The most acute problem of mankind. Global problems of mankind and ways to solve them

And even goes beyond its borders. Considering the heterogeneity of humanity, its activities simply cannot but be accompanied by certain contradictions. If they cover the entire planet and near-Earth outer space, then these are global problems.

peace cover all aspects of human life, concern all countries, peoples and strata of the population, relate both to the surface of the earth and to the oceans, atmosphere, space, and lead to serious economic and social losses. Consequently, the solution of these problems is the task of the whole world, requiring universal unification.

Global problems are divided into several types:

The global problems of mankind at the state and international levels are currently considered, unfortunately, as something very abstract and requiring a solution only in the distant future. As for the individual level, with rare exceptions, people take a position of neutrality, they say, this does not concern me personally. All this testifies to the lack of understanding by the masses of the degree of seriousness of global problems.

The global problems of society have several characteristic features:

• They are universal in nature, covering the interests of all peoples (and sometimes all living things) and each person in particular.
• In the absence of their solution, sooner or later they will lead to a global catastrophe and the death of mankind.
• They require the joint efforts of all mankind.
• They require an integrated, synergistic approach.

In fact, the global problems of mankind reflect the unevenness and imbalance of its development. Developing industry, man lost touch with nature, resulting in exacerbated environmental problems. The trend towards the creation of an information society and the dominance of capitalism has led to a spiritual crisis. The predominance of individualism and infantile egoism brought to the fore political, weapons and social problems. This is how causal relationships between seemingly crises in completely different areas are carried out. However, the solution of one problem will not, according to the law, cause a positive correlation of the solution of others: here a single integrated approach is required, based on the global reconstruction of the consciousness of mankind in favor of a collective way of existence, effective interaction and harmonious development in connection with nature and the next and previous generations.

Global problems of our time is a set of socio-natural problems, on the solution of which the social progress of mankind and the preservation of civilization depend. These problems are characterized by dynamism, arise as an objective factor in the development of society, and for their solution require the combined efforts of all mankind. Global problems are interconnected, cover all aspects of people's lives and concern all countries of the world.

List of global issues

The unresolved problem of reversing aging in humans and poor public awareness of neglected aging.

the problem of "North-South" - the gap in development between rich and poor countries, poverty, hunger and illiteracy;

prevention of thermonuclear war and ensuring peace for all peoples, prevention by the world community of unauthorized proliferation of nuclear technologies, radioactive contamination of the environment;

prevention of catastrophic environmental pollution and reduction of biodiversity;

providing humanity with resources;

global warming;

ozone holes;

the problem of cardiovascular, oncological diseases and AIDS.

demographic development (population explosion in developing countries and demographic crisis in developed ones).

terrorism;

crime;

Global problems are the result of the confrontation between nature and human culture, as well as the inconsistency or incompatibility of multidirectional trends in the course of the development of human culture itself. Natural nature exists on the principle of negative feedback (see biotic regulation of the environment), while human culture - on the principle of positive feedback.

Solution attempts

Demographic transition - the natural end of the 1960s population explosion

Nuclear disarmament

energy saving

Montreal Protocol (1989) - fight against ozone holes

Kyoto Protocol (1997) - fight against global warming.

Scientific prizes for successful radical life extension in mammals (mice) and their rejuvenation.

Club of Rome (1968)

Global problems of our time

Global problems of the present.

Features of integration processes covering various spheres of life

people most profoundly and acutely manifest themselves in the so-called global

problems of the present.

Global problems:

The problem of ecology

Save the world

Exploration of space and the oceans

food problem

population problem

The problem of overcoming backwardness

Raw material problem

Features of global problems.

1) Have a planetary, global character, affect the interests of all

peoples of the world.

2) They threaten the degradation and death of all mankind.

3) Need urgent and effective solutions.

4) They require collective efforts of all states, joint actions of peoples.

Most of the problems that today we associate with global problems

modernity, have accompanied humanity throughout its history. To

first of all, they should include the problems of ecology, the preservation of peace,

overcoming poverty, hunger and illiteracy.

But after the Second World War, thanks to the unprecedented scale

transformative human activity, all these problems have 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.

Today's global problems:

On the one hand, they demonstrate the closest interconnection of states;

On the other hand, they reveal the deep inconsistency of this unity.

The development of human society has always been controversial. It is constantly

was accompanied not only by the establishment of a harmonious connection with nature, but also

destructive effect on her.

Apparently, 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 ancient people for mammoths was one of the

the most important reasons for the extinction of this species of animals.

Starting about 12 thousand years ago, the transition from the appropriating nature

management to the producer, associated primarily with the development

agriculture, also led to very significant negative impacts on

the surrounding nature.

The technology of agriculture in those days was as follows: on a certain

the forest was burned on the site, then elementary tillage and sowing were carried out

plant seeds. Such a field could produce a crop 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 be carried out 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, however, until the second half of the 20th century, they had a local

character.

