1. Global problems in the world today
Apart from western countries, continents such as Asia and Africa are one of the
most vulnerable places in the world. It is important to note that western countries
too have major problems, however, the intensity with which it is felt is minimal as
compared to Asia and Africa and that is partly because of the financial stability of
the first world countries. Since the effect is felt worldwide, let us turn our attention
to problems affecting the globe.
Problems in the world
1.Global Poverty: There is a strong demarcation when it comes to the economic
conditions between the global north and the global south. However, the prevalence
is a lot more In African countries and most importantly India. Although major
steps have been taken to combat the problem, Poverty has left a trail of destruction
in its path. It is estimated that over 1.3 billion people across the globe live in
destitute areas often surviving on $1.25 a day or even less. Victims of poverty
often survive on one or two meals a day.
The worst affected by poverty are
children. With little or no food available, it opens the doors to many problems. One
such problem is that of Malnutrition. Spreading at an alarming rate, one in ten
children is born with a low birth weight while it is one in four in the Asian
Subcontinent. 45 per cent of the death in children is because of malnutrition. We
must understand that malnutrition not only means less food. Here, the component
is nutrition. Obesity is another kind of malnutrition and according to World Health
Organisation (WHO), approximately, 1.9 billion people are overweight.
Global poverty is a matter of grave concern. It has made the lives of people a living
hell. With minimal food and a thatched roof over their heads, poverty is a global
emergency. Ravaging the world, organizations must ramp up efforts to combat it.
Although there is a dramatic improvement in the lives of people with 10 per cent of
people living on $1.90 a day compared to an enormous 36 per cent in 1990. In the
recent context, the novel coronavirus has made the global situation a lot more
problematic. As the global economy goes into recession, poverty rates will shoot
up along with job loss, and little or no access to health care facilities.
2.Gender Inequality: Despite making up half of the world population, there have
always been social barriers to their overall development. Even though there have
been many social movements demanding equality for women, there is still a long
way to go. Deprived of basic rights such as education for financial reasons or a
belief that education doesn’t matter for women, inequality is deeply rooted in
society. They are paid less for the same work a man does. Often, victims of sexual
harassment, women are at higher risk of contracting a sexually transmitted disease
more commonly known as STD.
Sadly, yet interestingly according to the World Economic Forum women are 47 per
cent more likely to suffer severe injuries in a car crash because safety features are
designed for men. The gender gap is enormous and closing the gap would require
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at least a century. Furthermore, there are only 6 countries out of a total of 195 that
give equal work rights to women. These countries are Belgium, Denmark, France,
Latvia, Sweden, and Luxembourg.
3.Food Scarcity: A major global concern, the number of people going to bed on a
hungry stomach is increasing as we speak. It is because of food that all health-
related problems arise. With economic instability, and very little money being
produced, it will inevitably lead to food scarcity in the world.
It is interesting to note that there is a direct correlation between migration and food
security. People move out of a country in search of better job opportunities and
better quality of living. Ironically, it is the refugees who suffer the most as far as
food security is concerned. United Nations SDG number 2 is Zero Hunger aiming
to eradicate it by 2030. Food scarcity is also related to poverty as mentioned above.
4.Climate Change: The term climate change, at the surface level, weather
conditions of a place over many years. The unpredictable weather pattern,
destructible floods, and rising sea levels, climate change is real that calls for large
scale intervention.
With the advent of industrialization, the greenhouse gas emissions have been
increasing at lightning speed which has largely contributed to the rising
temperatures. Burning fossil fuels that produce a great deal of smoke has also
tremendously impacted the natural climate of the world. With rising temperatures,
glaciers have been melting rapidly. In response to this, an Italian glacier was
covered with tarpaulin sheets to slow down the melting
The UN has repeatedly emphasized the need to use renewable energy. However
economic problems of majorities act as a hindrance. Apart from suggestions, there
has been an overall consensus in a bid to solve this problem. The Kyoto Protocol
legally binds the first world countries to reduce their co2 emissions. The first
commitment of the same started in 2008 and ended in 2012. Similarly, The Paris
Agreement in 2015 also embarked on a journey to reduce carbon emissions
globally. Young activists like Greta Thunberg has also tried to mobilize people
about climate change.
5.Water Crisis: Being essential to livelihood and survival, one in nine is deprived
of this crucial resource. According to the World Economic Forum, the water crisis
is one of the most important crises in the world. People often scamper around in to
get water. For example, standing in long queues only to get one bucket of water.
Having no access to water results in poor sanitation, which further results in the
spread of communicable diseases. Being financially vulnerable and having little
resources to buy, the spread of diseases results in many deaths across the globe.
Similarly, the water crisis has a detrimental impact on the ecology and more so for
farmers whose livelihood island. Loss of crops and drought are common in a water
crisis with farmer suicides being very prevalent in many parts of the world.
