The document is an educational resource for the VCE Health and Human Development course, covering Topic 10 – Global trends and health and human development. It is structured as a learning sequence with sub‑sections on (1) an overview of the unit, (2) climate change (definition, causes, three components – rising sea levels, changing weather patterns, extreme events – and their cascading effects on health status, wellbeing and human development, including WHO statistics and a South‑American heat‑wave case study), (3) conflict and mass migration (the rise in armed conflict, its direct and indirect health impacts, the categories of displaced people – refugees, asylum‑seekers, internally displaced persons, stateless persons – and the health and development consequences of forced displacement), (4) increased world trade focusing on the global marketing of tobacco, e‑cigarettes and ultra‑processed foods (industry strategies, consumption trends, health‑status and wellbeing impacts, and downstream effects on human development), (5) tourism (economic, social and environmental advantages and disadvantages, and how tourism influences health, wellbeing and development), (6) digital technologies (digital health tools, telehealth, mHealth, AI, robotics, benefits and risks for health status, wellbeing and development), and (7) key skills, exam terminology, review questions and exam‑style prompts. Throughout, the text provides definitions, key terms, figures, tables, case studies, exam tips and practice questions designed to develop students’ ability to analyse the implications of each global trend for health and human development.
Topics
Climate Change: Scientific Basis and Drivers
Defines climate change, explains anthropogenic greenhouse‑gas emissions, historical temperature rise, and the three main components (rising sea levels, shifting weather patterns, increasing extreme events).