In the course of its development, human civilization has repeatedly faced and continues to face a number of certain difficulties and challenges. In the 20th century, these problems became much more acute and acquired a completely new, threatening character. They concern absolutely all the inhabitants of the planet, affecting the interests of many countries and peoples of the world.
The essence of the concept of "global problem", the classifications of global problems and possible recipes for their solution will be discussed in this article.
History of relationships in the "man-nature" system
The interaction between man and nature has changed over time. Once upon a time, the human body was most organically inscribed in the landscape surrounding it. But then he began to actively "adjust" nature to his needs and requirements, changing the earth's surface more and more, penetrating into the bowels of the planet and mastering its new shells.
In general, there are five milestones (stages) in the history of the relationship between man and nature:
- The first stage (about 30 thousand years ago). During this period, a person adapts to the environment around him. He is mainly engaged in gathering, hunting and fishing.
- Secondstage (about 7 thousand years ago). At this time, a revolutionary transition of man from gathering to agriculture takes place. The first attempts are being made to transform the surrounding landscape.
- Third stage (IX-XVII centuries). The era of the development of crafts and the first serious wars. Human pressure on the environment is increasing exponentially.
- The fourth stage (XVIII-XIX centuries). The industrial revolution is sweeping the world. Man is trying to completely subjugate nature.
- Fifth stage (XX century). Stage of the scientific and technological revolution. It is at this time that all the global problems of mankind and, first of all, environmental problems become more acute.
Acquaintance with such a distant prehistory of the development of our civilization will help to more thoroughly approach the issue of classifying and characterizing global problems. Almost all of them fully manifested themselves only in the second half of the twentieth century.
Global problems, their essence and main causes
Before we turn to the consideration of specific global problems of civilization and their classification, we should understand the essence of this concept.
So, they should be understood as those problems that affect the life of everyone on planet Earth and require the joint efforts of various international organizations, nations and states for their resolution. It is important to learn one key point: ignoring these problems casts doubt on the continued existence of earthly civilization. And the most dangerous for humanity are military and environmental threats. In the classification of global problems today theyoccupy an "honorable" (that is, the most important) place.
Among the main causes of global problems, the following should be highlighted:
- objective confrontation between man and nature;
- discrepancy between cultures and worldviews within human civilization;
- rapid development of science and technology;
- the rapid growth of the world's population;
- a sharp increase in consumption of natural and energy resources.
Approaches to the classification of global problems
So, we have already determined which problems can be considered global. In addition, we found out that they can be solved only on a planetary scale and by common efforts. Now let's take a closer look at the existing classifications of global problems. Philosophy, ecology, economics and other social sciences pay quite a lot of attention to this issue.
It is important to note that classification is never an end in itself for scientists. After all, it can be used to identify significant links between the components, as well as to determine the degree of importance (priority) of certain phenomena. In addition, classification helps to study the object under study more deeply and fundamentally.
Today, there are several options for classifying the global problems of mankind. And each of them primarily reflects the views of a particular researcher in this field of knowledge.
It is important to note the fact that the classification of global problems of our timeare dynamic. After all, the object of study itself is extremely dynamic. The world is changing rapidly, and threats are changing with it. So, a few decades ago, the problem of terrorism was not so acute in the world. Today, it is increasingly on the agenda of summits of the UN and other organizations.
Thus, the classification of global problems of mankind, developed and actively used by scientists yesterday, may become irrelevant tomorrow. That is why research in this direction does not stop.
Global problems of modern civilization and their classification
The severity of global problems and the priority of their solution are the main criteria that underlie the most popular approach to their classification. Global problems, according to him, are divided into three main groups:
- Problems caused by contradictions and conflicts between different states (problems of war and peace, terrorism, etc.).
- Problems that have arisen in the process of interaction between man and nature ("ozone holes", "greenhouse effect", pollution of the oceans and others).
- Problems related to the functioning of the "Man-Society" system ("population explosion", infant mortality, female illiteracy, the spread of AIDS and other dangerous diseases, etc.).
According to another classification of global problems, they are all divided into five groups. This is:
- economic;
- environmental;
- political;
- social;
- spiritual problems.
List of key global problems of the modern world
Questions of the essence and classification of global problems are de alt with by many modern researchers. All of them agree on one thing: not a single state that exists today is able to cope with these serious challenges and threats on its own.