Mankind, developing along the path of progress, gradually accumulated

material and spiritual resources to meet their needs, however

he never managed to completely get rid of hunger, poverty and

illiteracy. The acuteness of these problems was felt by each nation in its own way, and

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, the exchange of products of industrial and agricultural

production, spiritual values ​​were constantly accompanied by the sharpest

military clashes. For the period from 3500 BC. there were 14530 wars.

And only 292 years people lived without wars.

Killed in wars (million people)

XVII century 3.3

18th 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 history of mankind in which

participated by the vast majority of the world's countries. They marked the beginning

transformation of the problem of war and peace into a global one.

And what gave rise to global problems? The answer to this question is essentially

pretty simple. Global problems were the result of:

FROM one side of the vast scale of human activity, radically

changing nature, society, people's way of life.

FROM other side of a person's inability to rationally manage this

mighty force.

Ecological problem.

Economic activity in a number of states today is developed so powerfully that

that it affects the ecological situation not only within a separate

country, but also far beyond its borders.

Typical examples:

The UK "exports" 2/3 of its industrial emissions.

75-90% of acid rain in the Scandinavian countries are of foreign origin.

Acid rain in the UK affects 2/3 of the forests, and in

countries of continental Europe - about half of their areas.

The United States lacks the oxygen that is naturally produced in their

territory.

The largest rivers, lakes, seas of Europe and North America are intensively

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.

tons to 121 million tons per year. Their use gave 1/3 of the increase

agricultural products.

At the same time, the use of chemical

fertilizers, as well as various chemical plant protection products has become one

one of the most important causes of global environmental pollution. Carried

water and air over vast distances, they are included in the geochemical

the circulation of substances throughout the Earth, often causing significant damage to nature,

and the person himself.

A rapidly developing process has become very characteristic of our time.

the withdrawal of environmentally harmful enterprises to underdeveloped countries.

The vast and ever-increasing use of natural resources

mineral resources led not only to the depletion of raw materials in individual countries,

but also to a significant depletion of the entire resource base of the planet.

Before our eyes, the era of extensive use of the potential is ending

biosphere. This is confirmed by the following factors:

§ Today, there is very little undeveloped land left for

Agriculture;

§ The area of ​​deserts is systematically increasing. From 1975 to 2000

it increases by 20%;

§ Of great concern is the reduction of the planet's forest cover. Since 1950

by 2000, the forest area will decrease by almost 10%, and yet forests are light

the whole earth;

§ Operation of water basins, including the World Ocean,

carried out on such a scale that nature does not have time to reproduce what

what the person takes.

Constant development of industry, transport, agriculture, etc.

requires a sharp increase in energy costs and entails an ever-increasing

load on nature. Currently, as a result of intense human

even climate change is happening.

Compared with the beginning of the last century, the content of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere

increased by 30%, with 10% of this increase given the last 30 years. Raise

its concentration leads to the so-called greenhouse effect, as a result

which is global warming.

Scientists believe that such changes are 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 with its level in the pre-industrial era, i.e. increase by another 70%

then there will be very drastic changes in the life of the Earth. First of all, for 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

One meter sea level rise

Flooding of many coastal areas

Changes in moisture exchange on the Earth's surface

Reduced rainfall

Wind direction change

It is clear that such changes will pose enormous problems for people,

related to the management of the economy, the reproduction of the necessary conditions for their

Today, as rightly one of the first marks of V.I. Vernadsky,

mankind has gained such power in the transformation of the surrounding world that it

begins to significantly affect the evolution of the biosphere as a whole.

The economic activity of man in our time already entails

climate change, it affects the chemical composition of water and air

basins of the Earth on the flora and fauna of the planet, on its entire appearance.

The problem of war and peace.

The problem of war and peace has turned into a global one literally before our very eyes, and

primarily as a result of the sharply increased power of weapons.

Today, there are so many accumulated nuclear weapons alone that their explosive

strength is several thousand times greater than the power of 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 more than 200 thousand people died from this bomb! 40% area

the city turned into ashes, 92% was mutilated beyond recognition. Fatal

The consequences of the atomic bombing are still felt by thousands of people.

For every person now only in the form of nuclear weapons

accounts for such a quantity of explosives that their trinitrotoluene

the equivalent exceeds 10 tons. If people had so much food,

how many types of weapons and explosives exist on the planet!..

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 borne in mind that

technology of warfare is evolving towards more and more destruction

civilian population. The ratio between the number of civilian deaths and

Recently, you have been hearing more and more about globalization (from the English global world, worldwide), which means a sharp expansion and deepening of interconnections and interdependencies between countries, peoples and individuals. Globalization covers the areas politicians, economy, culture. And at the heart of its activities are political, economic unions, TNCs, the creation of a global information space, global financial capital. However, for the time being, only the “golden billion” can benefit the most from globalization, as residents of the highly developed post-industrial countries of the West, whose total population is approaching 1 billion, are called.

