What is a global problem for humanity. Global problems of humanity

Zelenogorsk 2010

Introduction

Conclusion

Applications

Introduction

Humanity does not stand still, it is constantly developing and improving. In the course of development, complex problems have constantly arisen before humanity, many of which are of a global, planetary nature, affecting the interests of all countries and peoples. Humanity has experienced the tragedy of two of the most destructive and bloody world wars. An end to colonial empires and colonialism; the collapse of totalitarian regimes opens up the prospect of the civilizational unity of the world; the scientific and technological revolution and the latest technologies have transformed the material and technical basis of modern society, which is acquiring the qualitative features of a post-industrial and information society; new tools and household appliances; the development of education and culture, the affirmation of the priority of human rights, etc., provide opportunities for human improvement and a new quality of life.

They fully manifested themselves in the last quarter of the twentieth century, at the turn of two centuries and even millennia. As Gilbert Keith Chesterton, an outstanding English Christian thinker, journalist and writer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, said: “Progress is the father of problems.”

One of the reasons for the diversity of the world is the difference in natural conditions and physical habitat. These conditions affect many aspects of social life, but primarily human economic activity. In the states of the world, problems of people's lives, their well-being and human rights are solved within the framework of historical specifics. Each sovereign state has its own problems.

The purpose of this essay is to summarize knowledge about the global problems of our time, highlight their characteristic features, and find out the necessary conditions for solving them. Let's try to determine which problems are global in nature and into which groups they are divided. Let's discuss what measures people should take to solve these problems.

The work consists of an introduction, two chapters, a conclusion and a list of references. The total volume of work is ___ pages.

1. Global problems of our time

1.1 Concept of global problems

First of all, it is necessary to decide what problems we can call “global”. Global (French Global) - universal, (Latin Globus) - ball. Based on this, the meaning of the word “global” can be defined as:

1) covering the entire globe, worldwide;

2) comprehensive, complete, universal.

The present time is the boundary of a change of eras, the entry of the modern world into a qualitatively new phase of development. The most characteristic features of the modern world (Fig. 1):

information revolution;

acceleration of modernization processes;

"compaction" of space;

acceleration of historical and social time;

the end of the bipolar world (confrontation between the USA and the USSR);

reconsidering the Eurocentric worldview;

growing influence of eastern states;

integration (convergence, interpenetration);

globalization (strengthening interconnection and interdependence of countries and peoples);

strengthening national cultural values ​​and traditions.

Figure 1 - Modern world

Thus, global problems are a set of problems of humanity that faced it in the second half of the 20th century, and on the solution of which the existence of civilization depends and, therefore, requiring coordinated international action to solve them.

Now let's try to find out what they have in common.

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. It has become obvious that global problems not only concern all of humanity, but are also vitally important to it. Complex problems facing humanity can be considered global, since (Fig. 2):

firstly, they affect all of humanity, touching the interests and destinies of all countries, peoples and social strata;

secondly, global problems do not respect borders;

thirdly, they lead to significant losses of an economic and social nature, and sometimes to a threat to the existence of civilization itself;

fourthly, they require broad international cooperation to solve these problems, since not one state, no matter how powerful it may be, is unable to solve them on its own.

Figure 2 - Features of global problems

Until the middle of the 20th century, the political language lacked the concept of “global problems” as universal problems of world civilization. Their emergence was caused by a whole complex of reasons, which most clearly manifested themselves during this period. What are these reasons?

1.2 Causes of global problems

Scientists and philosophers, at the level of generalizations, have put forward ideas about the connection between human activity and the state of the biosphere (the environment that supports life on Earth). Russian scientist V.I. Vernandsky in 1944 expressed the idea that human activity is acquiring a scale comparable to the power of natural forces. This allowed him to raise the question of restructuring the biosphere into the noosphere (sphere of activity of the mind).

What caused global problems? These reasons include the sharp increase in the human population, the scientific and technological revolution, the use of space, the emergence of a unified world information system, and many others.

The first people who appeared on Earth, while obtaining food for themselves, did not violate natural laws and natural cycles. With the development of tools, man increasingly increased his “pressure” on nature. Thus, 400 thousand years ago, synanthropes destroyed significant areas of vegetation cover in northern China with fire; and in the once forested Moscow region during the time of Ivan the Terrible there were fewer forests than now - due to the use of slash-and-burn agriculture since ancient times.

The industrial revolution of the 18th-19th centuries, interstate contradictions, scientific and technological revolution of the mid-20th century, and integration aggravated the situation. Problems grew like a snowball as humanity moved along the path of progress. The Second World War marked the beginning of the transformation of local problems into global ones.

