understandingscience.org)
03 Scientific method and testing ideas
Although different scientific disciplines may have
different ways of gathering knowledge, in
general, the scientific method comprises
observation, experimentation, and then analysis
of experimental data.
This may be followed by reformulating the
original hypothesis or idea and sometimes
synthesis to formulate natural laws.
Image from: University of California Museum of Paleontology’s 60006 SPGI
Understanding Science (http://www.understandingscience.org)
03 Communicating science
Oral communication is a way of passing on
knowledge, not just a story telling method.
Science-based knowledge is usually subjected
to discussion, debate and further examination
and review over time, especially as new
information becomes available.
Advances in scientific knowledge or
understanding are usually communicated
through research publications in specialised
outlets.
Image from: University of California Museum of Paleontology’s 60006 SPGI
Understanding Science (http://www.understandingscience.org)
The scientific community helps ensure
science’s accuracy.
03 Relevance of science
As new knowledge emerges, newer research
publications supersede older ones and they
become the new reference point.
There are always new technologies, discoveries or
problems to solve.
The processes of science are intertwined with
society – informs policy, develops technology,
addresses societal and global issues.
Image from: University of California Museum of Paleontology’s 60006 SPGI
Understanding Science (http://www.understandingscience.org)
03 Processes of science
How familiar are you with all the scientific
processes outlined here?
Are there aspects or steps of the processes of
science that were unfamiliar or new to you?
Image from: University of California Museum of Paleontology’s 60006 SPGI
Understanding Science (http://www.understandingscience.org)
Small group discussion
Post-workshop activity
Please complete the Week 2 postworkshop activity on Canvas before your
next workshop.
And please complete the pre-workshop
activity for Week 3.
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Week 2 workshop References
Australian Academy of Science https://www.science.org.au/curious/
Climate Council https://www.climatecouncil.org.au/
De Boeck, H.J., Vicca, S., Roy, J., Nijs, I., Milcu, A., Kreyling, J., Jentsch, A., Chabbi, A., Campioli, M., Callaghan, T. and Beierkuhnlein, C. (2015). Global change
experiments: challenges and opportunities. BioScience, 65(9), pp.922-931. https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biv099
Fears, R., Abdullah, K.A.B., Canales-Holzeis, C., Caussy, D., Haines, A., Harper, S.L., McNeil, J.N., Mogwitz, J. & Ter Meulen, V. (2021). Evidence-informed policy
for tackling adverse climate change effects on health: Linking regional and global assessments of science to catalyse action. PLoS medicine, 18(7), p.e1003719.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003719
Hite, K. A., & Seitz, J. L. (2016). Global Issues-An Introduction. Wiley Blackwell.
International Council of Science https://council.science/2-science-in-an-evolving-global-context/
Lindsay, M., Beames, L., Yawuru Country Managers, Nyul Nyul Rangers, & Bardi Jawi Rangers. (2022). Integrating scientific and Aboriginal knowledge, practice and
priorities to conserve an endangered rainforest ecosystem in the Kimberley region, northern Australia. Ecological Management & Restoration, 23, 93-104.
https://doi.org/10.1111/emr.12535
Myers, J. P. (2020). Understanding the landscape of teaching global issues. In J. P. Myers (ed.), Research on teaching global issues: Pedagogy for global citizenship
education (pp. 1-12). Information Age Publishing.
Naughtin, C., Hajkowicz, S. , Schleiger, E., Bratanova, A., Cameron, A., Zamin, T., & Dutta, A. (2022) Our Future World: Global megatrends impacting the way we
live over coming decades. Brisbane, Australia: CSIRO. https://www.csiro.au/en/news/news-releases/2022/seven-megatrends-that-will-shape-the-next-20-years
Tollefson, J. (2020). Why deforestation and extinctions make pandemics more likely. Nature, 584(7820), 175-177.
United Nations – global issues https://www.un.org/en/global-issues/
University of California Museum of Paleontology’s Understanding Science (http://www.understandingscience.org)
World Economic Forum – https://intelligence.weforum.org/topics?type=Global+Issues
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