It is this inequality that brought to life the mass anti-globalization movement. The emergence of global problems of mankind, which have become the focus of attention of scientists, politicians and the general public, is closely connected with the process of globalization and is studied by many sciences, including geography. This is because each of them has its own geographical aspects and manifests itself differently in different regions of the world. Recall that even N. N. Baransky called on geographers to "think in terms of continents." However, today this approach is no longer enough. global problems cannot be solved only “globally” and even “regional”. Their solution must begin with countries and regions.

That's why scientists put forward the slogan: "Think globally, act locally!" Considering global problems, you will need to summarize the knowledge gained from studying all the topics of the textbook.

Therefore, it is a more complex, synthesizing material. However, it should not be treated as purely theoretical. After all, in essence, global problems directly concern each of you as a small “particle” of the entire single and many-sided humanity.

The concept of global problems.

The last decades of the twentieth century posed many acute and complex problems before the peoples of the world, which are called global.

Global problems are called those that cover the whole world, all of humanity, pose a threat to its present and future and require joint efforts, joint actions of all states and peoples for their solution.

In the scientific literature, one can find various lists of global problems, where their number varies from 8-10 to 40-45. This is explained by the fact that along with the main, priority global problems (which will be discussed further in the textbook), there is also a number of more particular, but also very important problems: for example, crime. Drug addiction, separatism, lack of democracy, man-made disasters, natural disasters. As already noted, the problem of international terrorism has recently acquired particular urgency, which in fact has also become one of the highest priorities.

There are also various classifications of global problems. But usually among them are distinguished: 1) problems of the most "universal" nature, 2) problems of a natural and economic nature, 3) problems of a social nature, 4) problems of a mixed nature.

There are also more "old" and more "new" global problems. Their priority may also change over time. So, at the end of the twentieth century. Ecological and demographic problems came to the fore, while the problem of preventing a third world war became less acute.

Ecological problem

"There is only one earth!" Back in the 40s. Academician V. I. Vernadsky (1863-1945), the founder of the doctrine of the noosphere (the sphere of the mind), wrote that the economic activity of people began to have no less strong impact on the geographical environment than the geological processes occurring in nature itself. Since then, the "metabolism" between society and nature has increased many times over and acquired a global scale. However, by "conquering" nature, people have largely undermined the natural foundations of their own life.

The intensive way consists primarily in increasing the biological productivity of existing lands. Of decisive importance for him will be biotechnology, the use of new, high-yielding varieties and new methods of tillage, the further development of mechanization, chemicalization, and reclamation, the history of which dates back several millennia, starting with Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt and India.

Example. Only during the twentieth century the area of ​​irrigated land increased from 40 to 270 million hectares. Now these lands occupy about 20% of cultivated land, but provide up to 40% of agricultural products. Irrigated agriculture is used in 135 countries, with 3/5 of the irrigated land in Asia.

A new non-traditional way of food production is also being developed, which consists in the "design" of artificial food products based on protein from natural raw materials. Scientists have calculated that in order to provide the population of the Earth with food, it was necessary in the last quarter of the 20th century. to increase the volume of agricultural production by 2 times, and by the middle of the 21st century by 5 times. Calculations show that if the level of agriculture achieved so far in many developed countries were extended to all countries of the world, it would be possible to fully meet the food needs of 10 billion people and even more. . Consequently , the intensive way is the main way to solve the food problem of mankind. Even now it provides 9/10 of the total increase in agricultural production. (Creative task 4.)

Energy and raw material problems: causes and solutions

First of all, these are the problems of reliable supply of mankind with fuel and raw materials. And earlier it happened that the problem of resource provision acquired a certain acuteness. But usually this applied to certain regions and countries with an “incomplete” composition of natural resources. On a global scale, it first manifested itself, perhaps, in the 70s, which can be explained by several reasons.

Among them, a very rapid growth in production with a relatively limited proven reserves of oil, natural gas and some other types of fuel and raw materials, deterioration of mining and geological conditions for production, an increase in the territorial gap between production and consumption areas, promotion of production to areas of new development with extreme natural conditions, the negative impact the industry for the extraction and processing of mineral raw materials on the ecological situation, etc. Therefore, in our era, more than ever before, it is necessary to rationally use mineral resources, which, as you know, belong to the category of exhaustible and non-renewable.

Enormous opportunities for this are opened up by the achievements of scientific and technological revolution, and at all stages of the technological chain. Thus, a more complete extraction of minerals from the bowels of the Earth is of great importance.

Example. With the existing methods of oil extraction, its recovery factor fluctuates between 0.25-0.45, which is clearly not enough and means that most of its geological reserves remain in the bowels of the earth. An increase in the oil recovery factor even by 1% gives a great economic effect.