Global problems are a consequence of the confrontation between natural 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, while human culture exists on the principle of positive feedback. On the one hand, there is the enormous scale of human activity, which has radically changed nature, society, and people’s way of life. On the other hand, it is a person’s inability to rationally manage this power.

So, we can name the reasons for the emergence of global problems:

globalization of the world;

the catastrophic consequences of human activity, the inability of humanity to rationally manage its mighty power.

1.3 The main global problems of our time

Global problems are different in nature. These include, first of all, the problem of peace and disarmament, the prevention of a new world war; environmental; demographic; energy; raw materials; food; use of the World Ocean; peaceful space exploration; overcoming the backwardness of developing countries (Fig. 3).

Figure 3 - Global problems of humanity

There are different approaches to the classification of global problems, but the most widely accepted classification is based on the content and severity of the problems. In accordance with this approach, global problems of humanity are divided into three groups, expressing the essence of the general crisis of civilization:

universal human problems (for example, preventing an arms race);

problems of human relations with nature (for example, the study and exploration of space);

problems of relationships between society and people (for example, eliminating the most dangerous diseases).

However, there is no stable list and unified classification of global problems; however, the most pressing ones include the following.

The problem of global thermonuclear war. The search for ways to prevent world conflicts began almost immediately after the end of World War II and the victory over Nazism. At the same time, it was decided to create the UN - a universal international organization, the main goal of which was to develop interstate cooperation and, in the event of a conflict between countries, to assist opposing parties in resolving controversial issues peacefully. However, the division of the world that soon occurred into two systems - capitalist and socialist, as well as the beginning of the Cold War and the arms race more than once brought the world to the brink of nuclear disaster. The threat of a third world war was especially real during the so-called Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, caused by the deployment of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba. But thanks to the reasonable position of the leaders of the USSR and the USA, the crisis was resolved peacefully. In the following decades, a number of nuclear weapons limitation agreements were signed by the world's leading nuclear powers, and some of the nuclear powers committed themselves to stopping nuclear testing. Government decisions were influenced by the social movement for peace, as well as the speeches of such an authoritative interstate association of scientists for general and complete disarmament as the Pugwash movement.

Researchers from different countries have come to a unanimous assessment that the third world war, if it breaks out, will be the tragic finale of the entire history of human civilization; the most disastrous consequence of the possible use of nuclear weapons, as well as global accidents as a result of the use of atomic energy, will be the death of all living things and the onset of “nuclear winter”; 5 percent of accumulated nuclear reserves is enough to plunge the planet into an environmental catastrophe.

Scientists, using scientific models, have convincingly proven that the main consequence of a nuclear war will be an environmental disaster, which will result in climate change on Earth. The latter could lead to genetic changes in human nature and, possibly, to the complete extinction of humanity. Today we can state the fact that the likelihood of conflict between the leading powers of the world is much less than before. However, there is the possibility of nuclear weapons falling into the hands of totalitarian reactionary regimes or into the hands of individual terrorists. After the events in New York on September 11, 2001, the problem of combating international terrorism sharply worsened.

The problem of overcoming the environmental crisis. This problem is the most pressing. The level of human impact on the environment depends primarily on the technical level of society. It was extremely small at the initial stages of human development. However, with the development of society and the growth of its productive forces, the situation begins to change dramatically. The 20th century is the century of scientific and technological progress. Associated with a qualitatively new relationship between science, engineering and technology, it enormously increases the possible and real scale of society’s impact on nature, and poses a whole series of new, extremely acute problems for humanity, primarily environmental ones.

In the process of his economic activity, man has long occupied the position of a consumer in relation to nature, mercilessly exploiting it, believing that natural reserves are inexhaustible. One of the negative results of human activity has been the depletion of natural resources and environmental pollution. As a result, substances hazardous to human life and health were released into the atmosphere, destroying it, and ending up in the soil. Not only the air and land were polluted, but also the waters of the World Ocean. This leads both to the destruction (extinction) of entire species of animals and plants, and to the deterioration of the gene pool of all humanity.

Today, the environmental situation in the world can be described as close to critical. Among the global environmental problems the following can be noted:

Thousands of species of plants and animals have been destroyed and continue to be destroyed;

forest cover has been largely destroyed;

the available reserves of mineral resources are rapidly declining;

The world ocean is not only depleted as a result of the destruction of living organisms, but also ceases to be a regulator of natural processes;

the atmosphere in many places is polluted to the maximum permissible levels, and clean air is becoming scarce;

the ozone layer, which protects all living things from cosmic radiation, is partially damaged;

surface pollution and disfigurement of natural landscapes: it is impossible to find a single square meter of surface on Earth where there are no artificially created elements.

