Environmental problems are a major barrier to development because they can damage food production, health, housing, employment, infrastructure and long-term sustainability. Deforestation can remove habitats, reduce biodiversity, increase flooding and undermine the livelihoods of forest communities. Desertification can make land less fertile, reducing farming and increasing rural poverty. Pollution can damage health, water supplies and quality of life, especially for poorer groups who often live near factories, roads or waste sites. Population growth may place pressure on land, food, water and energy, although sociologists debate whether poverty and unequal consumption matter more than population numbers alone. Climate risk can increase droughts, floods, storms, displacement and food insecurity. Over-consumption, especially in richer countries, is a key issue because high levels of resource use and carbon emissions can damage the environment globally. Dependency and world-systems theorists argue that poorer countries often experience the worst environmental consequences despite benefiting least from global industrialisation and consumption. Environmental justice approaches therefore ask who causes environmental damage, who suffers most, and who has the power to respond.
This activity asks students to complete a Diamond 9 ranking of environmental barriers to development. Students rank issues such as deforestation, desertification, pollution, population growth, climate risk, over-consumption, water scarcity, biodiversity loss and resource extraction from most serious to least serious. The aim is not to find one perfect order, but to practise prioritising evaluation: students must justify why one environmental issue may be more damaging than another in a particular development context. As students complete the activity, they should think about links between environment, poverty, inequality, global capitalism, sustainability and responsibility. Strong answers should explain both the immediate consequences for people’s lives and the longer-term effects on development.
You can also download this as a PDF documents for offline revision:
Environment and Development Diamond 9
Rank the most serious environmental barriers to development. Place the strongest issue at the top of the diamond and the least serious at the bottom, then justify your choices using sociological evaluation.
Ecological damage
Deforestation, biodiversity loss and resource extraction can undermine livelihoods and sustainability.
Food and water
Desertification, drought and water scarcity can reduce farming, health and survival chances.
Industrial harm
Pollution and over-consumption can damage health, environments and future development.
Climate risk
Floods, storms, droughts and heat can destroy homes, crops, services and infrastructure.
Population pressure
Population growth may increase demand for land, food, housing, energy and water.
Environmental justice
Evaluation asks who caused the damage, who suffers most, and who has power to respond.
Environmental barrier cards
Select a card, then place it in the diamond.
Your Diamond 9 ranking
Top: most serious environmental barrier to development. Bottom: least serious or most context-dependent barrier.
Research and theory reference tool
Use these links to strengthen your justifications after completing the diamond.
Revision summary: environment and development
- Deforestation can reduce biodiversity, damage indigenous communities and increase flooding or soil erosion.
- Desertification can reduce farming, increase hunger and push rural migration.
- Pollution can damage health, water supplies and quality of life.
- Population growth can increase pressure on resources, but over-consumption and inequality may matter more.
- Climate risk can damage homes, food, water, health, education and infrastructure.
- Over-consumption links development to unequal global resource use, especially in richer countries.
- Prioritising evaluation means explaining why one barrier is more serious than another in a specific context.
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