Ethics and Sustainability for Eradication - MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about theEthics and Sustainability Analysisfor Poverty Eradication. Answer: Increased poverty is a long-term problem and eradicating the situation has been the key component in development strategies for decades. It is reported that more than 1 billion people around the world live in extreme poverty (Kolezynski 2014, p.1). This implies that one in at least five persons in the developing nations lives on less that $2 each day, millions still make little more than this, and many risks slithering back into poverty (Sustainable Development Goals 2017, p.1). Poverty is associated with more than just the lack of salary and wages and resources to guarantee a sustainable living. Some of the poverty indicators include hunger and undernourishment, restricted access to education, social exclusion and lack of active engagement in decision making which prevent people from being productive. As much as various organizations are putting many efforts to eradicate poverty, it is in itself the biggest global challenge, and there is an immense need to end poverty in every dimen sion of sustainable development to realize the Millennium Development Goals. Main Environmental Elements The environment greatly matters to the people living in abject poverty. The perceptions of the well-being of the people living in poverty are strongly associated with the environment in terms of their susceptibility, livelihoods, health, and empowerment to improve their lives. The environmental changes affect the poor in three core manifestations of poverty namely: the livelihood, well-being, and susceptibility. The poor tend to rely heavily on the environment and the direct use of natural resources for their livelihoods and food security e.g. agriculture, fishing, and livestock farming ((Shah 2013, p.1). As a result, they are mostly affected when the environment is degraded, and their accessibility to natural resources is restricted. More than one-fifth of the diseases burden in the developing countries is connected with the environmental risk elements. The poor men, women, and children tend to suffer the most when the water bodies, land, and air are polluted contributing to a major cause of deteriorating well-being and health issues in developing nations. Undernourishment which stems from food insecurities is the primary source of disease burden. It is, therefore, evident that the environment in which people live is directly linked to the society's health and well-being. When it comes to susceptibility, the poor people are mostly exposed to environmental perils and related conflicts and are not capable of coping when these events happen (Narloch 2014, p.1). The issue of climate change, for example, means that the weather conditions are expected to become more deplorable and severe. These events will severely affect those living in developing world since their capability to adapt is limited. These factors prompted us to evaluate the relationship between empowerment and the environment and how it impacts the poor people and the efforts to reduce poverty levels. The environment is susceptible to the effects of poverty and ignoring the sustainability of growth li mits the development and aggravates poverty levels. It is, therefore, vital to eliminate poverty through effective management of the global resources. Critical Social Elements Poverty is perceived as a social issue that is a profoundly entrenched injury that pervades every direction and form of the society and culture. Social discrimination forms an integral part of the social elements of the conception of poverty. This element is a multidimensional process. Social discrimination leads an individuals ability to actively engage in social, economic, cultural, and political life developments and relationships with others. This affects the quality of life of the people and the equity of the society as a whole. The income, basic requirements, and empowerment perspectives are some of the principles developed to understand the concept of poverty (Fao n.d, p.3).Employment is one key factor that creates an opening to understanding the concept of poverty. Jobs are fundamental to helping the poor people in evading poverty. However, rising complications from poverty interfere with those seeking to acquire employment. Increased development is present in many parts of t he world holds a promise for those seeking employment, yet, those living in poverty find it hard to take advantage this opportunity. All in all, the employment environment is meant to be conducive and offer fair wage otherwise the opportunities provided will worsen the problem. Economic Elements Lack of jobs that pay fair wages increased healthcare costs; inadequate education, increased income gap, increased economic globalization and its adverse impact on workers are some of the factors that go hand in hand with poverty. A key challenge for the developing nations is to create an empowering environment that makes their economies attractive for foreign investors. Economic growth is therefore regarded as one of the most powerful elements for alleviating poverty and enhancing the quality of life of the people in the developing world (Shah 2013, p.1). There is a great need for innovation and strong effectiveness in mobilizing domestic resources with a special emphasis on the linkages to eradicating poverty and improving economy growth. In this context, a robust financial structure is essential for economic and social growth. Necessary measures must be taken into account to establish a solid fiscal policy that allows organizations to enter the market and operate efficiently and a lso help restructure enterprises to function effectively in the domestic and international markets. With respect to those living in poverty who work in informal economic sectors, there is need to engage them in the formal financial segment. Two Major Ethical Problems Connected with Poverty Eradication The principle of ethics studies the nature and extent of just and social institutions at the inmost level of examination. The ethics of poverty refers to the basic arguments used to justify the process of empowering poor people. Poverty and inequality have been concerns of progression economics (Barrientos et.al 2016, p.12). Alleviating poverty and improving the extreme levels of inequality boosts economic growth. Poverty and inequality are not just considered as an economic challenge but are ethical issues (Barrientos et.al 2016, p.12). Minimizing poverty levels is reinforced by equal access to quality education and a fair society to enable every individual with an education to have more options to fulfil their aspirations. Access to education and a fair society promotes economic growth as well as ensure human dignity. These issues call upon the wisdom of ethical responsibility. The concept of equality refers to that which is owed or is due to a person. This principle also proposes that the society has an obligation to those in severe need and all people have a role to play to those in need. Thus, every person is entitled to fair access to resources for their livelihoods. In addition, decisions concerning the allocation of resources should be based upon the quality of persons. Also, the extreme income gap in the developing nations is alarming which tends to corrode the social