The harmfulness of man's consumer attitude towards nature only as an object for obtaining certain wealth and benefits has become completely obvious. It is becoming vitally necessary for humanity to change the very philosophy of attitude towards nature.

The demographic problem is becoming increasingly important for humanity. It is associated with the continuous increase in the population living on the planet, but it is obvious that the Earth’s resources (primarily food) are limited.

It is the number of people living on the planet, the territorial location and the scale of their economic activity that determine such important parameters as the provision of resources to the population, the state of the Earth’s biosphere, and the global social and political environment.

At the same time, demographic processes at the turn of the 20th - 21st centuries. identify two trends:

demographic “explosion”, characterized by a sharp increase in population in the countries of Asia, Africa, Latin America, starting from the 60s;

“zero population growth” in Western European countries.

The first leads to a sharp exacerbation of socio-economic problems in developing countries, including hunger and illiteracy of tens of millions of people. The second is to a sharp aging of the population in developed countries, including a deterioration in the balance between workers and pensioners, etc.

The food problem is also considered a global one: today more than 500 million people suffer from malnutrition, and several million die from malnutrition every year. Throughout human history, food production has generally not kept pace with population growth. Only during the 40 years of the 20th century (from 1950 to 1990) was the situation different: the world's population doubled during this time, while the world grain harvest tripled. However, in the late 80s - early 90s. The growth of global food production began to slow while demand for food continued to rise. The latter is associated not only with an increase in the number of inhabitants on the planet, but with such a factor as an increase in the well-being of a large mass of people due to the widespread industrialization of developing countries, primarily in Asia. It is believed that global food demand will increase by 64% by 2020, including almost 100% in developing countries. Today, agricultural development no longer keeps pace with changes in the volume and structure of global food demand. If this trend is not stopped, then in the next two to three decades the need to cover food shortages may increase several times.

Therefore, the roots of this problem lie not in food shortages as such or in the limitations of modern natural resources, but in their unfair redistribution and exploitation both within individual countries and on a global scale. The fact that in the modern world people can be malnourished, and even more so die of hunger, is a completely immoral, criminal and unacceptable phenomenon. This is a disgrace to humanity and, above all, to the most developed countries.

The problem of the gap in the level of economic development between the developed countries of the West and the developing countries of the "third world" (the "North-South" problem) - the majority of those who were liberated in the second half of the 20th century. From the colonial dependence of countries, having embarked on the path of catching-up economic development, they were unable, despite relative successes, to catch up with developed countries in terms of basic economic indicators (primarily in terms of GNP per capita). This was largely due to the demographic situation: population growth in these countries actually offset the economic successes achieved.

Of course, global problems are not limited to the above. In reality there are more of them. These include the crisis of culture and spiritual values, the deficit of democracy in the modern world, the spread of dangerous diseases, terrorism, bureaucracy and many others (Appendix 1).

In general, all global problems of humanity can be represented as a tangle of contradictions, where from each problem there are various threads stretching to all other problems.

2. Ways to solve global problems

Solving global problems is a task of extreme importance and complexity, and so far it cannot be said with confidence 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 the spontaneity in the development of earthly civilization, without moving to coordinated and planned actions on a global scale. Only such actions can save society, as well as its natural environment.

In the conditions that prevailed at the beginning of the 21st century, humanity can no longer function spontaneously without the risk of catastrophe for each country. 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 universal human interests - preventing nuclear war, mitigating the environmental crisis, replenishing resources - prevail over the private economic and political benefits of individual countries, corporations and parties. In the 1970s last century, various types of programs were introduced, local, national and transnational organizations began to work. Currently, to achieve this goal, humanity has the necessary economic and financial resources, scientific and technical capabilities and intellectual potential. But realizing this opportunity requires new political thinking, good will and international cooperation based on the priority of universal human interests and values.

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

changing the nature of production activities - the creation of waste-free production, heat-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 global governance of the world community on the principles of understanding the modern world as an integral and interconnected community of people;

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

renunciation of war as a means of resolving controversial issues, searching for ways to peacefully resolve international problems and conflicts.

