On September 16, 1987, 36 countries signed the Montreal Treaty for the Protection of the Ozone Layer. However, the thinning ozone screen and the growing ozone hole over Antarctica remain one of the six global problems for humanity that we will talk about.
1. The problem of the ozone layer. We all know that without the ozone layer, life on Earth is impossible. It covers it from ultraviolet radiation. But in Lately a noticeable thinning of the layer is observed. Back in the 90s of the 20th century, an ozone hole was discovered over Antarctica, which is constantly changing in size. Now its area can be compared with the size North America. This poses a huge danger to the entire population of the planet: open access Ultraviolet radiation increases the likelihood of cancer and eye diseases. A series of scientific research and experiments to reduce the ozone hole.
2. Warming. Back in the second half of the 20th century, scientists began to predict a significant increase in temperature on the planet. However, even in our age modern technologies scientists have not come to unanimous opinion about what this increase is connected with. Some argue that warming is caused by excessive solar activity, others associate it with volcanic eruptions, and others put human influence on nature first. It is known that as a result of rising temperatures at the North Pole, the ice cover began to melt and the water warmed by several degrees. All this can lead to consequences such as drought and forest fires.
3. Death and deforestation. The cause of forest death is acid rain, which is formed under the influence of industrial emissions around the world. Tropical forests, which are of particular value, are cut down and burned every year in catastrophic quantities. This contributes to the disappearance of rare species of flora and fauna.
4. Desertification. Humanity is accustomed to receiving gifts from our Earth: gardening and vegetable gardening are developed in many countries. It takes a century to form a layer of soil just one centimeter thick. After people began to cultivate the soil, scientists counted 25 billion tons of Earth that irrigation carries into the World Ocean. More than half the land on the planet is now susceptible to soil erosion, whereas previously it was more of a local problem. As a result of human activity, more than half of the entire land area has turned into desert. This problem can cause a huge economic blow to humanity.
5. Pure water. Everything that happens on earth's surface, is reflected on the water in the form of rain. Largest countries with developed production, they not only pollute water, but also uselessly use it in huge quantities. All this has an extremely negative impact on the environmental situation. In the modern world, there is an acute problem of shortage drinking water. More than 1.5 billion people on Earth live without clean drinking water. According to scientists, soon we will have nothing to drink at all. And as you know, a person cannot live without water.
6. Demographic problem. Even in ancient times, people were concerned about the overpopulation of the Earth. Aristotle himself raised this issue in his writings. But then this situation only led to the fact that people tried to develop more and more new territories outside the “ecumene”. However, now we can say with confidence that there is a demographic problem. Every year the world's population grows by approximately 80 million people, which, due to a lack of resources, provokes poverty.
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With the development of mankind and under the influence latest technologies New problems appear that people had not even thought about before.
They accumulate and over time begin to destroy modern society spiritually and physically. Every person has heard about the world problems of modern society, such as the depletion of mineral resources, the greenhouse effect, overpopulation and the deterioration of the ecological state of our planet. In addition to global difficulties, any citizen can be affected, or is already affected, by social, moral, economic and political problems. One of them includes various types of addictions. Deteriorating living standards, job loss and lack of money lead to stress and depression for many. People want to forget and try to film nervous tension alcohol or drugs. However, this is not only about bad habits, alcohol abuse or drug use. Modern society, like a virus, has been struck by dependence on loans, computers and the Internet, as well as drugs imposed by advertising. At the same time, from some modern problems It’s better to get rid of them or not have them at all; all that remains is to adapt to others. After all, some of them are ordinary difficulties that can be overcome and gain invaluable life experience.
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The most common problems in society
Social inequality. There have always been rich and poor citizens. However, now there is a huge gap between these segments of the population: some people have bank accounts with fabulous sums, others do not even have enough money to buy meat. According to income level, society can be divided into three groups:
- Rich people (presidents, kings, politicians, cultural and artistic figures, big businessmen)
- Middle class (employees, doctors, teachers, lawyers)
- Poor people (unskilled workers, beggars, unemployed)
Market instability in the modern world has led to a significant portion of citizens living below the poverty line. As a result, society becomes criminalized: robbery, robbery, fraud. However, in the absence of strong social inequality, the number of crimes is much lower.
Credit bondage. Intrusive advertising slogans calling for take now and pay later are firmly entrenched in people's minds. Some people sign a loan agreement without looking, so they don’t know the dangers of quick loans. Financial illiteracy does not allow one to assess one’s own solvency. Such citizens have several loans that they cannot repay on time. Penalties are added to the interest rate, which can become even greater than the debt.