cohesion. Social cohesion is concerned as a sense of trust between individuals that are unfamiliar with each other (Komatsu 2015, p.1). An effective social cohesion is important to the society to enable it to function properly and for people to maximize their efficiencies and livelihoods. Ethical Problems on the Relevant Ethical Theory From the above discussion, it will be incomplete to offer explanations as to why poverty associated with income gaps and unequal distribution of wealth occurs. As such, there is need to take on board two ethical variables namely: the libertarian and utilitarian theories. The libertarian theory of poverty which expounds on the unequal distribution of incomes and wealth is varied but puts emphasis on rights. According to Nozick, he describes the libertarian theory of distribution to hold that people possess the Lockean rights (Corlett 2016, p.19-21). Acknowledgment of these rights poses side limits on how people should behave towards other persons so that everyone remains responsible for his or her own unique livelihood without being coerced by others (Zwolinski 2015, p. 522). This can only be realized through the theory of economic justice which ensures that each person own personal properties, goods, assets, and money that have been acquired fairly. Persons are also allowed to dispos e of their assets as they chose unless an individual had a previous attachment to them due to the breach of the Lockean rights (Zwolinski 2015, p. 520-522). Significant to the entitlement principle of economic distribution is how the assets and properties are obtained. For example, when a person legitimately owns a property, then the economic distribution is fair. Property rights are derived from a person's moral rights over social and legitimate structures established by the society. The utilitarianism theory proposes that with the maximization of individual happiness it should be determined what is just and unjust actions. It may not be easy to identify the activity that will enhance comfort for the need of a consistent standard of utility (Sheng 2012, p.15). An unclear standard of equality, there emanates conflicts as to how to examine the principles becomes inevitable. In understanding the concept of wealth distribution, it is important to ask the question as to whether it is fair that competent employees should be granted higher compensations that their less capable colleagues. While looking at the justice viewpoint, this is not applicable. It is clear that the society receives more from the more efficient and competent worker whose services are considered useful and thus the society owes him/her a high return. The social utility has the capacity to choose the preferences when random differences between the equally reasonable reactions were to be shunned (She ng 2012, p.26). Therefore, the utilitarian theory is crucial for resolving the challenges that arise between the rival doctrines of equality. Major Threat and Opportunities Poverty eradication has the chance of creating opportunities for businesses. These opportunities include acquiring more skilled workers and increased innovativeness. When poor people are empowered economically, socially, and culturally, they become more healthy and educated, and businesses have a wide range of skilled employees to choose from. Also, reliable access to education allows people to become more knowledgeable, efficient, innovative and competent which are some of the valuable assets to any business when recruiting to help improve their companys overall performance. In contrast, the major threat to businesses is that they may be reluctant to recruit highly skilled workers. Businesses in developed countries are used to acquiring low-skilled workers with low incomes. As such, when people become more literate and skilled, their skill levels are improved thereby demand high wages which most businesses may find to drain them financially. Ethical and Sustainability Solution to the Problems That Underpin Poverty Eradication Alleviating poverty is the main topic of the Agenda 21. Chapter 3 of the Agenda 21, states that poverty is a complex, multifaceted challenge with sources in the national and international spheres (Liu, Yu and Wang 2015, p.71). There seems to be no consistent solution that can be developed for global application. Instead, state-specific programs should be established eradicate poverty, worldwide efforts must be enhanced to support the national efforts, and the parallel process of building a supportive global environment are significant solutions to this problem. There are various factors that hinder poverty reduction including environmental degradation and resources inequality. Energy, for example, is an essential element for sustainable development and poverty alleviation. The relationship between energy and development is significant to reduce poverty since it is linked to human requirement and various aspects of development like education, health, and poverty. Renewable energy tech nology is one of the energy projects contributing to sustainability (Liu, Yu and Wang 2015, p.69). This project helps to improve the environmental, economic, and social parameters including developing skills especially for the local people and offering opportunities for businesses. Ethical resource creation and allocation are crucial from the selfishness of the rich outlook. Participating in ethics screening serves as a yardstick for the engagement in the business of poverty alleviation through resource creation by all parties involved. List of References Barrientos, A., Abdulai, A., Demirag, D., Groot, R., and Ragno, L. P. 2016. Why Assist People Lining in Poverty? The ethics of poverty reduction. https://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/pdf/IWP_2016_27.pdf. Accessed on 19 May 2017 Corlett, J.A. ed., 2016. Equality and liberty: analyzing Rawls and Nozick. Springer. Fao. n.d. better forestry, less poverty: a practitioners guide. ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/009/a0645e/a0645e05.pdf. Accessed on 19 May 2017 Kolezynski, C. 2014. Sustainability Decreases Poverty.https://borgenproject.org/sustainability-decreases-poverty/. Accessed on 19 May 2017 Komatsu, T. 2015. Poverty and Inequality: Our Ethical Challenges. https://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/responses/poverty-and-inequality-our-ethical-challenges. Accessed on 19 May 2017 Liu, Q.Q., Yu, M. and Wang, X.L., 2015. Poverty reduction within the framework of SDGs and Post-2015 Development Agenda. Advances in Climate Change Research, 6(1), pp.67-73. Narloch, U. 2014. Sustainable poverty reduction and green growth. https://blogs.worldbank.org/developmenttalk/sustainable-poverty-reduction-and-green-growth. Accessed on 19 May 2017 Shah, A. 2013. Poverty Facts and Stats. https://www.globalissues.org/article/26/poverty-facts-and-stats. Accessed on 19 May 2017 Sheng, C.L., 2012.A new approach to utilitarianism: A unified utilitarian theory and its application to distributive justice (Vol. 5). Springer Science Business Media. Sustainable Development Goals. 2017. Goal 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere. https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/poverty/. Accessed on 19 May 2017 Zwolinski, M., 2015. Property rights, coercion, and the welfare state: The libertarian case for a basic income for all. The Independent Review, 19(4), pp.515-529.