Large reserves exist in increasing the efficiency of already extracted fuel and raw materials. Indeed, with existing equipment and technology, this coefficient is usually approximately 0.3. Therefore, in the literature one can come across the statement of one English physicist that the efficiency of modern power plants is approximately at the same level as if it were necessary to burn down a whole house in order to fry a pork carcass ... It is not surprising that in recent times especially great attention has been paid not so much to a further increase in production, but to energy and material saving. GDP growth in many countries of the North has long been taking place virtually without an increase in the consumption of fuel and raw materials. In connection with the rise in oil prices, many countries are increasingly using non-traditional renewable energy sources (NRES) wind, solar, geothermal, biomass energy. NRES are inexhaustible and environmentally friendly. Work continues to increase the efficiency and reliability of nuclear power. The use of MHD generators, hydrogen energy and fuel cells has already begun. . And ahead is the mastery of controlled thermonuclear fusion, which is comparable to the invention of a steam engine or a computer. (Creative task 8.)

The problem of human health: a global aspect

Recently, in the world practice, when assessing the quality of life of people, the state of their health has been put forward in the first place. And this is not accidental: after all, it is it that serves as the basis for the full life and activity of each person, and society as a whole.

In the second half of the twentieth century. great successes were achieved in the fight against many diseases - plague, cholera, smallpox, yellow fever, poliomyelitis, etc.

Example. In the 60-70s. The World Health Organization (WHO) has carried out a wide range of smallpox medical interventions that have covered more than 50 countries with a population of over 2 billion people. As a result, this disease on our planet has been virtually eliminated. .

Nevertheless, many diseases still continue to threaten people's lives, often acquiring a truly global distribution. . Among them are cardiovascular diseases, from which 15 million people die every year in the world, malignant tumors, sexually transmitted diseases, drug addiction, malaria. .

Smoking continues to cause great harm to the health of hundreds of millions of people. . But a very special threat to all mankind is AIDS.

Example. This disease, the appearance of which was noted only in the early 80s, is now called the plague of the twentieth century. According to the WHO, at the end of 2005, the total number of people infected with AIDS had already exceeded 45 million, and millions of people had already died from this disease. At the initiative of the United Nations, World AIDS Day is held annually.

When considering this topic, you should keep in mind that when assessing a person's health, one should not be limited only to his physiological health. This concept also includes moral (spiritual), mental health, with which the situation is also unfavorable, including in Russia. That's why human health continues to be one of the priority global problems(Creative task 6.)

The problem of using the oceans: a new stage

The world ocean, which occupies 71% of the Earth's surface, has always played an important role in the communication of countries and peoples. However, until the middle of the twentieth century. all human activities in the ocean gave only 1-2% of world income. But as the scientific and technological revolution developed, the comprehensive exploration and development of the World Ocean took on completely different scales.

Firstly, the aggravation of global energy and raw materials problems has led to the emergence of marine mining and chemical industries, marine energy. Achievements of scientific and technological revolution open prospects for further increase in the production of oil and gas, ferromanganese nodules, for the extraction of deuterium hydrogen isotope from sea water, for the construction of giant tidal power plants, for desalination of sea water.

Secondly, the aggravation of the global food problem has increased interest in the biological resources of the ocean, which so far provide only 2% of the food "ration" of mankind (but 12-15% of animal protein). Of course, the production of fish and seafood can and should be increased. The potential for their removal without the threat of disturbing the existing balance is estimated by scientists from different countries from 100 to 150 million tons. An additional reserve is the development mariculture. . No wonder they say that fish, containing little fat and cholesterol, can be "the chicken of the XXI century."

Thirdly, the deepening of the international geographical division of labor, the rapid growth of world trade are accompanied by an increase in maritime transport. This, in turn, caused a shift in production and population to the sea and the rapid development of a number of coastal areas. Thus, many large seaports have turned into industrial port complexes, for which such industries as shipbuilding, oil refining, petrochemistry, metallurgy are most characteristic, and some of the newest industries have recently begun to develop. Coastal urbanization has taken on a huge scale.

The “population” of the Ocean itself has also increased (crews, personnel of drilling platforms, passengers and tourists), which now reaches 2-3 million people. It is possible that in the future it will increase even more in connection with projects for the creation of stationary or floating islands, as in Jules Verne's novel "The Floating Island" - islands. . It must not be forgotten that the Ocean serves as an important means of telegraph and telephone communication; Numerous cable lines are laid along its bottom. .

As a result of all industrial and scientific activities within the oceans of the world and the contact zone of the ocean, a special component of the world economy arose. maritime industry. It includes mining and manufacturing, energy, fisheries, transport, trade, recreation and tourism. Overall, the maritime industry employs at least 100 million people.

