5.21. Ethiopia represents the entire continent of Africa, which has subsisted

In a state of poverty and economic lethargy for most of its existence. A

lot of programs have been launched to alleviate poverty in this

particular country which always suffers from draughts, civil unrest

and famine. One of the recent initiatives is The Millennium

Development Goals (the MDGs), which are a set of objectives to

eliminate poverty and its symptoms by the year 2015. Work in a group

and discuss the key aims of the MDGs: first, range these goals

according to their importance; second, think of possible measures to

achieve each of these goals.

Golden billion

ACQUIRING COMMUNICATION SKILLS

• eradicate extreme hunger and poverty;

• achieve universal primary education;

• promote gender equality and empower women;

• reduce child mortality;

• improve maternal health;

• combat HIV/AIDC, malaria and other diseases;

• ensure environmental sustainability;

• develop a global partnership for development.

5.22. Work with a partner. Read the facts below and discuss them.

• Every minute of the day twenty-four people die because they do not have enough food to eat. Three-quarters of them are children under five.

• Water is the main support of life, however, it often brings death in the third World. Two out of three Africans cannot get clean water to drink. Dirty water is the cause of three quarters of all illness there.

• Another cause of death is failure of the food crops because there is not enough rain.

• However, one of the main causes of Africa’s problems is war. Often the weapons come from rich countries such as the USA or South Africa. In the past, poor African countries borrowed too much money from rich countries, and now they are struggling to pay this money back, usually with no success. This is why they have no money for food, education and healthcare. Russia often acquits African countries of their debts. Do you think other countries should follow suit, or that this practice won’t help?

5.23. A) Energy has always been a very important issue for poor countries,

but recently the problem of energy safety has become vital for

developed countries as well. In the light of this, the idea of alternative

energy sources has come to the global forefront. Read the passages

below and think of any disadvantages to the solutions described.

b) Work with a partner and discuss which solution you think is more

effective and acceptable and why. Discuss your opinions in class.

Passage 1:

The nuclear fuel we use is uranium, a resource which is not only plentiful but logical since there is no other day-to-day use for it. It is also extraordinarily efficient: two uranium pellets the size of sugar cubes will meet the electricity needs of one person for an entire year.

Passage 2:

Today the Centre for Alternative Technology produces almost all the electricity it needs using the wind, the sun and water. Water supplies about 55% of the electricity, the wind supplies 25%, and 10% is from solar energy. A diesel generator provides the rest.

c) Answer the following questions.

1. What difficulties might arise when trying to persuade people to use alternative sources of energy?

2. What changes in the energy supply would you agree to if you thought it would make a difference to the environment?

3. Do you think there is too much emphasis on environmental issues in the media? Why do you think so? Can media help in solving environmental problems?