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Alcoholism and drug addiction. These diseases are dangerous social problem. The main reasons why people drink: general instability, unemployment and poverty. Drugs are usually used out of curiosity or for company with friends. Taking these substances leads to moral degradation of the individual, destroys the body and causes fatal diseases. Alcoholics and drug addicts often give birth to sick children. Antisocial behavior becomes the norm for such citizens. Under the influence of alcohol and drugs, they commit various crimes, which negatively affects the life of society.
A departure from traditional family values. The family provides each person with the necessary psychological support. However, in modern society There is a departure from the traditional family, which is associated with the promotion of homosexual relationships, so popular in Western countries. And the legalization of same-sex marriage in some states is destroying historically established gender roles. After all, back in the Stone Age, a man was the main breadwinner, and a woman was the keeper of the hearth.
Forced illnesses and medications. Drug manufacturers need unhealthy people, because the more sick people, the better the product sells. To pharmaceutical business brought a stable income, illnesses are imposed on citizens and create a stir. For example, the recent mass hysteria around bird and swine flu was accompanied by daily media reports about new victims of the disease. The world began to panic. People began to buy all kinds of medicines, vitamins, and gauze bandages, which increased in price five to six times. This is how the pharmaceutical industry constantly makes huge profits. At the same time, some medications do not cure, but only eliminate symptoms, while others are addictive and only help if taken regularly. If a person stops taking them, the symptoms return. Therefore, citizens are unlikely to ever be offered truly effective medicines.
Virtual world. Most children have free access to a computer from an early age. They spend a lot of time in the virtual world and move away from reality: they don’t want to go out, communicate with peers, and have difficulty doing homework. Even during the holidays, schoolchildren are rarely seen on the streets. Sitting at computers, children can no longer do without a world of illusions in which they feel safe and comfortable. Computer addiction is an emerging problem in the modern world.
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Terrorist attacks. A serious public problem is terrorist attacks in different parts land. Hostage-taking, shootings, explosions in subways and airports, bombings of planes and trains kill millions human lives. Terrorism can be global, such as ISIS and Al-Qaeda. These groups want to acquire weapons of mass destruction, so they use global means to achieve their goal. Operating all over the world, they organize terrorist attacks in different countries with numerous victims. Terrorists can also be individuals who are dissatisfied with the policies of their state, for example, the Norwegian nationalist Breivik. Both types are heinous crimes that result in the death of innocent people. It is impossible to predict a terrorist attack, and absolutely anyone can become its random victim.
Military conflicts and interference in the affairs of other states. In Ukraine, Western countries staged a coup d'état, which they paid for in advance and provided information and political support. After which the United States and the EU ordered to go to war against the residents of Donbass who did not want to submit to the Ukrainian authorities. At the same time, Western countries, which love to shout about human rights, remained silent in this situation. And the United States financially helped Kyiv and supplied military equipment. When Russia provided assistance to Donbass with weapons and food, it was instantly criticized by the West and accused of interfering in the affairs of Ukraine. At the same time, there was an opportunity to agree on a truce, but Kyiv, at the suggestion of the United States and the EU, chose war. Residents of Donbass became victims of political games. Thousands of people lived happily and suddenly lost everything, left without a roof over their heads. This is not an isolated case; the United States has repeatedly intervened in the affairs of the Middle East and other countries.
Global problems are problems of particular importance, on the overcoming of which depends the possibility of the continuation of life on Earth. The solution to global problems is possible as a result of not only uniting the economic efforts of countries, but also taking political steps, changes in public consciousness, in the field of international law, etc. However, the economic prerequisites and global economic significance of solving these problems seem to be the most important.
Signs of global problems:
without their solution, the survival of humanity is impossible;
they are of a universal nature, i.e. affect all countries;
solutions require the combined efforts of all humanity;
they are essential, i.e. their decision cannot be postponed or transferred to the shoulders of future generations;
their appearance and development are interconnected. The listed signs require some explanation.
Without solving global problems, the survival of humanity is impossible. This means not only that their development gradually or simultaneously destroys or is capable of destroying humanity. For example, the proliferation of nuclear weapons across conflicting countries and regions of the world potentially threatens all inhabitants of the Earth with a nuclear catastrophe and its consequences. Some problems in themselves are not a problem in the negative sense of the word. Simply, in the absence or insufficiency of universal efforts in certain directions (for example, in space exploration or the oceans), it will not be possible to create material base universal survival.