But such activity simultaneously gave rise to the global problem of the oceans. Its essence lies in the extremely uneven development of the resources of the Ocean, in the increasing pollution of the marine environment, in its use as an arena of military activity. As a result, over the past decades, the intensity of life in the World Ocean has decreased by 1/3. That is why the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, adopted in 1982, which is called the "Charter of the Seas", is of great importance. It established economic zones 200 nautical miles from the coast, within which the coastal state can also exercise sovereign rights to exploit biological and mineral resources. The main way to solve the problem of using the World Ocean is rational oceanic nature management, a balanced, integrated approach to its riches, based on the combined efforts of the entire world community. (Creative task 5.)

Peaceful exploration of space: new horizons

Space is a global environment, the common property of mankind. Now that space programs have become much more complex, their implementation requires the concentration of technical, economic, and intellectual efforts of many countries and peoples. Therefore, space exploration has become one of the most important international, global problems.

In the second half of the twentieth century. two main directions in the study and use of outer space were identified: space geography and space production. Both of them from the very beginning became the arena of both bilateral and, in particular, multilateral cooperation.

Example 1 The international organization Intersputnik, headquartered in Moscow, was established in the early 1970s. Nowadays, more than 100 public and private companies in many countries of the world use space communications through the Intersputnik system.

Example 2 The work on the creation of the International Space Station (ISS) "Alte", carried out by the USA, Russia, the European Space Agency, Japan, Canada, has been completed. . In its final form, the ISS consists of 36 block modules. International crews work at the station. And communication with the Earth is carried out with the help of American space shuttles and Russian Soyuz.

The peaceful exploration of outer space, which provides for the abandonment of military programs, is based on the use of the latest achievements in science and technology, production and management. It already provides tremendous space-based information about the Earth and its resources. The features of the future space industry, space technology, the use of space energy resources with the help of giant solar power plants, which will be placed in a heliocentric orbit at an altitude of 36 km, are becoming more and more distinct.

Interrelation of global problems. Overcoming the backwardness of developing countries is the biggest global problem

As you have seen, each of the global problems of mankind has its own specific content. But all of them are closely interconnected: energy and raw materials with environmental, environmental with demographic, demographic with food, etc. The problem of peace and disarmament directly affects all other problems. However, now that the transition from an armaments economy to a disarmament economy has begun, the focus of most global problems is increasingly shifting to the countries of the developing world. . The scale of their backwardness is truly enormous (see Table 10).

The main manifestation and at the same time the cause of this backwardness is poverty, misery. More than 1.2 billion people, or 22% of the total population in these regions, live in extreme poverty in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Half of the poor people exist on $1 a day, the other half on $2. Poverty and poverty are especially characteristic of the countries of Tropical Africa, where almost half of the entire population lives on $1-2 a day. Residents of urban slums and rural hinterland are forced to be content with a standard of living that is 5-10% of the standard of living in the richest countries.

Perhaps the food problem has acquired the most dramatic even catastrophic character in the developing countries. Of course, hunger and malnutrition have existed in the world since the very beginning of human development. Already in the XIX - XX centuries. many millions of lives were taken away by outbreaks of famine in China, India, Ireland, many African countries and the Soviet Union. But the existence of famine in the era of scientific and technological revolution and overproduction of food in the economically developed countries of the West is truly one of the paradoxes of our time. It is also generated by the general backwardness and poverty of the developing countries, which have led to a huge backlog of agricultural production from the needs for its products.

Today, the “geography of hunger” in the world is determined primarily by the most backward, not affected by the “green revolution” countries of Africa and Asia, where a significant part of the population lives literally on the verge of starvation. More than 70 developing countries are forced to import food.

Due to diseases associated with malnutrition and hunger, lack of clean water, 40 million people die every year in developing countries (which is comparable to the human losses during the entire Second World War), including 13 million children. It is no coincidence that the African girl depicted on the poster of the UN Children's Fund answered the question: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” answers with only one word: “Alive!”

The demographic problem of developing countries is closely related to food . The population explosion has a contradictory effect on them. On the one hand, it provides a constant influx of fresh forces, the growth of labor resources, and on the other hand, it creates additional difficulties in the struggle to overcome economic backwardness, complicates the solution of many social issues, "eats" a significant part of their achievements, increases the "load" on the territory. In most countries of Asia, Africa, Latin America, the rate of population growth outstrips the rate of food production.

You already know that recently the population explosion in developing countries has taken the form of "urban explosion". But, despite this, the number of rural population in most of them not only does not decrease, but increases. Accordingly, the already huge agrarian overpopulation is increasing, which continues to support a wave of migration both to the “poverty belts” of large cities and abroad, to richer countries. Not surprisingly, the bulk of the refugees are in developing countries. Recently, more and more environmental refugees have joined the stream of economic refugees.