Figure 4 - Ways to solve global problems of humanity

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

First of all, we must move from the consumer-technocratic approach to nature to the search for harmony with it. For this, in particular, a number of targeted measures are needed to green production: nature-saving technologies, mandatory environmental assessment of new projects, and the creation of waste-free closed-cycle technologies. Another measure aimed at improving the relationship between man and nature is reasonable self-restraint in the consumption of natural resources, especially energy sources (oil, coal), which are of utmost importance for the life of mankind. Calculations by international experts show that, based on the current level of consumption (late 20th century), coal reserves will last for another 430 years, oil - for 35 years, natural gas - for 50 years. The period, especially for oil reserves, is not that long. In this regard, reasonable structural changes in the global energy balance are necessary towards expanding the use of nuclear energy, as well as the search for new, efficient, safe and maximally harmless to nature energy sources, including space energy.

The Planetary Society today is taking specific measures to solve environmental problems and reduce their danger: they are developing maximum permissible standards for emissions into the environment, creating waste-free or low-waste technologies, using energy, land and water resources more rationally, saving minerals, etc. However, all of the above and other measures can produce a tangible effect only if all countries unite the efforts to save nature. Back in 1982, the UN adopted a special document - the World Conservation Charter, 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 a major role in developing and ensuring the environmental safety of humanity. 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 adherence to certain moral standards that make it possible to correlate the ever-increasing human needs with the planet’s ability to satisfy them. A number of scientists rightly believe that a transition of the entire earthly community from a dead-end technogenic-consumer one 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-economic interests should not be a goal, but only a means of harmonizing relations between society and nature, a tool for establishing the highest ideals of human existence: endless knowledge , comprehensive creative development and moral improvement."

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 world community;

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

3) 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 a willingness to give up part of one’s own benefits in their favor.

It is possible and necessary to successfully fight for the solution of global problems now 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.

Solving global problems is only possible through the joint efforts of all countries coordinating their actions at the international level. Self-isolation and development features will not allow individual countries to remain aloof from the economic crisis, nuclear war, the threat of terrorism or the AIDS epidemic. To solve global problems and overcome the danger that threatens all of humanity, it is necessary to further strengthen the interconnection of the diverse modern world, change the 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 the problems are too large and complex for one country to cope with; the leadership of one power cannot ensure a stable world order and solutions to global problems. Complex 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 likely that the formation of a new - information - world community, with humane goals, will become the highway of human development that will lead it to the solution and elimination of major global problems.

Conclusion

Concluding this work, let us briefly note the following.

The international community has started talking seriously about global problems since the mid-60s of the twentieth century. They immediately began to include environmental degradation and a population explosion, the threat of depletion of natural resources in the world and a shortage of energy and food sources in the world, and the growing gap between rich and poor countries. This sad list of problems was crowned by the danger of World War III and thermonuclear catastrophe.

Thus, global problems are the problems that confronted all of humanity in the second half of the twentieth century, on the solution of which its existence depends.

Features of global problems:

arose in the second half of the 20th century;

all global problems are interconnected;

cover all aspects of people's lives;

apply to all countries of the world without exception.

Main global problems:

a) overcoming the environmental crisis and its consequences: depletion of natural resources, pollution of the environment;

b) demographic problem (the problem of world population growth);

c) the problem of reducing the gap in the level of economic development between countries;

d) the problem of preventing the threat of a third world (nuclear) war;

e) the fight against international terrorism, drug mafia and drug addiction;

f) preventing the spread of AIDS.

All global problems are closely interconnected, and the problem of maintaining peace and preventing nuclear war can, without exaggeration, be considered problem number one, since the existence of civilization itself depends on it.

The environmental problem can be conditionally placed in second place, since a disdainful attitude towards nature also threatens the death of the civilization of the planet.

The social consequences of scientific and technological revolution include: increased requirements for the training of specialists, an increase in the share of workers in the service sector, an increase in the duration of schooling, and an increase in the education of the population.

Causes of global problems:

exploitation of resources,

arms race,

low culture of people,

population growth.

Conclusion: Global problems are diverse, complex, and contradictory. They are closely intertwined and interconnected with each other; there is a complex of global problems. Global problems need to be solved by everyone together.

To summarize the consideration of global problems of our time, we should name the main ways to solve them:

eliminating wars from the life of society;

creation of effective international environmental control bodies;

rational limitation of scientific and technical progress;

humanization of the world community;

formation of a non-aggressive personality of the 21st century;

increasing the reliability of scientific forecasts for the development of the planetary community;

joint solution of global problems and others.

I think that the expression: “We did not inherit the Earth from our ancestors. We borrow it from our descendants” very well emphasizes the importance and necessity of solving global problems.

List of used literature

1. Bogolyubov, L.N. Man and society. Social studies textbook for 11th grade students. general education institutions. / Edited by L.N. Bogolyubova, A.Yu. Lazebnikova. - M.: Education, 2006. - 270 p.