The universal nature of global problems means that manifestations of global problems can be seen in any country. At the same time, not every problem common to all countries is global. For example, unemployment exists in any country, but we do not call this problem global because it is internal to countries. In addition, the problem of unemployment does not meet other characteristics characteristic of global problems. Global problems affect all countries, but affect them differently. Let's say the demographic problem associated with the exponential growth of humanity has different character in different groups of countries.
The need to unite the efforts of all mankind in the context of the current imbalance in the economic development of the countries of the developed North and the backward South predetermines the different contributions of individual nations to the process of solving global problems. In addition, the severity of individual global problems varies for different countries and, therefore, the degree of interest and participation of countries in resolving individual global problems varies. Thus, resolving the problem of poverty in the underdeveloped countries of the African region is key to the survival of the majority of the local population. The participation of the countries of the “golden billion” in resolving this problem is determined only by moral motives and is often expressed in the form of humanitarian aid or other forms of charity.
The emergence and development of global problems is associated with human activity, and not necessarily negative, aimed at self-destruction. Moreover, almost all global problems arose as a result of the creative activity of people. They are a consequence of progress, which, as we see, has too deep negative consequences.
IN scientific publications, in international organizations there are no uniform formulations and lists of global problems. Often, individual problems are grouped into more general ones. For example, they often talk about the natural resource problem, which includes raw materials, energy and food. The most common point of view is as follows.
Global problems include:
environmental;
the problem of peace and disarmament, prevention of nuclear war;
overcoming poverty;
demographic;
raw materials;
energy;
food;
international terrorism;
exploration of space and the world's oceans.
The list and hierarchy of global problems is not constant. Given that the development of individual global problems is approaching the point beyond which they are irreversible (for example, environmental or raw materials), the significance of individual problems in last years has decreased significantly or their nature has changed significantly (the problem of peace and disarmament). International terrorism has been added to the list of such problems in recent years.
The most pressing problem today seems to be the global environmental problem. Behind the brief but capacious concept of “environmental problem” lies a long series of changes in the quality of the environment that are unfavorable for human life and health. natural environment. It is no coincidence that many scientists talk about the development of several global environmental problems. They are interconnected and flow from one another. Thus, as a result of atmospheric pollution by industrial emissions, the Earth’s ozone layer decreases and the climate warms, although scientists name not only anthropogenic (as a result of human activity), but also natural (natural) causes for the development of global environmental problems. Anthropogenic factors include irrational environmental management and an increase in the amount of waste that pollutes the environment.
In each of the three components environment Today, negative changes are observed: in the atmosphere, on land and in the aquatic environment. The changes that occur affect physical (glacial shifts, changes in air composition, etc.) and biological objects (fauna and flora) in each of the named elements and, ultimately, have a detrimental effect on human health and life (Fig. 3.2). Recently, scientists have started talking about potential threats to human life from outer space (asteroids, “space debris”, etc.).
In the atmosphere, the main negative manifestations of global environmental problems should be considered deterioration in air quality, acid rain, depletion of the ozone layer of the stratosphere, as well as temperature and other climate changes. As an example, we note that air pollution alone is the cause of 5% of all diseases in the world's population, and it complicates the consequences of many diseases. In rural areas of developing countries, about 2 million people die every year due to high concentrations of harmful particles in the air.
The limited and largely non-renewable resources of the land are no less susceptible to rapid and widespread deterioration than the atmosphere. The main problems here are soil degradation, desertification, deforestation, reduction in biological diversity (diversity of species), etc. Only the problem of desertification, i.e. The increase in the scale of desert lands in the world affects the vital interests of every third inhabitant of the Earth, since this process involves from a third to half of the land surface.
Environmental problems also affect aquatic environment, which is expressed in acute deficiency
fresh water(40% of the world's population lacks water), its purity and potability (1.1 billion people rely on unsafe drinking water), marine pollution, overexploitation of living marine resources, loss of coastal habitats.
For the first time, the global problem of protecting the environment from the harmful effects of humans came to the international level in 1972 at the first UN Conference on the Environment, which received the name Stockholm after its convening. It was already recognized then that Natural resources must be protected, the Earth's ability to regenerate renewable resources must be maintained, and pollution must not exceed the environment's ability to clean itself. In the same year it was created international organization United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). In the 1970s and 1980s, the international community adopted a number of international conventions in the field of ecology. Among them: the World Heritage Convention, 1972; "ABOUT international trade Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), 1973; “On the conservation of migratory species of wild animals”, 1979; Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, 1987; Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal, 1989, etc.
