5 Problems Plaguing the World
As the world currently grapples with the Coronavirus Pandemic, other major global issues have been swept aside. With the onset of the pandemic, it has highlighted major loopholes that international bodies haven’t rectified and there is a dire need to do so.
A homeless man eats on the street.
The western countries also face problems, however, the intensity with which it is felt is extremely manageable as compared to the third world countries. Let us now turn our attention to problems that are global in nature.
Global Poverty: There is a fine demarcation when it comes to economic conditions between the global north and the global south. Causing rampant destruction in its path, poverty has become a global issue that International bodies are finding hard to deal with. 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. Significantly affecting children, poverty is a major cause 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. With very little food and a thatched roof over their heads, it is time to ramp up efforts and combat this ravaging global issue.
Food Scarcity: The fact that so many people around the globe sleep with an empty stomach is heart wrenching. With economic instability, and very little money being produced, it will inevitably lead to food scarcity in the world. Interestingly, there is a correlation between migration and food. 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.
Climate Change: We’ve often heard of this term, even attended protests but, do we know what it really means in detail? Let’s find out. At the surface level, climate change is 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 industrialisation, the green-house gas emissions have had a tremendous impact on the overall climate. 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. Furthermore, countries have come together and joined hands in order to reduce their carbon 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 active ists like Greta Thunberg has also tried to mobilize people about climate change.
Environmental Degradation: Vital for human survival, forests cover a major part of the entire a world. Keeping the temperature moderate, the forests are very important of the flora and fauna of the territory. 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 recent green signal to cut 12000 trees in Goa is something that we as global citizen can’t afford.
Homophobia and Transphobia: The coming down of Article 377, the LGBTQ community did get their rights on paper but are they really liberated from the shackles of the state as an institution? 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.
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 ostracisation 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.