World Geography

Top Ten Global Issues

Top Ten Global Issues Climate ChangeGlobal Warming Communicable DiseaseHIV/AIDS, Malaria, TB ConflictsSudan, Iraq, Ethiopia EducationLiteracy Rate Financial InstabilityPoverty, Third World Debt

Governance and Corruption

Burma, Somalia, Chad Malnutrition and HungerAfrica, Haiti, Afghanistan PopulationGrowth, Sustainability Sanitation and WaterHygiene, Disease Subsidies and Trade

BarriersStop Economic Growth

Top Ten Global IssuesAlthough these global issues have

been introduced independently, it is important to understand that essentially they are all interrelated and do no exist independent of each other.

Climate ChangeGlobal warming and climate change refer to

an increase in average global temperatures. Natural events and human activities are believed to be contributing to an increase in average global temperatures. This is caused primarily by increases in “greenhouse” gases such as Carbon Dioxide (CO2).

Climate Change Rapid Changes In Global Temperature

The 1900s was the warmest century during the last 1,000 years

Extreme Weather Patterns

More Hurricanes and Drought Longer spells of dry heat or

intense rain Super Storms

Ecosystem ImpactsMassive extinction of species

will aggravate the environmental crisis

Rising Sea Levels It will impact many

coastlines, and a large mass of humanity lives near the coasts or by major rivers.

Failing Agricultural Output Increase in world hunger

Communicable Disease

A communicable disease such as a cold is a disease that spreads from person to person. Communicable diseases are diseases that you can "catch" from someone or something else. Some people may use the words contagious or infectious when talking about communicable diseases.

Communicable Disease

One billion people lack access to health care systems.

In 2002, almost 11 million people died of infectious diseases alone.

40 million living with HIV There are 8.8 million new

cases of Tuberculosis (TB) and 1.75 million deaths from TB, each year.

Malaria causes more than 300 million acute illnesses and at least 1 million deaths, annually.

More than half a million people, mostly children, died from measles in 2003 even though effective immunization costs just 0.30 US dollars per person, and has been available for over 40 years.

Conflicts since 3600 BC, there have been 14,531 wars resulting in

3 billion deaths over the years.  Peace prevailed for a total of only 292 years on earth, about 5% of the time.  At any given time, it's a sure bet that there are anywhere from 50-100 wars going on somewhere in the world.  Most of them would be insurgencies or internal security problems, in places often described as "flashpoints," "hot spots," or "trouble spots" -- all synonymous language for the same thing -- political violence.  Some estimates put at 137 the number of civil wars during the period from 1820 to 1990 and at 16.2 million the death toll from civil wars fought after World War II.  Between 1919 and 1997, there were over 500 spells of guerrilla warfare around the world. In the same period, close to 1,500 politically motivated assassinations or attempted assassinations of high government officials or politicians were committed — an average of one every three weeks

Conflicts Why do people go to

war? To better their way of life To protect their way of life

People seek to acquire: Land & Resources

People attacking want more resources to improve their way of life. i.e. more water, food, gold, oil

People defending their land want to protect their way of life.

Independence People attacking want to

be free from the rule or oppression of others.

People defending want to maintain control of their conquered resources.

Beliefs People attacking believe

that all people should believe as they do.

People defending are protecting their own beliefs.

Recent Examples: Sudan, Rwanda, Israel

EducationThe quality of life of a nation is easily judged

by the number of literate population living in it. This is to say that education is a must if a nation aspires to achieve growth and development and more importantly sustain it. This may well explain the fact that rich and developed nations of the world have very high literacy rate and productive human resource. Those countries whose literacy rates are low face the biggest problems in terms of poverty, disease, and corruption.

Education About 1 billion people –

1/6th of humanity - are illiterate, unable to read a book or sign their names, much less fill out a simple application form or operate a computer.

Today 125 million children do not get any formal education at all

150 million children that do receive an education, never make it past the fifth grade.

Illiteracy undermines efforts to improve: Health and Nutrition Infant and Child mortality Opportunities for Productive

Livelihoods Responsible Governance Human Rights

To achieve education for all children, the world would need to spend an additional $7 Billion per year over the next 10 years. This is less than what is annually spent on cosmetics in the United States or on ice cream in Europe. It is less than 1 per cent of the world’s annual military spending.