The next major milestones in international cooperation in this area were the creation in 1983 of the World Commission on Environment and Development and the holding of the UN Conference of the same name in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro. The Rio de Janeiro summit revealed unequal opportunities for countries of the North and South to transition to sustainable development and endorsed the document “Agenda 21”. According to calculations made during the summit, it is necessary to allocate $625 billion annually to implement the provisions of the document in developing countries. The main idea contained in this document is to find a balance between three directions of human development on the path to sustainable development: social, economic and environmental. The Framework Convention on Climate Change was also signed in Rio de Janeiro and the principle of shared and differentiated responsibility was introduced, reflecting the fact that industrialized countries make the largest contribution to atmospheric carbon dioxide pollution.
In 1997, at an international conference in Kyoto (Japan), a legal instrument of the Framework Convention - the Kyoto Protocol - emerged. According to the Protocol, signatories and ratifiers must reduce their total greenhouse gas emissions by at least 5% relative to 1990 levels. The Protocol contains a new, hitherto unused market mechanism for achieving this goal, including:
the possibility of jointly fulfilling obligations to reduce emissions;
trading of greenhouse gas emissions quotas. A selling country that exceeds its emissions reduction commitments may sell certain units of already reduced emissions to another party;
the possibility of participation of legal entity-enterprises in actions to receive, transfer or purchase emission reduction units.
By December 2001, 84 countries had signed the Kyoto Protocol and a further 46 had ratified or acceded to it. The Protocol will enter into force only 90 days after its ratification by at least 55 signatory countries.
Speaking about modern interstate problems, it should be borne in mind that in the second half of the twentieth century, humanity was faced with the problem of survival and self-preservation. Such a threat appeared due to the natural-historical development of the world community, when humanity faced a number of problems called global. Global problems are problems that affect the vital interests of all humanity and require coordinated international action within the global community to be resolved.
Global problems of humanity can be divided into four main groups:
1. Problems of a predominantly socio-political nature: preventing nuclear war; ending the arms race, resolving regional and interstate conflicts; building a non-violent peace based on establishing trust between peoples and strengthening the system of universal security.
2. Problems of a predominantly socio-economic nature: overcoming underdevelopment and associated poverty and cultural backwardness; ensuring efficient production and reproduction of the global gross product; finding ways to resolve the energy, raw materials and food crises; optimization of the demographic situation, especially in developing countries; development of near-Earth space and the World Ocean for peaceful purposes.
3. Social ecological problems, caused by further deterioration of the natural environment of people. The need to take measures to improve the gas envelope of the atmosphere became particularly urgent; on the harmonious development of living and inanimate nature; on the rational use of the natural potential of the planet; to prevent harmful effects on the nature of military activities.
4. Human problems, including the human dimension social progress: respect for social, economic and individual rights and freedoms; elimination of hunger, epidemic diseases, ignorance; spiritual development of personality; overcoming human alienation from nature, society, the state, other people and the results of one’s own life activities.
The global problems of our time have arisen as a natural result of development and social progress of society as a whole. Their unified, systemic nature is fully confirmed by practice. Thus, the increased military danger and the build-up of the arms race inevitably aggravate raw materials, environmental and other problems. And steps aimed at eliminating the economic lag of developing countries will entail a satisfactory solution to problems such as food, energy, and raw materials.
Of all the global problems, the problem of preserving peace, preventing nuclear disaster. This is not accidental, since this problem arose as a result of confrontation between political forces represented by states. Being a means of achieving certain political goals social forces, “the continuation of their policy, in the words of K. Clausewitz, by other means,” the war turns into a tragedy for peoples, as evidenced by the entire history of mankind.
“Continuation of politics by other means” plunged nations into wars and armed conflicts about 15 thousand times. Only 292 years in all of history have humanity gone without war. During the period of human history studied by science, wars have claimed more than 3.5 billion human lives. Moreover, as the means of destruction improved, the scale of wars also grew. In the 20th century Along with local reality, world wars also became a reality. If the Thirty Years' War, which was fought from 1618 to 1648, turned out to be the first war in which almost all states were involved Western Europe, claimed 600 thousand human lives, then the First World War 1914–1918. – about 9.5 million. Total number casualties, including those killed by starvation, disease, and aerial bombing, in World War II reached 55 million. In terms of the number of people killed daily (on average), the Second World War exceeded the Crimean War (1853–1856) by 119 times, the Russian-Japanese War (1904–1905) by 60 times, and the First World War by 2.6 times.
