Unsustainable development: a review study examining connections between uneven resource flows, environmental challenges, and waste management

Around the world, different states have various levels of basic needs, industrialization, and general standards of living. But what causes countries to differ so significantly in development? This thesis aims to draw on development theories to analyze historical patterns of natural resource exploitation with regard to the Global North and Global South, and examine how these practices have perpetuated ecological and social degradation in poorer countries. With a focus on lithium-ion batteries, the study is a systematic review of the extant literature to further understanding of the political economy of global environmental change and uneven resource flows between countries, as well as explore potential solutions to the environmental challenges associated with waste produced in our global economic system. This research shows that properly managing waste in the face of natural resource exploitation could be an effective way to ensure ecological health and the wellbeing of vulnerable human communities.