2. Kishenkova O.V. Contemporary history grades 9 - 11: Methodological manual / O.V. Kishenkova. - M.: Bustard, 2001. - P.150-163.

3. Kravchenko A.I. Social studies. 10th grade / A.I. Kravchenko. - M.: Russian Word, 2005.

4. Nizhnikov S.A. Global problems of our time. Philosophy: course of lectures / S.A. Nizhnikov. - M.: publishing house "Exam", 2006. - 383 p.

5. Man and society. The modern world: A textbook for students in grades 11 of general education institutions / Ed. V.I. Kuptsova. - M.: Education, 2000.

Applications

Appendix 1

Classification of global problems of our time

Global problem	Content
Environmental	"Ozone hole" Greenhouse effect (global warming) Deforestation Environmental pollution: atmosphere, soil, ocean waters, food Natural disasters: typhoons, tsunamis, hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, droughts Environmental disturbances associated with space and ocean exploration
Economic	Food problem, poles of development "North - South" The Problem of the Limits to Economic Growth Resource depletion Economic globalism
Social	Demographic problem The problem of health protection (the spread of dangerous diseases: cancer, AIDS, SARS...) The problem of education (1 billion illiterate people, ethnic, interfaith conflicts)
Political	The problem of war and peace: the possibility of local conflicts escalating into global ones, the danger of nuclear war, remaining poles of confrontation struggle for spheres of influence (USA - Europe - Russia - Asia-Pacific region) Differences in political systems (democracy, authoritarianism, totalitarianism) Terrorism (international, domestic, criminal)
Spiritual	Degradation of "mass culture" Devaluation of moral and ethical values, people’s departure from reality into the world of illusions (drug addiction), increase in aggression, neuropsychiatric diseases, c. including due to computerization The problem of scientists' responsibility for the consequences of their discoveries

You can look at the future from different points of view: believe in progress and improvement of life, or in the fact that the Golden Age has passed, and there is-Apocalypse. Regardless of your point of view, there are problems that threaten us with serious consequences in the future. These problems-a logical and inevitable factor in the development of society; they do not depend on the strategy and development path of any particular country. Such problems concern all humanity,they are called global. the site tells what global problems of humanity are, why they arise and what participation Kazakhstan takes in solving them.

What are global problems of humanity

Global problems of humanity-These are social and natural problems, the solution of which determines the progress, development and preservation of civilization. They concern all people in all countries.

An approved classification of global problems or gradation, which of them is more relevant,No. All global problems are interconnected and threaten the destruction of humanity, so they need to be solved as quickly and efficiently as possible. And to resolve such problems, joint efforts of all countries are needed.

Among global problems-economic, political, social and environmental. Let's talk about the main ones.

"North - South" : contradiction between developed and developing countries

There is a strong gap between the incomes and living standards of countries. Conventionally, the world is divided into rich northern countries and poor southern ones. The rich north includes developed capitalist states (First World countries) and G8 countries- "big eight". On the map, the rich Nordic countries are marked in blue.

The distribution is influenced by average per capita income, GDP per capita, and the country’s share in world GDP. Over the past 40 years, the gap in per capita income between rich and poor countries has doubled. In the 20 richest countries, the average per capita income is 37 times higher than in the 20 poorest countries.

The gap in countries' share of global GDP is growing. In developed countries, economic growth is faster, so the gap between countries is only widening. And such a strong gap-problem. Tension is growing for various reasons: poverty, hunger, lack of quality education, arbitrariness within the country. It is more difficult to maintain peace when developed countries have the latest weapons that poor countries do not have. The problem of maintaining peace on Earth is acute.

The gap between north and south can also be observed within individual countries. It also exists in Kazakhstan: the industrial north, where the main production is concentrated, is growing economically much faster than the agricultural south. There are enough jobs in the north, so the government even decided to allocate quotas for migrants from the south in order to increase employment.

Social inequality and rising unemployment

Inequality occurs not only among countries, but also among people in general. The incomes of the 500 richest people featured in Forbes magazinehigher than 416 million people. The huge gap in income between the richest 1% of people and the rest of humanity raises the problem of social inequality.

Resources in the world are limited, both material and spiritual. People initially do not have equal access to them. The market economy intensifies competition, which not everyone is able to withstand, and unemployment also increases. And along with this, social tension is growing: many unemployed, socially vulnerable segments of the population who find themselves below the poverty line perceive this as injustice. The situation is heating up, and sometimes people act too radically. In such a situation, the problem of maintaining peace again arises.

