世界應對全球性問題

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1Summary 重點摘要

Viruses carry no passports and carbon knows no borders: global problems need global solutions.

2Vocabulary cards Vocabulary

3Step by step Steps

1. Step 1: What makes an issue 'global'?Two tests decide whether an issue is global: whether its causes cross borders — carbon emissions and virus transmission pay no attention to frontiers — and whether solving it needs international cooperation, because no single country can manage alone. Apply the two tests: local traffic congestion is not a global issue, but global warming is, since everyone on earth shares the consequences of emissions and no one can stand aside.
2. Step 2: Climate — causes and effectsClimate change is caused by humanity burning fossil fuels such as coal and oil on a large scale, releasing greenhouse gases. Remember three effects: extreme weather becomes more frequent, such as heatwaves and super typhoons; rising seas threaten coastal cities including Hong Kong; and ecological imbalance endangers species and farming. Hold on to this causal chain and your answers gain logic, with no key point left out.
3. Step 3: The world's responseThe international community's main responses: the Paris Agreement lets each country set its own emission-cutting target with progress reviewed together; the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals tackle poverty, education and climate as one package. China has pledged to peak carbon before 2030 and reach neutrality before 2060, while Hong Kong has set a target of carbon neutrality before 2050 — one chain running from global to local.
4. Step 4: Public health lessonsIn public health, COVID-19 proved that viruses know no borders: concealment does not help control an outbreak, data-sharing buys precious time, the World Health Organization coordinates the global response, and vaccines were the fruit of collective international work. At the same time beware misinformation — in a public-health crisis rumours spread as fast as the virus, and verifying before forwarding is every citizen's duty.
5. Step 5: Your roleYour role works on three layers: lifestyle — save energy, cut waste and choose green transport; information — verify sources and refuse to spread rumours; citizenship — follow international news and support sustainable policies. However huge the issue, the starting point is small — everyone's choices added together are where change begins, and that is the core message of global citizenship education.
6. Step 6: Link issues to Hong KongGlobal issues are not distant: climate change affects the strength of Hong Kong's typhoons and its extreme heat, and the pandemic changed our daily routines. Linking global topics to local examples in an answer — such as Hong Kong's 2050 carbon-neutrality plan or arrangements for outdoor activities under extreme heat — makes the answer fuller and shows real depth and the ability to connect ideas.

4Diagrams Diagrams

5Worked example Example

6Common mistakes Mistakes

7Quick check Quick check

8Recap Recap

• Global issues: cross-border causes, cooperative solutions.
• Climate chain: emissions → warming → extreme weather and seas.
• Global answers: Paris Agreement, SDGs, national pledges.
• Pandemic lessons: no borders; data-sharing and fighting misinformation both matter.
• Big issues, small starts — individual choices add up.