The specific age composition of the population of developing countries, already known to you, is directly related to the population explosion, where there are two dependents for every able-bodied person. [th]. The high proportion of young people exacerbates many social problems to the extreme. The ecological problem also has a direct connection with the food and demographic problems. Back in 1972, Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi called poverty the worst environmental pollution. Indeed, many of the developing countries are so poor, and the terms of international trade are so unfavorable for them, that often they have no choice but to continue to cut down rare forests, allow livestock to trample pastures, allow the transfer of "dirty" industries, etc., without caring. about future. This is the root cause of such processes as desertification, deforestation, soil degradation, reduction in the species composition of fauna and flora, water and air pollution. The special vulnerability of the nature of the tropics only exacerbates their consequences.

The plight of most developing countries has become a major human, global problem. Back in 1974, the UN adopted a program stipulating that in 1984 not a single person in the world would go to bed hungry.

That is why overcoming the backwardness of developing countries remains an extremely urgent task. . (Creative task 8.)

Global problems of mankind in the 21st century and possible solutions

Problems of a planetary scale are related to the global problems of mankind, and the fate of all mankind depends on their balanced solution. These problems are not isolated, they are interconnected and concern all aspects of the life of the people of our planet, regardless of their economic, social and cultural levels.

In modern society, it is necessary to clearly separate well-known problems from global ones in order to understand their cause and the whole world to begin to eliminate it.

After all, if we consider the problem of overpopulation, then humanity needs to understand that it can be easily dealt with if you do not spend huge amounts of money on wars and advertising, but provide access to the necessary resources, and devote all your efforts to the formation of material and cultural wealth.

Here the question arises, what are the true global problems that concern humanity in the twenty-first century?

The world society stepped into the 21st century with the same problems and threats to life on earth as before. Let's take a closer look at some of the problems of our time. Threats to humanity in the 21st century include:

Environmental problems

Much has already been said about such a negative phenomenon for life on Earth as global warming. Scientists to this day find it difficult to give an accurate answer about the future of the climate, and what may follow the increase in temperature on the planet. After all, the consequences can be such that the temperature will rise until the winters disappear altogether, or it can be the other way around, and global cooling will come.

And since the point of no return in this matter has already been passed, and it is impossible to stop it, it is necessary to look for ways to control and adapt to this problem.

Such catastrophic consequences were caused by the rash activities of people who, for the sake of profit, were engaged in the robbery of natural resources, lived one day and did not think about what this could lead to.

Of course, the international community is trying to start solving this problem, but so far somehow not as actively as we would like. And in the future, the climate will definitely continue to change, but in which direction, it is still difficult to predict.

The threat of war

Also, one of the main global problems is the threat of various kinds of military conflicts. And, unfortunately, the trend towards its disappearance is not yet foreseen, but on the contrary, it only sharpens.

At all times, there have been confrontations between the central and peripheral countries, where the former tried to make the latter dependent and, naturally, the latter tried to get away from it, also with the help of wars.

The main ways and means of solving global problems

Unfortunately, the ways to overcome all the global problems of mankind have not yet been found. But in order for a positive shift to occur in their solution, it is necessary that mankind direct its activities towards the preservation of the natural environment, peaceful existence and the creation of favorable living conditions for future generations.

Therefore, the main methods for solving global problems remain, first of all, the formation of consciousness and a sense of responsibility of all citizens of the planet without exception for their actions.

It is necessary to continue a comprehensive study of the causes of various internal and international conflicts and the search for ways to resolve them.

It will not be superfluous to constantly inform citizens about global problems, involving the public in their control and further forecasting.

Ultimately, each person must take responsibility for the future of our planet and take care of it. To do this, it is necessary to look for ways to interact with the outside world, develop new technologies, conserve resources, look for alternative energy sources, etc.

Maksakovskiy V.P., Geography. Economic and social geography of the world 10 cells. : studies. for general education institutions

Solving global problems is a task of extreme importance and complexity, and so far it cannot be said with certainty that ways to overcome them have been found. According to many social scientists, no matter what individual problem we take from the global system, it cannot be solved without first overcoming spontaneity in the development of earthly civilization, without a transition to coordinated and planned actions on a global scale. Only such actions can save society, as well as its natural environment.

In the conditions prevailing by the beginning of the 21st century, humanity can no longer function spontaneously without the risk of catastrophe for each of the countries. The only way out is in the transition from self-regulating to controlled evolution of the world community and its natural environment. It is necessary that the interests of all mankind - the prevention of nuclear war, the mitigation of the ecological crisis, the replenishment of resources - prevail over the private economic and political benefits of individual countries, corporations and parties. In the 1970s of the last century, various programs were put in place, local, national and transnational organizations began to work. At present, to achieve this goal, humanity has the necessary economic and financial resources, scientific and technical capabilities and intellectual potential. But to realize this opportunity, new political thinking, good will and international cooperation based on the priority of universal human interests and values ​​are needed.