People
are left with no option but to open defecate and wash clothes in water bodies. This
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has harmed marine life awfully. It is imperative to understand that not all water is
for our use. Much of the water is saline and cannot be used. The water crisis has
caused rampant destruction to livelihood.
With the commencement of liberalization
and many MNCs looking to take over the public sphere, water was also a target to
be privatized. A prominent example of this is the Bolivia Water War also known as
the Cochabamba Water War. Here, water was on the verge of getting privatized.
The cost of water would have been exorbitantly high. Mass gatherings and
demonstrations later came to the rescue and their demands were finally met.
6.Environmental Degradation: Forests cover approximately 31 per cent of the
world. They are extremely important to human survival since they keep climatic
conditions moderate. It is home to 80 per cent species, it keeps the flora and fauna
intact. Forests are under threat. With industrialization, growing population, and
fewer places, forests are being jeopardized. We are sacrificing around 18.7 million
acres of forests every year. Environmental degradation is a matter of grave
concern, particularly in tropical rain forests. The Amazon Rain Forest is slowly
being converted into a place for cattle ranching and has lost quite a big chunk of its
forest.
7.Homophobia and Transphobia: With the scrapping of section 377 of the Indian
Penal Code, The LGBTQ community did get the rights on paper, but are they
really free when it comes to practice? Often looked down upon, the LGBTQ
community is a marginalized section of society still struggling for basic rights.
Homophobic and Transphobic slurs are extremely common all over the world,
more so in India.
Violence against them has been reported in all regions of the world. From bullying
to physical violence the LGBTQ community is a textbook example of social
oppression in practice. They are also victims of punitive rape. It refers to the rape
of women on the assumption that she is a lesbian and the purpose is to get her rid
of homosexuality.
Violence may take place in varied social settings such as streets, parks, and also in
custody by prison guards or officers. They are victims of heinous violence such as
being mutilated, burnt, and castrated. They are also forced to take electric shock
therapy to change their sexual orientation.
We need to realize that gender is a social
construct and gender norms are a product of society. Most importantly, one should
accept the fact that gender is extremely fluid and is ever-changing. This
ostracization has also lead to widespread suicides across the globe. This is because
of the stubbornness of people concerning gender identity. For example, a lesbian
rights activist Pauline Kimani was given death threats in Kenya. Seth Walsh, an
American, took his life because of the bullying he suffered at the hands of fellow
school students.
8.Religion/Communalism: Refers to allegiance to one’s group rather than the
whole society. Be it the Hindu/Muslim or West/South communalism has spread all
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across the globe. Throughout history, there have been conflicts on the ground of
religion. In the process, many innocent people lost their lives or their loved ones.
There are many examples of this. For example, China against the Uighur Muslims
or the violence against the Rohingya community in Myanmar who had to leave and
sought shelter in Bangladesh as refugees. Coming to India, The CAA NRC debate
had also led to communal clashes in the national capital.
In his book India’s
Struggle for Independence, author Bipin Chandra notes down 3 types of elements
to communalism. First, people belonging to the same ethnic group would have the
same interests. Second, it’s called liberal communism which means a person
believes in his religion, but also believes in democratic values. Third, is extreme
communalism which is based on hatred towards other communities.
9.Global Unemployment: There is a huge disparity in unemployment between first
world countries and third world countries. While unemployment is everywhere, the
rate of it is more in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. Globally, the tally of
unemployment stands at 188 million and this number is also expected to rise. The
remaining population doesn’t indicate that they are employed. Some work without
pay and some have stopped looking for work. Due to the coronavirus epidemic, the
unemployment rate is expected to rise. With lockdown being imposed all around
the world, the economy has come down crashing. States haven’t been able to
produce revenue due to which the price of commodities has been alarmingly high.
Sometimes, it is also the other way round. For example, U.S oil future prices fell
below zero, for the first time in history, to settle at minus $37.63 per barrel.
Looking at it from a sociological perspective, unemployment also gives rise to
drug addiction. A documentary by Vice News titled ‘Zimbabwe’s Codeine Cough
Syrup Epidemic’ is one of the many examples of a strong correlation between
unemployment and drug addiction. This documentary highlights the growing
unemployment and simultaneous drug addiction spreading all across the country.
Despite banning it in Zimbabwe, the cough syrup still makes its way inside the
borders.
10.Sanitation: The global problem of sanitation is primarily the root cause of
widespread communicable diseases. Having very little access to water has often
proved to be fatal. Poor families do not have a toilet, frequently end up open
defecating. According to the United Nation, 827000 people die of diarrhoea
because of very poor hygiene. The development gap between western countries
and other is massive. Open defection is an indicator of poverty. Countries where
open defecation is prevalent report the most number of deaths in children under the
age of 5. The World Health Organization has been taking charge of providing basic
enmities to the vulnerable population. Recording statistical data, WHO also
recommends the powerful countries to do their bit to combat the problem.
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