The global problems of modernity should be understood as a set of problems on the solution of which the further existence of civilization depends.

Global problems are generated by uneven development different areas the life of modern mankind and the contradictions generated in the socio-economic, political, ideological, socio-natural and other relations of people. These problems affect the life of mankind as a whole.

Global problems of mankind These are problems that affect the vital interests of the entire population of the planet and require the joint efforts of all states of the world for their solution.

The global problems of our time include:

This set is not permanent and as it develops human civilization the understanding of existing global problems is changing, their priority is being adjusted, and new global problems are emerging (development outer space, weather and climate control, etc.).

North-South problem is a problem of economic relations between developed countries and developing ones. Its essence lies in the fact that in order to bridge the gap in the levels of socio-economic development between developed and developing countries, the latter require various concessions from developed countries, in particular, expanding access for their goods to the markets of developed countries, increasing the flow of knowledge and capital (especially in the form of assistance), write-offs of debts and other measures in relation to them.

One of the main global problems is the problem of poverty. Poverty is understood as the inability to provide the simplest and most affordable living conditions for the majority of people in a given country. High levels of poverty, especially in developing countries Ah, they pose a serious danger not only to national, but also to global sustainable development.

World food problem lies in the inability of mankind to date to fully provide itself with vital food. This problem appears in practice as a problem absolute food shortage(malnutrition and hunger) in the least developed countries, and nutritional imbalances in the developed. Its solution will largely depend on the effective use, scientific and technological progress in the field of Agriculture and the level of government support.

Global energy problem is the problem of providing mankind with fuel and energy at the present time and in the foreseeable future. main reason the emergence of a global energy problem should be considered the rapid growth in the consumption of mineral fuels in the 20th century. If the developed countries are now solving this problem primarily by slowing down the growth of their demand by reducing energy intensity, then in other countries there is a relatively rapid increase in energy consumption. To this may be added growing competition in the world energy market between developed countries and new large industrial countries (China, India, Brazil). All these circumstances, combined with military and political instability in some regions, can cause significant fluctuations in the level of energy resources and seriously affect the dynamics of supply and demand, as well as the production and consumption of energy products, sometimes creating crisis situations.

The ecological potential of the world economy is increasingly undermined by the economic activity of mankind. The answer to this was concept of environmentally sustainable development. It involves the development of all countries of the world, taking into account the present needs, but not undermining the interests of future generations.

Environmental protection is an important part of development. In the 70s. 20th century economists realized importance environmental issues for economic development. The processes of environmental degradation can be self-reproducing, which threatens society with irreversible destruction and depletion of resources.

Global demographic problem falls into two aspects: in a number of countries and regions of the developing world and the demographic aging of the population of developed and transition countries. For the former, the solution is to increase the rate of economic growth and reduce the rate of population growth. For the second - emigration and reforming the pension system.

The relationship between population growth and economic growth has long been the subject of study by economists. As a result of research, two approaches have been developed to assess the impact of population growth on economic development. The first approach is to some extent connected with the theory of Malthus, who believed that population growth outpaces growth and therefore the population of the world is inevitable. The modern approach to assessing the role of population on the economy is complex and reveals both positive and negative factors influencing population growth on.

Many experts believe that the real problem is not population growth itself, but the following problems:

• underdevelopment - backwardness in development;
• depletion of world resources and destruction of the environment.

The problem of human development is a matching problem quality characteristics nature of the modern economy. In the conditions of post-industrialization, the requirements for physical qualities and especially for the education of an employee, including his ability to constantly improve his skills, increase. However, the development of the qualitative characteristics of the labor force in the world economy is extremely uneven. The worst performance in this regard is shown by developing countries, which, however, are the main source of replenishment of the world labor resources. This is what determines the global nature of the problem of human development.

Increasing interdependence and reduction of temporal and spatial barriers create a situation of collective insecurity from various threats from which a person cannot always be saved by his state. This requires the creation of conditions that enhance the ability of a person to independently withstand risks and threats.

The ocean problem is a problem of conservation and rational use its spaces and resources. At present, the World Ocean, as a closed ecological system, can hardly withstand the increased anthropogenic load many times over, and a real threat of its death is being created. Therefore, the global problem of the World Ocean is, first of all, the problem of its survival and, consequently, the survival of modern man.

Ways to solve global problems of our time

The solution of these problems is today an urgent task for all mankind. The survival of people depends on when and how they begin to be solved. The following ways of solving global problems of our time are distinguished.