Limited resources, difficulty in switching to alternative sources

Social inequality and the gap between the economies of countries is also associated with limited resources. Oil, natural gas, coal, metals, timber, and clean drinking water are running out. These resources are non-renewable, and the current economic situation does not allow us to simply abandon their use. They need to be replaced with something, so humanity is trying to actively develop alternative energy sources. Biodiversity is declining: species of plants and animals are disappearing due to changing living conditions and their extermination by people.

Environmental issues: pollution and global warming

Human economic activity has affected many biological processes, as a result-environmental problems emerged. Already, humanity is greatly affected by water and air pollution, the greenhouse effect and warming.

Estimated According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 663 million people rely on unimproved drinking water sources. At least 1.8 billion people in the world-and this is every fourth inhabitant of the planet-use drinking water sources contaminated with feces. It is predicted that in 2025, half of the world's population will live in areas with a shortage of drinking water. Measures to clean up water bodies do not produce a tangible effect: people pollute them faster than they restore them.

The situation with air is even worse. Data WHO says that already in 2014, 92% of the world's population lived in areas where air pollution levels exceeded those allowed by air quality guidelines. Environmental organization Air Quality Index China released an interactive map , which shows the level of air pollution in real time. The map displays data from more than 5,000 sources from around the world. Dark red flags-dangerous levels of air pollution.

Due to water and air pollution, biodiversity is declining, human morbidity and mortality rates are rising, and social inequality is causing a lack of access to quality health care.

According to NASA, the average temperature on Earth is steadily increasing. Global warming and the greenhouse effect are already affecting the biosphere: as temperatures rise, the environment changes, some microorganisms simply die out, relationships in ecological niches change, glaciers melt, sea and ocean levels rise. All this generally changes climatic conditions, and extreme weather events such as prolonged drought or heavy rains occur more often. From here -threat to food security, hunger, increased poverty and, again, reinforcement of social inequality.

How does Kazakhstan participate in solving global problems?

The most important steps were taken a long time ago, they are taught about them in schools: testing was stopped and the nuclear test site was closed, Kazakhstan abandoned the use of nuclear weapons, the International Convention on the Conservation of Biodiversity was ratified, and an environmental code is in force. How much does this help?-a separate issue, because we have problems with the practical implementation of measures.

By 2030, Kazakhstan plans to increase the share of alternative energy use to 30% of the total volume. Another important step-preserving peace. Foreign policy is aimed at concluding mutually beneficial cooperation to strengthen relations with other states.

The plan for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and industrialization, which the President spoke about in his Address to the People in January 2018, should help us reduce social inequality, increase GDP and incomes.

It is also worth remembering the theory of small deeds: each of us must start with ourselves to make the world a better place. One person's efforts don't seem to make a difference. But nevertheless, the garbage that you took with you after relaxing in nature-This is garbage that will not pollute the environment. A small step by each of us can change the situation around the world.

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 negligible 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 nations, 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 a variety of spheres of 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.

minerals.

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 (millions of 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.

Environmental 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

Humanity has come a long way from savage ignorance to the historical landing on the Moon and the conquest of the Red Planet. Surprisingly, with the growth of scientific thought, technology has not brought benefits to ordinary citizens of our planet. On the contrary, they entail a reduction in jobs, crisis and war phenomena. Let's consider global problems of our time and ways to solve them.

Fundamental Concepts

Global problems of our time (GP) are critical phenomena affecting interests of every person, society and world states generally.

The term became popular in the 60s. XX century. To prevent negative consequences, a joint action plan of all countries is needed.

The modern GP classification is a system that takes into account the origin, level of danger, and possible consequences of each danger. Structuring makes it easier to focus on solving pressing problems.

Like any phenomenon, ours has a number of properties that form the concept:

1. Independence of time - risk groups have a destructive impact on the planet, but their speed is significantly different. For example, the demographic crisis of humanity takes longer to develop than natural disasters that occur overnight.
2. Affects every state - the integration of world powers has led to mutual responsibility between them. However, it is important to attract the attention of the entire world community to a constructive dialogue.
3. Threat to humanity - all types of global problems of our time question the integrity and life of world society, planets.

Attention! Until the mid-20th century, scientists did not think about the brevity of humanity's global issues. The relationship between human society and nature was raised only on a philosophical level. In 1944 V.I. Vernadsky introduced the concept of the noosphere (the area of ​​activity of the mind), arguing for the scale of human creations.