After World War II, unfortunately, the wars did not stop. During the time that passed after this war, more than 200 local wars and armed conflicts were unleashed, in which a huge number of people died in different countries: Korea - 1.7 million; Vietnam - 3 million; Algeria – 0.9 million; Bangladesh - 3.5 million, etc. A huge number of human lives have been claimed in recent years by armed conflicts on the territory of the former republics Soviet Union, US bombing of Iraq and Yugoslavia.
The policy of confrontation over the past decades has pushed governments to spend huge amounts of money on the creation of special bodies for waging war, on the creation and accumulation of weapons of mass destruction.
State budget expenditures on defense as a percentage of Israel's gross national product in 1989 were 20%; USSR - 6.6%; Greece - 5.5%, etc. And this is in conditions when the plan that emerged in the mid-80s of the twentieth century was in effect. trend towards reduction in military spending. In the 1990s, military spending increased significantly in many countries. The leaders of a number of countries have openly spoken about this more than once. For example, in January 1999, then US President Bill Clinton said in his State of the Union address: “The time has come to reverse the downward trend in military spending that began in 1985.” Military spending per capita in Russia in 1995 was US$113; in Portugal - 220, respectively; in Italy – 351; Belgium – 396; Germany – 430; Greece – 447; Netherlands – 454; Great Britain - 575; France – 739; Norway – 749; USA - 1054. Daily military spending of all countries today reaches $1.5 billion.
Huge allocations for defense allowed states to accumulate large quantities of not only conventional, but also nuclear, chemical, bacteriological and other weapons, newest types which are distributed throughout the world. According to scientists, the world has accumulated 10 thousand tons of explosives for every living person. There are no reliable guarantees against the creation of nuclear weapons by many countries. The detonators of a new world war can be any local armed conflicts, some of which can be eliminated, but others arise. World War is fraught not only with innumerable casualties, but also with destruction of the habitat - almost instantaneously environmental disaster and the death of all humanity. Therefore, the most important task is to preserve peace and prevent a thermonuclear catastrophe.
The solution to this problem is realistic if all political subjects, all people of our planet realize the imminent danger of their destruction in the event of a war, understand that the modern world is one, integral and interconnected. Its achievement is possible on the path of abandoning wars as a means of resolving political issues in internal and international relations, general disarmament, recognition of the right of free and independent development of all peoples. The approval of such a state is still too far away.
There are forces in the world community interested in a different development of events. This is evidenced, in particular, by the speech of US President B. Clinton at a closed meeting of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on October 25, 1995, where he said: “In relation to Russian Federation the following problems have to be solved: the dismemberment of Russia into small states through interregional wars, similar to those that we organized in Yugoslavia, the final division of the military-industrial complex of Russia and the army, the establishment of regimes in the republics that have broken away from Russia, which we need.” And on January 22, 2004, US President George W. Bush, speaking to Congress with his annual State of the Union address, reiterated that the United States reserves the right to go to war at any time if the nation is threatened. "America will never ask permission to protect the security of its citizens," Bush said. “The work is not finished,” he warned, vowing to continue the fight against regimes that “support terrorism at the state level.”
The solution to the problem of maintaining peace and preventing the threat of thermonuclear war is closely connected with the implementation of all other global problems, especially environmental ones.
Unlike the military problem, which has nothing to do with the natural needs of mankind and can be solved on the basis of appropriate agreements and treaties of interested parties, the problem of preserving the environment is organically caused by a sharp increase economic activity person, dictated by natural trends social development: increasing population, its desire for progress, improvement material well-being etc.
Excessive, reckless exploitation of nature by humans has led to massive deforestation, deterioration in the quality of fresh water resources, pollution of seas, lakes, rivers, and destruction of the ozone layer, which poses a great danger to human life. As a result of deforestation and an increase in the mass of fuel burned, the proportion of carbon dioxide in the air increases. Emissions of other chemical atmospheric pollutants (nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides) are increasing, resulting in “acid rain”. The global climate is warming, leading to the so-called “greenhouse effect.” The disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which led to large casualties, radioactive contamination in long years significant plots of land.
Here are just some data that clearly illustrates what has been said. For the 20th century The world's population has more than tripled and reached almost 6 billion people. During this time industrial production increased by more than 50 times, and natural fuel consumption by more than 30 times.