World War Prevention with the use of thermonuclear weapons and other means of mass destruction that threaten the destruction of civilization. This implies curbing the arms race, prohibiting the creation and use of weapons systems of mass destruction, human and material resources, the elimination of nuclear weapons, etc.;

overcoming economic and cultural inequalities between the peoples inhabiting the industrialized countries of the West and East and the developing countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America;

Overcoming the crisis interaction between humanity and nature, which is characterized by catastrophic consequences in the form of unprecedented environmental pollution and depletion of natural resources. This makes it necessary to develop measures aimed at the economical use of natural resources and the reduction of pollution of soil, water and air by waste products of material production;

Decline in population growth in developing countries and overcoming the demographic crisis in the developed capitalist countries;

Prevention negative consequences modern scientific and technological revolution;

Overcoming the downward trend in social health, which involves the fight against alcoholism, drug addiction, cancer, AIDS, tuberculosis and other diseases.

Problems that do not concern any particular continent or state, but the entire planet, are called global. As civilization develops, it accumulates more and more of them. Today there are eight main problems. Consider the global problems of mankind and ways to solve them.

Ecological problem

Today it is considered the main one. For a long time, people used the resources given to them by nature irrationally, polluted the environment around them, poisoned the Earth with a variety of wastes - from solid to radioactive. The result was not long in coming - according to most competent researchers, environmental problems in the next hundred years will lead to irreversible consequences for the planet, and hence for humanity.

Already now there are countries where this issue has reached a very high level, giving rise to the concept of a crisis ecological region. But the threat looms over the whole world: the ozone layer that protects the planet from radiation is being destroyed, the earth's climate is changing - and man is unable to control these changes.

Even the most developed country cannot solve the problem alone, so the states unite to solve important environmental problems together. The main solution is considered to be the rational use of natural resources and the reorganization of everyday life and industrial production so that the ecosystem develops naturally.

Rice. 1. Threatening scale of the environmental problem.

demographic problem

In the 20th century, when the world's population passed the six billion mark, everyone heard about it. However, in the 21st century, the vector has shifted. In short, now the essence of the problem is this: there are fewer and fewer people. A competent policy of family planning and improvement of the living conditions of each individual will help to solve this issue.

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food problem

This problem is closely related to the demographic one and consists in the fact that more than half of humanity is experiencing an acute shortage of food. To solve it, it is necessary to use the available resources for food production more rationally. Experts see two ways of development - intensive, when the biological productivity of existing fields and other lands increases, and extensive - when their number increases.

All global problems of mankind must be solved together, and this one is no exception. The issue of food arose due to the fact that most of the people live in areas unsuitable for this. Combining the efforts of scientists from different countries significantly speed up the decision process.

Energy and raw materials problem

The uncontrolled use of raw materials has led to the depletion of mineral reserves that have accumulated for hundreds of millions of years. Very soon, fuel and other resources may disappear altogether, so scientific and technical progress is being introduced at all stages of production.

The issue of peace and disarmament

Some scientists believe that in the very near future it may happen that it will not be necessary to look for possible ways to solve the global problems of mankind: people produce such an amount of offensive weapons (including nuclear) that at some point they can destroy themselves. To prevent this from happening, world treaties on the reduction of armaments and the demilitarization of economies are being developed.

The problem of people's health

Humanity continues to suffer from deadly diseases. The advances of science are great, but untreatable diseases still exist. The only solution is to continue Scientific research in search of drugs.

The problem of using the oceans

The depletion of land resources has led to an increase in interest in the World Ocean - all countries that have access to it use it not only as a biological resource. Both the mining and chemical sectors are actively developing. This gives rise to two problems at once: pollution and uneven development. But how are these issues resolved? At the moment, scientists from all over the world are engaged in them, who are developing the principles of rational oceanic nature management.

Rice. 2. Industrial station in the ocean.

The problem of space exploration

To master outer space, it is important to unite efforts on a global scale. Recent studies are the result of the consolidation of the work of many countries. This is the basis for solving the problem.

Scientists have already developed a mock-up of the first station for settlers on the moon, and Elon Musk says that the day is not far off when people will go to explore Mars.

Rice. 3. Model of the lunar base.

What have we learned?

Humanity has many global problems that can ultimately lead to its death. These problems can be solved only if efforts are consolidated, otherwise the efforts of one or several countries will be reduced to zero. Thus, civilizational development and the solution of problems of a universal scale are possible only if the survival of man as a species becomes higher than economic and state interests.

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In the course of the development of civilization, complex problems, sometimes of a planetary nature, repeatedly arose before humanity. But still, it was a distant prehistory, a kind of "incubation period" of modern global problems.