The emergence of global issues

The causes of humanity's global problems do not appear in a vacuum. We bring to your attention a list of factors shaping the current problems of our time:

1. The globalization of the world - the economy and relations between states have reached a new level. Now every participant on the world stage is responsible for the well-being of their neighbors (and not only).
2. The widest field of activity is “conquerors of the world”, this is how modern society feels. Today there are no areas where no human has set foot.
3. Irrational consumption of resources – The planet's safety margin is not unlimited. Studies of the earth's crust indicate that the energy sector (gas, oil and coal) will collapse in 170 years. I hope you understand what this means.
4. Environmental destruction – this includes the rapid development of technology. After all, multi-million dollar projects require tons of minerals. Hence deforestation, unsystematic destruction of the gifts of the World, pollution of the atmosphere and outer space.
5. Morality and society - the common man is not interested in the current problems of our time. But carelessness at the “lowest” level is fraught with relaxation among the ruling circles and the scientific elite.
6. Uneven socio-economic development - “young” states are significantly inferior to the powerful, which allows them to manipulate the weaker. This situation is fraught with increasing global tension.
7. Weapons of mass destruction - nuclear warheads threaten the very existence of humanity. However, this is also a reliable (for now) deterrent.

The global issues facing humanity today testify to the incompetence of world leaders and aggressive policies towards nature.

Important! Scientists have long identified the causes of the difficulties of our time, but their solution has not yet brought visible results. To restore the lost heritage, humanity will need tens, hundreds of years.

Classification

The best minds of our time are working to structure global dangers for humanity.

Some order them by origin, others by destructive impact, and still others by importance for world civilization. We suggest that you familiarize yourself with each option.

The first group includes factors related to foreign policy of states, their contradictions and mutual claims. To resolve global problems, it is necessary to provide political prerequisites.

The second group is the globalization of relationships between man and society, the state. This includes ethnic, religious, and terrorist confrontations.

The third group is the link between world civilization and the nature of the planet. The solution to these problems must be of a scientific and political nature.

Let's sort it out GP classification, based on the direction of impact:

1. The global threat - the development of modern technologies requires a resource base, the formation of which pollutes the surrounding space. Most modern industry emits waste products into the air. Environmental protection includes not only reducing the emissions of harmful substances, but also the development of new, “clean” technologies. Similar projects are already being created in economically developed countries, but transnational companies are slowing down their implementation (fabulous income from gas and oil).
2. Overpopulation - according to scientists, a population of 12 billion people will lead to to the destruction of the planet's ecosystem. In short, we will have to “get rid” of more than 5 billion in order to restore natural balance. A cruel way of reduction is the Third World War, a more humane one is birth control, a fantastic one is colonization.
3. Shortage of energy resources - without minerals (gas, oil, coal), human civilization will collapse. Loss of electricity will lead to a shutdown of production, degradation of communication systems, and limitation of information space. Alternative energy sources will help humanity to save itself, but the powers that be are not interested in this.

Social aspect

The development of modern society has led to a sharp decline in the values ​​of humanity, which were formed over hundreds of years.

The desire to provide for loved ones has grown into greed and uncompromisingness, and developed countries live at the expense of the main “raw material base” - their less developed neighbors.

Let's voice it obvious problems modernity in the social sector:

• degradation of public morality - the legalization of drugs and prostitution contributes to the rooting of new values. Selling your own body and smoking drugs is the norm of modern life;
• crime – with a decrease in the level of spirituality in society crime and corruption increases society. The formation of the moral principles of humanity has always been entrusted to the family, the church, and the educational system;
• prostitution and drug addiction - the distribution of psychotropic substances can be considered among the global problems of our time in society. They not only enslave a person’s will, but also reduce his social activity - making him an easy target for manipulation and propaganda.

Remaining types of global problems modern times are listed below:

1. Disarmament - the main item of expenditure for most states is the defense industry. Money could improve the world's ecology, reduce illiteracy, and stop hunger.
2. Use of the World Ocean - in addition to catching huge amounts of fish and other seafood, many nuclear tests are carried out in the sea. There is no need to talk about harm to the environment.
3. Global problems of our time are manifested in human exploration of space. The government of each country is trying to conquer or take a dominant position in yet undeveloped spaces.
4. Overcoming backwardness - the infringement of the rights of citizens of developing countries has reached its limit. Strong neighbors interfere in every possible way in the domestic and foreign policies of their “partners.” This is heating up the situation on the world stage.
5. Infection control – the social and humanitarian aspects of global problems may disappear after several waves of infectious diseases. Therefore, it is important to respond to the emergence of new strains and viruses.

Strategy for exiting the crisis

Global problems of our time and ways to solve them are a priority task for the world community.

The tasks to solve these problems can be very diverse and relate to different spheres of society.

They require not only huge financial investments, but also great effort, both mental and physical.

Let us briefly list such tasks.