Over the past 30 years, 50% of the tropical forests of Asia and Latin America have been destroyed. Huge forests disappeared in other regions during this time. Along with the reduction of forest area, many species of plants and animals are disappearing. From 1600 to the present, according to the International Survival Commission, 63 species of mammals and 94 species of birds have irretrievably disappeared from the face of the Earth. A significantly larger number of animal and bird species are on the verge of extinction today.
From 1800 to 2000 Burning fossil fuels releases about 180 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. As a result, its concentration in the atmosphere has increased by 25% over the past 200 years. The countries of the European Economic Community alone emit 18 million tons of sulfur dioxide and 10 million tons of nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere every year.
The use of non-renewable and renewable resources has also reached dangerous limits. Several million hectares of fertile land are lost every year. These losses are practically non-renewable, since it takes several centuries to restore the destroyed soil. The use of mineral resources is a major concern. If the rate of their production remains the same as at present, then copper, lead, tin, zinc will be enough for 20-30 years, reserves of raw materials for the production of iron and aluminum will disappear in 260-570 years, and the situation with reserves will not be any better other minerals. In recent years, the problem of the use of mineral resources has become acute in the Russian Federation in connection with access to them foreign companies, a threatening increase in the export of raw materials.
Currently, the severity of the environmental problem is intensifying as a result of its sharp politicization, because the struggle for raw materials, energy resources, spheres of influence, etc. is intensifying. The environmental crisis cannot be overcome by solving some particular problems. Solving the environmental problem is the most pressing task of the entire world community and requires the implementation of a whole range of drastic measures. The implementation of this task will largely alleviate the severity of all other global problems, primarily energy, raw materials, and food.
Recent decades marked by the growing concern of humanity caused by the flow of dangerous diseases and harmful addictions that have befallen it. Cardiovascular and oncological diseases, AIDS, alcoholism, drug addiction have acquired an international character and have become one of the global problems. The fight against these diseases, given that the mystery of their cure cannot be quickly solved, and some of them are capable of infecting healthy people who do not have immune defenses through the source of the infectious agent, becomes extremely important.
The whole world cannot help but be alarmed by the widening difference in the living standards of the peoples of developed and developing countries. At the beginning of the twentieth century. the share of national income per capita in developed countries exceeded this figure in developing countries by 6 times, in the 80s by 12 times, and by 2000 this excess became 13 times. It should be borne in mind that if in 1950 2/3 of the world’s population lived in these countries, in the 80s - 3/4, then by the end of the 20th century. his share was 4/5. The growing prosperity of some against the backdrop of the hopeless situation of others presents a paradoxical picture of the modern world. Underdeveloped countries are often hit by famine, resulting in the death of large numbers of people. Every year only on African countries 13-18 million people die from hunger. Having gained political independence, they found themselves in direct economic dependence on developed countries (debts to them amounted to $1,300 billion). This turns poor countries into epidemic zones and social conflicts, fraught with social explosions dangerous for all humanity.
The situation is aggravated by the fact that poor countries are not able to overcome their backwardness on their own and their lag behind highly developed countries is increasing. It is inhumane and dangerous for highly developed countries to remain on the sidelines and not help these distressed peoples through joint efforts. They need not only immediate humanitarian assistance, but also serious long-term support in the development of productive forces. Ensuring its success - eliminating the causes of suffering in poor countries - can only be achieved through the joint efforts of the world community.
Among the global problems of our time that require urgent solutions are also the discrepancy in the relationship between demographic growth of the population and the dynamics of the productive forces; an increase in crime, especially drug trafficking; international terrorism, among various forms the most dangerous of which is state terrorism directed against the peoples and legitimate authorities of other countries.
These are the main global problems of our time. They are organically connected and intertwined with many others international problems. The very essence of the global problems of our time, affecting all of humanity, requires joint action on a global scale. To solve them, constructive, creative cooperation on a global scale is necessary. Their solution, therefore, requires the joint efforts of all states.
Global problems of our time- this is a set of socio-natural problems, the solution of which determines the social progress of mankind and the preservation of civilization. These problems are characterized by dynamism, arise as an objective factor in the development of society and require the united efforts of all humanity to be solved. Global problems are interconnected, cover all aspects of people's lives and affect all countries of the world.
