- Overpopulation: Our world population is multiplying exponentially. We have nearly 7.5 billion humans roaming our planet that are constantly using resources and developing land. The main issue that we are facing is that not all of the resources that we currently use are readily renewable resources. Oil, usable water, trees, and clean atmosphere levels are depleting faster than we can replenish them.
- A simple solution is not necessarily an easy one, but I believe that creating ways that we can avoid using the remaining resources before they run out is a way to solve our current situation. Converting to completely digital paper or using another material for writing, going 100% electric power, and finding a way to minimize current emissions will be essential to our survival.
- Disconnected Global Population: Our world is obviously separated physically. Oceans, mountains, and rivers create divides that spawns a separation between others. Because of this, we often forget our neighbors are truly struggling to survive just around the corner. An American struggle is that we disconnect the struggle of others to our own story. We assume that everyone lives as we do.
- A solution would be to help make the world aware of the reality that is in other countries. Helping to create travel opportunities for community leaders to experience other cultures would help close the invisible barrier between cultures.
- Vast Financial Gap: Most countries have a vast gap between the upper and lower class. The top politicians and businessmen and women are very disconnected from the middle and lower classes. Their lifestyles differ entirely, often giving little thought to the concerns of others.
- This would be a very difficult problem to solve due to the idea that these high class individuals hold much of the power to make decisions in every country. If these men and women with much wealth would lower their standard of living even a marginal percentage, thousands, if not millions, of others would benefit and live happier lives.
- Global Terrorism: Every year, thousands of people die from global terrorist attacks. These terrorists often fight in defense of their religion or government. America and Paris, France have been recent targets for terrorism recently.
- A solution would be for the world to ban together and eliminate the groups that are creating this mass terror. They are not bringing joy, prosperity, or love to the world, so they should have no place in continuing what they are doing.
- Convenience Food: Our world has been plagued with becoming addicted to a fast paced lifestyle. We desire that our food would match the pace of our lives, so fast food was created. This food is terrible for our bodies, often containing contaminants that have been linked to hundreds of health problems.
- Spreading awareness of what fast food leads to, and educating our population of the advantages of healthy eating would be a direct way of solving this issue. We need to transition away from processed convenience foods and move back towards home cooked, healthy ingredients.
- Religious Divide: Google quotes that there are known to be nearly 4,200 religions worldwide. Difference in culture and religion tends to create a division between people, often causing war or persecution.
- We would need to becoming more accepting of other’s views to help solve the tensions between religions.
- Rapid Climate Change: Glaciers and the polar ice caps have been melting at an alarming rate, raising the sea level and causing an imbalance in the force… I mean the environment.
- Minimizing our carbon footprint and moving to a fully electric/solar car would help to solve this issue.
- Species Elimination:We can think of many species that have been endangered or even have become extinct in our lifetimes. This is often due to over foresting the habitats of many animals.
- Taking special note of which species reside in protected areas and more efficiently using the resources that we have will help to eliminate deforestation across the globe that will in turn help to save species that find their home there.
- Global Stagnation: The movie Wall-E is an example of what could come to be our reality. The recent invention of the hoverboard and other inventions that eliminate the need to exercise will ultimately lead us down a path of complete stagnation.
- We need to encourage teens and adults alike to get active. Using social media and popular culture to encourage active lifestyles will be necessary to turn the tide in global stagnation.
- Technological Dependence: A very common sight is to see three young adults sitting together at dinner, all completely disconnected from each other, but connected to their cell phones or tablets.
- Listening skills, map reading skills, basic mathematics, and face-to-face communication skills are often lost when you can completely depend on your cell phone or tablet. We need to reinforce the importance of quality interaction. A great solution would be having to turn off your phone in restaurants or putting all of the devices in a basket when walking in a household for a dinner.
I strongly agree with you problems and solutions, Travis. For the 1st problem, I would say reduce the use of water and electric energy by, perhaps, instead of printing paper, use tablet screens to write on, use renewable resources of energy in larger extent, like solar&wind energy, as well as, use in smaller extent cars. For the second problem I really relate to this, because I come from Greece, and when I moved to the US for my studies I realized that not a lot of people are aware about the Greek economic crisis. They were more concerned about their own problems or France's terrorist attack, which was a very serious matter indeed. My point is, that they were somewhat forced by the media to show support for them and were not actually self-motivated. Your solution for this, however, would make worldwide peace possible. Concerning your 4th problem, I wouldn't say that that this is the best solution, which is to ban and isolate terrorists from everybody else, because they would feel more angry and neglected than ever before. I think we should show them what loves is and how it can solve most problems in life. I definitely support your 5th solution and in fact that is what I want to do when I grow up; raise awareness about "bad" and "good" diets and be able to change this by doing research on food sciences. Finally, I totally agree with problems 9 and 10. A problem I added on my bug list was when people use their phone while driving and I suggested as a solution to use Siri work for them or when they call someone to put them on speaker. Good luck with the rest of the semester! If you want to take a look at my blog it is here: http://ent303uf.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to see how over population is on almost everyone's list. But, population will not continue to rise as the agrarian nations transition into more industry based economies. Middle class citizens around the world tend to top off at 3 children. And China, with it's one child policy, will be in a shortage of labor in the next decades. Developed countries like Japan have been under the pressure of negative population growth for more than a decade, yet unemployment is still an issue as job openings are not happening at where it is needed.
ReplyDeleteAlthough it is not the increase of population we are dealing with, we are dealing with people wanting more. It is not the limit of our resources, but the unsustainable use of our resources. Materials can be recycled, electricity can be generated more cleanly. But we have not taken enough steps to achieve sustainable use.
As for the terrorism part, I think Artemis means showing love and acceptance to the particular communities which often get converted into terrorism. It is important not to introduce more conflict and become more xenophobic, since terrorism sustains on hostility. These terrorists targeted Paris not only because it is a western nation with strong national identity, but because it is home one of Europe's largest Muslim communities. They understood there was tension between the Muslim community and the mainstream community, and they hope to intensify it in order to recruit more disgruntled youths into their rank. They timed the attack near France's regional government election, hoping the fear of terrorism would invoke anti-Muslim sentiment and push the far right party in office. Once the far right party (Front National) wins, and hopefully installs a series of oppressive laws or policies against Muslim minorities, ISIS recruitment would be aided greatly as anger and frustration fester within Muslim communities.
Here is the report on that election:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/france-election-results-national-front-national-marine-le-pen-exit-poll-a6771876.html
Here is the link to my blog: http://eny3003ablec.blogspot.com/