Challenges & Hopes for the FutureChapter 32

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

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

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

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.

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?