List of global problems
Unresolved problem of reversal of aging in humans and poor public awareness of neglected aging.
the North-South problem - the development gap between rich and poor countries, poverty, hunger and illiteracy;
preventing thermonuclear war and ensuring peace for all peoples, preventing the world community from unauthorized proliferation of nuclear technologies and radioactive pollution of the environment;
prevention of catastrophic environmental pollution and reduction of biodiversity;
providing humanity with resources;
global warming;
ozone holes;
the problem of cardiovascular diseases, cancer and AIDS.
demographic development (population explosion in developing countries and demographic crisis in developed countries).
terrorism;
crime;
Global problems are a consequence of the confrontation between nature and human culture, as well as the inconsistency or incompatibility of multidirectional trends in the development of human culture itself. Natural nature exists on the principle of negative feedback (see biotic regulation of the environment), while human culture exists on the principle of positive feedback.
Attempts to solve
Demographic transition - the natural end of the demographic explosion of the 1960s
Nuclear disarmament
Energy saving
Montreal Protocol (1989) - combating ozone holes
Kyoto Protocol (1997) - fight against global warming.
Scientific prizes for successful radical life extension of mammals (mice) and their rejuvenation.
Club of Rome (1968)
Global problems of our time
Global problems of our time.
Features of integration processes covering the most different areas life
people, manifest themselves most deeply and acutely in the so-called global
problems of our time.
Global problems:
Environmental problem
Save the world
Space and ocean exploration
Food problem
Population problem
The problem of overcoming backwardness
Raw material problem
Features of global problems.
1) They have a planetary, global character, affecting the interests of everyone
peoples of the world.
2) They threaten degradation and death of all humanity.
3) Need urgent and effective solutions.
4) They require the collective efforts of all states, joint actions of peoples.
Most of the problems that we associate today with global problems
modernity, have accompanied humanity throughout its history. TO
These should primarily include problems of ecology, peace preservation,
overcoming poverty, hunger, illiteracy.
But after the Second World War, thanks to an unprecedented scale
transformative human activity, all these problems turned into
global, expressing the contradictions of the integral modern world and
denoting with unprecedented force the need for cooperation and unity of all
people of the Earth.
Nowadays, global problems:
On the one hand, they demonstrate the close interconnection of states;
On the other hand, they reveal the deep contradictions of this unity.
The development of human society has always been contradictory. It's constant
was accompanied not only by the establishment of a harmonious connection with nature, but also
destructive effect on her.
Apparently, noticeable damage to nature was already caused by synanthropes (about 400 thousand
years ago) who began to use fire. As a result of the
Due to fires, significant areas of vegetation were destroyed.
Scientists believe that the intensive hunting of mammoths by ancient people was one of
the most important reasons for the extinction of this species of animals.
The transition from the appropriative nature that began about 12 thousand years ago
management to the producer, associated primarily with the development
agriculture, also led to very significant negative impacts on
surrounding nature.
The farming technology in those days was as follows: at a certain
the forest was burned in the area, then basic tillage and sowing were carried out
plant seeds. Such a field could produce a harvest for only 2-3 years, after which
the soil was depleted and it was necessary to move to a new site.
In addition, environmental problems in ancient times were often caused by mining.
mineral.
So, in the 7th – 4th centuries BC. intensive development in ancient Greece
silver-lead mines, which required large volumes of strong
forests, led to the actual destruction of forests on the Antique Peninsula.
Significant changes in natural landscapes were caused by the construction of cities,
which began to take place in the Middle East about 5 thousand years ago, and
Of course, a significant burden on nature was accompanied by the development
industry.
But although these human impacts on the environment have become increasingly
scale, nevertheless, until the second half of the 20th century they had a local
character.
Humanity, developing along the path of progress, gradually accumulated
material and spiritual resources to satisfy their needs, however
he never managed to completely get rid of hunger, poverty and
illiteracy. The severity of these problems was felt by each nation in its own way, and
the ways to solve them have never before gone beyond the boundaries of individual
states
Meanwhile, it is known from history that the steadily growing interactions between
peoples, exchange of industrial and agricultural products
production, spiritual values were constantly accompanied by acute
military clashes. For the period from 3500 BC. 14,530 wars occurred.
And only 292 years people lived without wars.
Killed in wars (million people)
XVII century 3.3
XVIII century 5.5
About 70 million people lost their lives in the First and Second World Wars.
These were the first world wars in the entire history of mankind, in which
The vast majority of countries in the world participated. They marked the beginning
turning the problem of war and peace into a global one.
What gave rise to global problems? The answer to this question is, in essence,
pretty simple. Global problems resulted from:
WITH one side of the enormous scale of human activity, radically
changing nature, society, people's way of life.
