This document outlines several challenges facing the modern world, including environmental crises, population growth, chemical waste, technological advancements, weapons development, economic disparities between nations, health issues, and political instability. It discusses how Rachel Carson's work drew attention to the effects of pesticides, and how population growth and deforestation stress Earth's resources. The document also notes the United Nations has taken a larger role in global affairs since the Cold War ended, supporting treaties around human rights, disarmament, and international cooperation.
2. Challenges of Our World
Environmental Crisis
In 1962, Rachel Carson argued that
pesticides were killing birds, fish, and
other wildlife
Carson’s warnings alarmed scientists and
gave rise to a new field called ecology
Population Growth
A rapid increase in the world’s population
has led to fears the Earth’s resources
cannot support so many people
Problems like deforestation – the
clearing of forests, cause damage to the
environment
Tropical rainforests are slowly being
destroyed, and they support over 50% of
the worlds species of plants and animals
Chemical Wastes & Disasters
Another danger to the environment is
chemical waste, which harm the ozone
layer and promote the greenhouse
effect, which contributes to global
warming
Technological Revolution
Modern transportation and
communications systems are
transforming the world
Airlines move millions of people around
the world
The Internet provides quick access to
enormous amounts of information
Space exploration continues, and NASA
and foreign governments send
exploratory missions to places like Mars,
while the Hubble Telescope helps map the
universe
The telephones you carry in your pocket
are more powerful than the NASA
computer that sent astronauts to the
moon!
Weapons
The technological revolution has also led
to the development of advanced methods
of destruction
Drones, nuclear arms, biological and
chemical weapons are a danger for most
of the world
Called biowarfare, the use of biological
weapons – weapons that contain
viruses, diseases, or other biologicals,
could have enormous impact on the
world
3. Economic & Social Challenges
Since World War II, the world has
developed a global economy –
based on the production, distribution
and sale of goods on a worldwide
scale
In 1995 the World Trade
Organization was established to
help negotiate trade agreements,
which are then upheld by the 140
member nations
The WTO has been criticized for
putting commercial interests over
environmental and other issues, but
is still the largest trade organization
Health Care – One challenge for the
world is providing health care.
Another concern is increased
technology that pushes the
boundaries of medicine and raise
questions about ethics in areas like
cloning and genetic engineering
One of the problems with a global
economy is the gap between rich
and poor nations
Rich nations, like Canada and the
United States have advanced
technologies and strong
educational systems
Developing countries have
problems with population growth,
lack of technology, and lack of
resources
Hunger is a problem in developing
countries
Gender gap – In developing
countries, women are often bound
to their homes and families and
subordinate to fathers or husbands
Civil wars have also caused
problems in developing nations;
such wars have produced genocide,
starvation, and instability
4. Political Challenges
After World War II, African and
Asian leaders identified
democracy as the defining
theme of their new political
cultures
However, many developing
countries replaced their
democracies with dictatorships
or one-party governments
Regional, ethnic, and religious
differences continue to create
conflict around the world
The Arab Spring, an effort in
primarily Arab nations like Egypt
and Syria, occurred when the
Arab people protested and
toppled their dictators
Technology was a huge factor in
the Arab Spring, as protestors
used social media to coordinate
their efforts
Egyptian protestors
5. Global Visions
The United Nations has become more important as the
world becomes a smaller place due to new technologies
and the Internet
The UN has peacekeeping forces that have been involved
in global conflicts like the Iraq and Afghanistan wars
The Peacekeepers have also helped to settle conflicts and
supervise truces in places like Somalia and Bosnia
Now that the Cold War is over, the UN has taken on a
much larger role in world politics
The UN supports treaties on equality of women, supporting
children, providing health care, nuclear disarmament, and
education and science.
6. A World We Cannot Predict
Schools today are preparing students for a world that
cannot be predicted
Changes in technology bring about changes in society
that are unpredictable
What does your future look like?