Eradicating Poverty

As said by World Vision in Global poverty: Facts, FAQs, and how to help, poverty does not only include a lack of basic necessities like food, shelter, and education, but structural inequalities such as gender and race can cause poverty as well. As a result of these inequalities, restricted access to social services, needed to escape the poverty trap, are limited. In 2021, roughly 689 million people, or 9.7% of the population, live in extreme poverty. The brutal reality of extreme poverty  extends far beyond financial hardship, producing dramatic intergenerational inequities in health outcomes and educational attainment.

Arizona is known for being last or almost last in all education sectors whether that be funding, school teacher pay, pupil to teacher ratio or test scores. Arizona is also one of a few states that do not provide extra state dollars for children who live in poverty, a total of 18.8%. As a result of the lack of consideration toward the poor, and lack of government funding, we continue to set our children up for failure. It is no surprise that kids living in poverty perform worse, but it is not because of a lack of capability. Poor children begin their education far behind their peers, also known as the achievement gap, and the resources needed to catch them up are unavailable due to the absence of educational funding. 

Climate change and poverty go hand in hand because climate change disproportionately affects those living in poverty and low income countries. The effects of climate change, like increases in the severity of storms, the urban heat island effect, and sea level rise have a higher chance of disproportionately affecting the poor due to the increase in exposure and vulnerability. 

Climate change influences the health of individuals as well. Those living in poverty who are more susceptible to the impacts of climate change,  like extreme pollution, will be adversely affected. Although people of all economic backgrounds will experience exposure to pollution, those with higher incomes have the ability to move to other neighborhoods, or have access to healthcare that can provide resources like inhalers. Additionally, after severe storms, which have been more frequent due to climate change, it takes longer for low income countries to rebuild, prolonging the amount of time those people are exposed to potential hazards. 

To end poverty in all its forms, we must work on ensuring that the entire population has access to fresh food, clean drinking water, sanitation, natural resources, and property control. To find resources on how you can help eradicate poverty, visit our “Take Action” page.