WITH the other side of a person’s inability to rationally manage this
mighty force.
Ecological problem.
Economic activity in a number of countries today is so powerfully developed that
that it affects the environmental situation not only within an individual
country, but also far beyond its borders.
Typical examples:
The UK 'exports' 2/3 of its industrial emissions.
75-90% of acid rain in Scandinavian countries is of foreign origin.
Acid rain in the UK affects 2/3 of woodlands, and in
countries of continental Europe - about half of their area.
The USA lacks the oxygen that is naturally produced in their
territories.
The largest rivers, lakes, seas of Europe and North America intensively
are polluted by industrial waste from enterprises in various countries,
using their water resources.
From 1950 to 1984, the production of mineral fertilizers increased from 13.5 million.
tons up to 121 million tons per year. Their use gave 1/3 of the increase
agricultural products.
At the same time, the use of chemicals has increased sharply in recent decades
fertilizers, as well as various chemical plant protection products have become one
one of the most important causes of global environmental pollution. Spaced
water and air over vast distances, they are included in the geochemical
the cycle of substances throughout the Earth, often causing significant damage to nature,
and even to the man himself.
The rapidly developing process has become very characteristic of our time.
removal of environmentally harmful enterprises to underdeveloped countries.
Huge and ever-expanding use of natural resources
mineral resources have led not only to the depletion of raw materials in individual countries,
but also to a significant impoverishment of the entire raw material base of the planet.
The era of extensive use of potential is ending before our eyes
biosphere. This is confirmed by the following factors:
§ Today there is negligible amount of undeveloped land left to exploit
Agriculture;
§ The area of deserts is systematically increasing. From 1975 to 2000
it increases by 20%;
§ The reduction in forest cover on the planet is of great concern. Since 1950
by 2000, the forest area will decrease by almost 10%, but forests are light
the whole Earth;
§ Exploitation of water basins, including the World Ocean,
carried out on such a scale that nature does not have time to reproduce what
what a person takes.
Constant development of industry, transport, agriculture, etc.
requires a sharp increase in energy expenditure and entails an ever-increasing
load on nature. Currently, as a result of intense human
activities even climate change occurs.
Compared to the beginning of the last century, the carbon dioxide content in the atmosphere
increased by 30%, with 10% of this increase coming from the last 30 years. Promotion
its concentration leads to the so-called greenhouse effect, as a result
which causes the climate of the entire planet to warm.
Scientists believe that this kind of change is already taking place in our time.
As a result of human activity, warming has occurred within 0.5
degrees. However, if the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere doubles
compared to its level in the pre-industrial era, i.e. will increase by another 70%,
then very drastic changes will occur in the life of the Earth. First of all, at 2-4
degrees, and at the poles the average temperature will increase by 6-8 degrees, which, in
in turn, will cause irreversible processes:
Melting ice
Rising sea level by one meter
Flooding of many coastal areas
Changes in moisture exchange on the Earth's surface
Reduced precipitation
Changing wind direction
It is clear that such changes will pose enormous problems for people,
related to farming, reproduction of the necessary conditions for their
Today, as rightly one of the first marks of V.I. Vernadsky,
humanity has gained such power in transforming the world around us that it
begins to significantly influence the evolution of the biosphere as a whole.
Human economic activity in our time already entails
climate change, it affects the chemical composition of water and air
basins of the Earth on the animal and plant world of the planet, on its entire appearance.
The problem of war and peace.
The problem of war and peace has become global literally before our eyes, and
primarily as a result of the sharply increased power of weapons.
Today, so many nuclear weapons alone have been accumulated that their explosive
force is several thousand times greater than the power of the ammunition used in all
wars that have been fought before.
Nuclear charges are stored in the arsenals of different countries, the total power
which is several million times greater than the power of a bomb dropped on
Hiroshima. But this bomb killed over 200 thousand people! 40% area
the city turned to ashes, 92% was mutilated beyond recognition. Fatal
The consequences of the atomic bomb are still felt by thousands of people.
For each person currently only in the form of nuclear weapons
there are so many explosives that their trinitrotoluene
the equivalent exceeds 10 tons. If people had that much food,
how many types of weapons and explosives exist on the planet!.. By this
weapons can destroy all life on Earth many dozens of times. But
Today even “conventional” means of warfare are quite capable of causing
global damage to both humanity and nature. Moreover, it should be kept in mind that
warfare technologies are evolving towards greater destruction
civilian population. The ratio between the number of civilian deaths and