All of the above dangers require prompt resolution:

• increasing the productivity of the agricultural sector, new arable land;
• reducing the consumption of electricity and resources in general. Industrial optimization will reduce fuel consumption and material costs. Reducing harmful emissions is a priority;
• free assistance to developing countries, humanitarian missions to combat poverty and hunger;
• peaceful disarmament - renunciation of chemical and nuclear weapons. Limited use of the “peaceful atom”, development of alternative energy sources;
• The global problem of humanity is the decline of the moral and ethical principles of society. There is painstaking work ahead to introduce new values, cultivate good habits, and improve the educational system;
• outer space needs to be rid of debris; neutrality can be called a feature.

Attention! The financial market is not one of the modern sources of global danger; the impact of funds on the environment or the educational system is insignificant.

Global problems of the world and ways to solve them

World environmental problems

Conclusion

The main features of humanity’s global problems include their scale, interconnection of their components, and destructive consequences. The difficulty of solving such problems lies not so much in money, but in the reluctance of a number of countries to change the established picture of modernity.

In the course of the development of civilization, humanity has repeatedly faced complex problems, sometimes of a planetary nature. But still, this was a distant prehistory, a kind of “incubation period” of modern global problems.

They fully manifested themselves in the second half and especially in the last quarter of the 20th century. Such problems were brought to life by a complex of reasons that clearly manifested themselves during this period.

In fact, never before has humanity itself increased quantitatively by 2.5 times during the lifetime of only one generation, thereby increasing the strength of the “demographic press”. Never before has humanity entered into, reached the post-industrial stage of development, or opened the road to space. Never before have such quantities of natural resources and the “waste” they return to the environment been required to support its life. All this since the 60s and 70s. XX century attracted the attention of scientists, politicians, and the general public to global problems.

Global problems are problems that: firstly, concern all of humanity, affecting the interests and destinies of all countries, peoples, social strata; secondly, they lead to significant economic and social losses, and if they worsen, they can threaten the very existence of human civilization;
thirdly, they can only be resolved through cooperation on a planetary basis.

Priority problems of humanity are:

• the problem of peace and disarmament;
• environmental;
• demographic;
• energy;
• raw materials;
• food;
• use of the resources of the World Ocean;
• peaceful space exploration;
• overcoming the backwardness of developing countries.

The essence of global problems and possible ways to solve them

The problem of peace and disarmament- the problem of preventing a third world war remains the most important, highest priority problem for humanity. In the second half of the 20th century. Nuclear weapons appeared and a real threat arose of the destruction of entire countries and even continents, i.e. almost all modern life.

Solutions:

• Establishing strict control over nuclear and chemical weapons;
• Reduction of conventional weapons and arms trade;
• A general reduction in military spending and the size of the armed forces.

Ecological- degradation of the global ecological system as a result of irrationality and its pollution with waste from human activity.

Solutions:

• Optimization of the use of natural resources in the process of social production;
• Protection of nature from the negative consequences of human activity;
• Environmental safety of the population;
• Creation of specially protected areas.

Demographic- continuation of the demographic explosion, rapid growth of the Earth's population and, as a consequence, overpopulation of the planet.

Solutions:

• Carrying out a thoughtful .

Fuel and raw materials- the problem of reliable provision of humanity with fuel and energy, as a result of the rapid growth in consumption of natural mineral resources.

Solutions:

• Increasing use of energy and heat (solar, wind, tidal, etc.). Development ;

Food- according to FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) and WHO (World Health Organization), from 0.8 to 1.2 billion people are hungry and undernourished in the world.

Solutions:

• An extensive solution is to expand arable land, pastures and fishing grounds.
• The intensive way is an increase in production through mechanization, automation of production, through the development of new technologies, breeding high-yielding, disease-resistant plant varieties and animal breeds.

Use of ocean resources- at all stages of human civilization was one of the most important sources of maintaining life on Earth. Currently, the ocean is not just a single natural space, but also a natural-economic system.

Solutions:

• Creation of a global structure of the maritime economy (allocation of oil production, fishing and zones), improvement of the infrastructure of port-industrial complexes.
• Protection of the waters of the World Ocean from pollution.
• Prohibition of military testing and disposal of nuclear waste.

Peaceful space exploration. Space is a global environment, the common heritage of humanity. Testing various types of weapons could threaten the entire planet at once. "Littering" and "clogging" of outer space.

Solutions:

• "Non-militarization" of outer space.
• International cooperation in space exploration.

Overcoming the backwardness of developing countries- the majority of the world's population lives in poverty and squalor, which can be considered extreme forms of backwardness. Per capita income in some countries is less than $1 per day.