Globalist scientists offer various options for solving the global problems of our time (Fig. 4):

changing the nature of production activities - the creation of waste-free production, heat and energy resource-saving technologies, the use of alternative energy sources (sun, wind, etc.);

creation of a new world order, development of a new formula for the global management of the world community based on the principles of understanding the modern world as an integral and interconnected community of people;

recognition of universal human values, attitude to life, man and the world as the highest values ​​of mankind;

rejection of war as a means of resolving contentious issues, the search for ways to peacefully resolve international problems and conflicts.

Figure 4 - Ways to solve the global problems of mankind

Only together humanity can solve the problem of overcoming the ecological crisis.

First of all, one should move from the consumer-technocratic approach to nature to the search for harmony with it. This, in particular, requires a number of targeted measures to green production: nature-saving technologies, mandatory environmental impact assessment of new projects, and the creation of non-waste closed-cycle technologies. Another measure aimed at improving the relationship between man and nature is reasonable self-limitation in the use of natural resources, especially energy sources (oil, coal), which are of paramount importance for human life. Calculations by international experts show that if we proceed from the current level of consumption (the end of the 20th century), then coal reserves will last for another 430 years, oil - for 35 years, natural gas - for 50 years. The term, especially in terms of oil reserves, is not so long. In this regard, reasonable structural changes are needed in the world energy balance towards expanding the use of atomic energy, as well as the search for new, efficient, safe and most environmentally friendly sources of energy, including space.

The planetary society today is taking specific measures to solve environmental problems and reduce their danger: they develop maximum allowable standards for emissions into the environment, create waste-free or low-waste technologies, use energy, land and water resources more rationally, save minerals, etc. However, all the above and other measures can give a tangible effect only if the efforts of all countries are combined to save nature. Back in 1982, the UN adopted a special document - the World Charter for Conservation of Nature, and then created a special commission on environment and development. In addition to the UN, a non-governmental organization such as the Club of Rome plays an important role in developing and ensuring the environmental safety of mankind. As for the governments of the world's leading powers, they are trying to combat environmental pollution by adopting special environmental legislation.

Global problems require the observance of certain moral norms that allow us to correlate the ever-increasing needs of man with the possibilities of the planet to satisfy them. A number of scientists rightly believe that the transition of the entire earthly community from a dead-end technogenic-consumer to a new spiritual-ecological, or noospheric, type of civilizational existence is necessary. Its essence is that "scientific and technological progress, the production of material goods and services, political and financial and economic interests should not be a goal, but only a means of harmonizing relations between society and nature, an aid to the establishment of the highest ideals of human existence: infinite knowledge , all-round creative development and moral perfection".

One of the most popular points of view for solving this problem is to instill in people new moral and ethical values. So in one of the reports to the Club of Rome, it is written that the new ethical education should be aimed at:

1) the development of global consciousness, thanks to which a person realizes himself as a member of the global community;

2) formation of a more thrifty attitude to the use of natural resources;

3) the development of such an attitude towards nature, which would be based on harmony, and not on subordination;

4) fostering a sense of belonging to future generations and readiness to give up some of their own benefits in their favor.

It is possible and necessary now to successfully fight for the solution of global problems on the basis of constructive and mutually acceptable cooperation of all countries and peoples, regardless of the differences in the social systems to which they belong.

The solution of global problems is possible only through the joint efforts of all countries coordinating their actions at the international level. Self-isolation and peculiarities of development will not allow individual countries to stay away from the economic crisis, nuclear war, the threat of terrorism or the AIDS epidemic. To solve global problems, overcome the danger that threatens all of humanity, it is necessary to further strengthen the interconnection of the diverse modern world, change interaction with the environment, abandon the cult of consumption, and develop new values.

Conclusion: Without appropriate human qualities, without the global responsibility of each person, it is impossible to solve any of the global problems. All problems are too large-scale and complex for one country to cope with them, the leadership of one power cannot ensure a stable world order and solve global problems. Comprehensive interaction of the entire world community is necessary.

Let's hope that the main wealth of all countries in the 21st century will be the preserved resources of nature and the cultural and educational level of people living in harmony with this nature. It is quite likely that the formation of a new - informational - world community with humane goals will become the highway of human development, which will lead it to the solution and elimination of the main global problems.

The global problems of mankind affect our planet as a whole. Therefore, all peoples and states are engaged in their solution. This term appeared in the late 60s of the XX century. Currently, there is a special scientific branch that deals with the study and solution of global problems of mankind. It is called globalization.

Scientists from various fields work in this area: biologists, soil scientists, chemists, physicists, geologists. And this is no coincidence, because the global problems of mankind are complex and their appearance does not depend on any one factor. On the contrary, it is very important to take into account the economic, political and social changes taking place in the world. Life on the planet in the future depends on how correctly the modern global problems of mankind will be solved.

