SL and HL: Subtopic 1.3 Sustainability: Inequalities in income, race, and gender create unequal access to resources because they affect people's ability to pay, political influence, location, and control over decisions. Disadvantaged groups therefore often have less reliable access to water, food, and energy while experiencing greater environmental harm.
The key IB ESS concept is environmental justice: the right of all people to live in a pollution-free environment and have equitable access to natural resources, regardless of race, gender, socioeconomic status, or nationality. Equitable access means overcoming different barriers to make access fair, rather than necessarily giving everyone identical resources.
| Inequality | Mechanism affecting access | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Income | Low-income households may be unable to afford clean water, nutritious food, electricity, or safer housing. | In Flint, Michigan, lower-income residents faced lead-contaminated drinking water and had limited power to avoid the public supply. |
| Race | Historical discrimination and unequal representation can concentrate marginalized groups in polluted areas with weaker infrastructure. | Flint's majority-Black population was disproportionately affected. |
| Gender | Unequal rights, income, education, land ownership, and decision-making power can restrict access to food, credit, energy, and water infrastructure. | Where women and girls collect water, distant supplies increase unpaid labour and may reduce time for education. |
These inequalities often overlap. A low-income woman from a marginalized ethnic group may face economic, political, and social barriers simultaneously. Unequal access can create positive feedback: poorer health and education reduce future income and reinforce disadvantage.
Exam technique: For an explain question, identify an inequality, show the causal mechanism, and link it to a named resource and consequence. For discuss or evaluate, consider perspectives, use a named example, and reach a supported conclusion. Avoid the misconception that scarcity alone causes unequal access: resources may exist but remain inaccessible because of price, distribution, infrastructure, or political control.