Financial InstabilityDue to the lack of infrastructure, education,

and resources, many countries are lacking the resources necessary to make or produce products to be sold in the world market.

Financial Instability Causes of Debt

Legacy of Colonialism Overwhelming Debt Mismanaged Spending

The developing world now spends $13 on debt repayment for every $1 it receives in grants

Debt Cancellation Lots of promises without

action IMF and World Bank can’t

afford the cost of cancellation if they want to continue to exist

For the poorest countries (approximately 60), $550 billion has been paid in both principal and interest over the last three decades, on $540bn of

loans, and yet there is still a $523 billion dollar debt burden.

Debt kills. Some 11 million children die each year around the world, due to conditions of poverty and debt.

Governance and CorruptionCorruption is a problem that escapes no

country, rich or poor, small or large but is more transparent in third world countries.

Corruption is the act of abusing public office for private gain through taking advantage of one’s citizens.

Governance and Corruption Financially

Stealing public funds; embezzlement

Politically Forced Dictatorship Voter Fraud

Socially Fear, imprisonment,

terrorism.

Corruption also undermines economic development by generating considerable distortions and inefficiency.

A number of corrupt governments have enriched themselves via foreign aid, which is often spent on showy buildings and armaments.

Malnutrition and Hunger

To be healthy and active, we must have food in adequate quantity, quality and variety to meet our energy and nutrient requirements. Without adequate nutrition, children cannot develop their potential to the fullest, and adults will experience difficulty in maintaining or expanding theirs.

Not everyone has adequate access to the food they need, and this has led to large-scale hunger and malnutrition in the world.

Malnutrition and Hunger

Every year 15 million children die of hunger

The World Health Organization estimates that one-third of the world is well-fed, one-third is under-fed one-third is starving- Since you've read this at least 200 people have died of starvation. Over 4 million will die this year.

One in twelve people worldwide is malnourished, including 160 million children under the age of 5.

3 billion people in the world today struggle to survive on US$2/day.

One out of every eight children under the age of twelve in the U.S. goes to bed hungry every night.

Population: Migration

Go Forth And Multiply!" That's what the human population has successfully been doing for thousands and thousands of years, expanding, exploring, migrating, conquering, utilizing, evolving, civilizing, industrializing, and now, destroying the very land upon which we live.

Population Population Explosion Higher Birth Rate + Lower

Death rate = Population Growth

Stress on the environment and ecosystem

Overcrowding At current rates of birth

and death, the world's population is on a trajectory to double in 49 years.

Growth of refugee and migrant populations are contributing to political instability and economic dislocation in many countries.

Given the trends in population, energy and resource consumption, combined with technological innovations, the adverse human impact on the global ecosystem could triple or quadruple by the year 2050.

Sanitation and Water

More than 2.6 billion people – forty per cent of the world’s population – lack basic sanitation facilities, and over one billion people still use unsafe drinking water sources. As a result, thousands of children die every day from diarrhea and other water-, sanitation- and hygiene-related diseases and many more suffer and are weakened by illness.

Sanitation and Water

Without safe water and sanitation, sustainable development is impossible.

1.1 Billion People are forced to use unsafe drinking water sources

A total of 2.6 billion people live without improved sanitation – less than half of all people living in developing countries.

Access to adequate water supply is not only a fundamental need and human right. Access to water supply also has considerable health and economic benefits to households and individuals

The promotion of fundamental behavior changes is key to integrating the appropriate use of services into daily routine

Subsidies and Trade BarriersGlobalization, trade and the free markets are

the talks of today. Many envision or talk about a future where people of different nationalities and cultures will be able to share and trade resources across boundaries in a manner that will benefit all of humanity.

Subsidies and Trade Barriers A lot of overbearing

regulations can give too much power to a few, and potentially corrupt ruling regime and prevent innovative ideas from flourishing.

obstacle for a foreign nation to invest in a country due to those conditions and regulations which increase costs.

too much deregulation can lead to corporations being able to undermine basic social and human rights as well as lead to environmental damage, often without accountability.

The poor get poorer and the rich get richer.