You need to know: some of them have existed for a long time, others, quite “young”, are connected with the fact that people began to negatively affect the world around them. Because of this, for example, the environmental problems of mankind have appeared. They can be called the main difficulties of modern society. Although the problem of environmental pollution itself appeared a long time ago. All varieties interact with each other. Often one problem leads to another.

Sometimes it happens that the global problems of mankind can be solved and completely get rid of them. First of all, this concerns epidemics that threatened the lives of people on the entire planet and led to their mass death, but then they were stopped, for example, with the help of an invented vaccine. At the same time, completely new problems are emerging that were previously unknown to society, or already existing ones are growing to a world level, for example, the depletion of the ozone layer. The cause of their occurrence is human activity. The problem of environmental pollution allows you to see this very clearly. But in other cases, too, there is a clear tendency for people to influence the misfortunes that befall them and threaten their existence. So, what are the problems of humanity that have planetary significance?

environmental disaster

It is caused by daily environmental pollution, depletion of terrestrial and water resources. All these factors together can accelerate the onset of an environmental catastrophe. Man considers himself the king of nature, but at the same time does not seek to preserve it in its original form. This is hindered by industrialization, which is proceeding at a rapid pace. By negatively influencing its habitat, mankind destroys it and does not think about it. No wonder pollution standards have been developed that are regularly exceeded. As a result, the environmental problems of mankind may become irreversible. To avoid this, we must pay attention to the preservation of flora and fauna, try to save the biosphere of our planet. And for this it is necessary to make production and other human activities more environmentally friendly so that the impact on the environment is less aggressive.

demographic problem

The world's population is growing at a rapid pace. And although the “population explosion” has already subsided, the problem still remains. The situation with food and natural resources is deteriorating. Their stocks are declining. At the same time, the negative impact on the environment is increasing, it is impossible to cope with unemployment and poverty. There are difficulties with education and health care. The solution of the global problems of humanity of this nature was undertaken by the UN. The organization has created a special plan. One of his items is the family planning program.

Disarmament

After the creation of a nuclear bomb, the population tries to avoid the consequences of its use. For this, treaties between countries on non-aggression and disarmament are signed. Laws are being adopted to ban nuclear arsenals and stop the arms trade. The presidents of the leading states hope in this way to avoid the outbreak of the Third World War, as a result of which, as they suspect, all life on Earth can be destroyed.

Food problem

In some countries, the population is experiencing food shortages. The people of Africa and other third countries of the world are especially affected by hunger. To solve this problem, two options have been created. The first is aimed at ensuring that pastures, fields, fishing zones gradually increase their area. If you follow the second option, it is necessary not to increase the territory, but to increase the productivity of existing ones. For this, the latest biotechnologies, methods of land reclamation, and mechanization are being developed. High-yielding varieties of plants are being developed.

Health

Despite the active development of medicine, the emergence of the latest vaccines and drugs, humanity continues to get sick. Moreover, many ailments threaten the lives of the population. Therefore, in our time, the development of methods of treatment is actively conducted. Substances of modern design are created in laboratories for effective immunization of the population. Unfortunately, the most dangerous diseases of the 21st century - oncology and AIDS - remain incurable.

The ocean problem

Recently, this resource is not only actively explored, but also used for the needs of mankind. As experience shows, it can provide food, natural resources, energy. The ocean is a trade route that helps restore communication between countries. At the same time, its reserves are used unevenly, military operations are conducted on its surface. In addition, it serves as a base for the disposal of waste, including radioactive waste. Mankind is obliged to protect the wealth of the World Ocean, avoid pollution, and rationally use its gifts.

Space exploration

This space belongs to all mankind, which means that all peoples must use their scientific and technical potential to explore it. For the deep study of space, special programs are being created that use all modern achievements in this area.

People know that if these problems do not disappear, the planet may die. But why do many do not want to do anything, hoping that everything will disappear, “dissolve” by itself? Although, in truth, such inaction is better than the active destruction of nature, the pollution of forests, water bodies, the destruction of animals and plants, especially rare species.

It is impossible to understand the behavior of such people. It would do no harm for them to think about what to live, if, of course, it is still possible, their children and grandchildren will have to live on the dying planet. You should not count on the fact that someone will be able to rid the world of difficulties in a short time. The global problems of mankind can only be solved jointly, if all of humanity makes an effort. The threat of destruction in the near future should not frighten. Best of all, if she can stimulate the potential inherent in each of us.

Do not think that it is difficult to cope with the world's problems alone. From this it seems that it is useless to act, thoughts appear about powerlessness in the face of difficulties. The point is to join forces and help the prosperity of at least your city. Solve the little problems of your habitat. And when every person on Earth begins to have such responsibility to himself and his country, large-scale, global problems will also be solved.