They manifested themselves in full measure already 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 precisely during this period.

In fact, never before has humanity itself grown by a factor of 2.5 in the lifetime of only one generation, thereby increasing the strength of the “demographic press”. Never before has mankind entered into, has not reached the post-industrial stage of development, has not opened the road to space. Never before had so many natural resources been required for its livelihood and returned to them in environment"waste". This is all from the 60's and 70's. 20th century attracted the attention of scientists, politicians, and the general public to global problems.

Global problems are problems that: firstly, concern all mankind, affecting the interests and destinies of all countries, peoples, social strata; secondly, they lead to significant economic and social losses, in case of their aggravation, they can threaten the very existence of human civilization;
thirdly, they can be solved only with cooperation in the planetary sphere.

Priority problems of mankind are:

• the problem of peace and disarmament;
• ecological;
• demographic;
• energy;
• raw materials;
• food;
• use of the resources of the oceans;
• peaceful exploration of outer space;
• overcoming the backwardness of developing countries.

The essence of global problems and possible solutions

The issue of peace and disarmament- the problem of preventing a third world war remains the most important, the highest priority problem of mankind. In the second half of the XX century. nuclear weapons appeared and there was a real threat of destruction of entire countries and even continents, i.e. virtually all modern life.

Solutions:

• Establishing strict control over nuclear and chemical weapons;
• Reducing conventional armaments and the 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 irrational and pollution of its waste 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 territories.

Demographic- continuation of the population explosion, the rapid growth of the population of the Earth and, as a result, the overpopulation of the planet.

Solutions:

• Carrying out thoughtful .

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

Solutions:

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

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

Solutions:

• An extensive solution lies in the expansion of arable land, grazing and fishing grounds.
• The intensive path is an increase in production through mechanization, automation of production, through the development of new technologies, the development of high-yielding, disease-resistant plant varieties and animal breeds.

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

Solutions:

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

Peaceful space exploration. Space is a global environment, the common heritage of mankind. Testing different kinds of weapons can threaten the entire planet at once. "Littering" and "littering" of outer space.

Solutions:

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

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

IN Lately you are increasingly hearing about globalization (from the English. global world, worldwide), which means a sharp expansion and deepening of the relationship and interdependence 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, is closely connected with the process of globalization. politicians and the general public, are 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 issues: for example, crime. Drug addiction, separatism, lack of democracy, Technogenic 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 social character, 4) mixed problems.

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 (sphere of mind), wrote that economic activity 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 melioration, the history of which dates back several millennia, starting from 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 in the mining and geological conditions of production, an increase in the territorial gap between areas of production and consumption, promotion of production to areas of new development with extreme natural conditions, the negative impact of 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 is given not so much to a further increase in production, but to energy and material savings. 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 no coincidence: 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. World Organization Health (WHO) has implemented 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. .

Great harm The health of hundreds of millions of people continues to be affected by smoking. . 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 total number There are already more than 45 million people infected with AIDS, and millions of people have already died from the 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 material problems has led to the emergence of the offshore mining and chemical industries, and offshore energy. Achievements of scientific and technological revolution open prospects for further increase in oil and gas production, ferromanganese nodules, for extraction from sea ​​water hydrogen isotope deuterium, for the construction of giant tidal power plants, for the 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 the entire production and scientific activity within the limits of the world ocean and the contact zone, the ocean of the sea, 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 for recent decades the intensity of life in the World Ocean has decreased by 1/3. That's why very great importance has adopted in 1982 the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which is called the "Charter of the Seas". 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 global environment, the common heritage of mankind. Now that space programs have become much more complicated, their implementation requires the concentration of technical, economic, 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. Today, more than 100 public and private companies in many countries of the world use space communications through the Intersputnia system.

Example 2 Completed work on the creation of an international space station(ISS) "Alte", carried out by the USA, Russia, the European Space Agency, Japan, Canada. . 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 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.

The relationship 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 for the entire Second World War). 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 an "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. [go]. 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 a lot of money on wars and advertising, but provide access to the necessary resources, and throw all your efforts into 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 may be such that the temperature will rise until the winters disappear altogether, or it may 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 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 humanity direct its activities towards the preservation of natural environment, peaceful existence and 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

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 working in this area various areas: biologists, soil scientists, chemists, physicists, geologists. And this is no coincidence, because the global problems of mankind are complex in nature 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 influence the world. Because of this, for example, the environmental problems of mankind have appeared. They can be called the main difficulties 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 ecological disaster. 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 shrinking. 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 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 life 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 region.

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. Do not count on the fact that someone will be able to rid the world of difficulties for 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.