At the beginning of the 21st century, the following problems of humanity can be called priority:
- environmental;
- energy;
- food;
- demographic;
- the problem of war and peace;
- terrorist threat;
- problem of social inequality;
- North-South problem.
It should be noted that many of the above global problems are closely related to each other. So, for example, the food problem stems from the demographic.
Environmental problems of modern civilization
Global environmental problems mean a fairly wide range of threats caused by the degradation of the geographic envelope of the Earth. First of all, we are talking about the irrational use of natural resources (mineral, water, land and others) and pollution of the planet with human waste.
In the classification of global environmental problems, it is customary to single out the following negative processes:
- air pollution from exhaust gases, industrial emissions, etc.;
- soil pollution with heavy metals, pesticides and otherchemicals;
- water depletion;
- total and uncontrolled deforestation;
- erosion and soil salinization;
- pollution of the oceans;
- extermination of certain species of flora and fauna.
Energy problem
Global consumption of fuel resources has increased significantly in the second half of the twentieth century. The largest oil and gas fields are being depleted at a breakneck pace. And if in developed countries the problem of depletion of energy resources is at least somehow tried to be solved, then in developing countries it is most often simply ignored.
There are at least two methods for solving the energy problem. The first of them is the active development of nuclear energy, and the second involves the widespread use of non-traditional energy sources (Sun, wind, tides, etc.).
Food problem
The essence of this global problem lies in the inability of human civilization to provide themselves with the necessary food. So, according to the World He alth Organization, about 1 billion people are starving on the planet today.
The food problem has a distinct geographical character. Scientists conventionally identify a certain "hunger belt" that borders the line of the earth's equator on both sides. It covers the countries of Central Africa and some states of Southeast Asia. The largest percentage of hungry people is recorded in Chad, Somalia and Uganda (up to 40% of the totalpopulation of the country).
Demographic issue
The demographic problem became especially acute in the second half of the twentieth century. And it is twofold. Thus, in a number of countries and regions there is a "population explosion", when the birth rate significantly exceeds the death rate (Asia, Africa, Latin America). In other states, on the contrary, too low birth rates are recorded against the background of the general aging of the nation (USA, Canada, Australia, Western Europe).
Many economists call the "population explosion" the main cause of total poverty in many third world countries. That is, population growth is far ahead of the growth of the economy of these states. Although other experts assure that the problem lies not so much in the growth of the Earth's population as in the economic backwardness of some countries of the world.
War problem
Human civilization, by and large, did not learn any lessons from World War II. Nowadays, new conflicts and local wars break out every now and then in different parts of the world. Syria, Palestine, Korea, Sudan, Donbass, Nagorno-Karabakh - this is not a complete list of modern "hot spots" of the world. One of the main tasks of modern diplomacy is to prevent a possible Third World War. After all, with the invention of nuclear weapons, it can end very quickly and leave the planet without humanity at all.
The problem of terrorism is another serious threat to the modern world. In a way, it has become a negative symbol of the new century. NewYork, London, Moscow, Paris - almost all major metropolitan areas of the planet have felt the full severity of this threat in the last two decades.
The problem of social inequality
Social inequality is the deep income gap between a tiny percentage of the very we althy and the rest of the world's inhabitants. According to many experts, three main reasons led to this situation in the world:
- cutting the wages of the working class;
- oligarch tax evasion;
- merging big business with the authorities.
The problem of social inequality is most clearly seen in the post-Soviet states, as well as in the underdeveloped countries of Asia and Latin America. Here it inevitably leads to the poverty of the working strata of the population - that is, to the inability of people to satisfy their basic needs.
North-South problem
This is another global problem that is clearly linked to geography. Its essence lies in the deepest socio-economic gap between the developed and developing countries of the world. It so happened that the former are located mainly in the "north" (in Europe and North America), and the latter - in the "south" of the planet (in Africa, Asia and South America). The border between these states is shown on the following map: conditionally rich countries are shaded in blue, conditionally poor countries are shaded in red.
The statistics are amazing: the level of income inin the richest countries of the planet is 35-40 times higher than in the poorest countries of the world. And over the past decades, this gap has only increased.
Solving global problems
Resolution of a number of urgent and acute problems of mankind is one of the main tasks of modern science. And it does not matter at all what kind of science it is - ecology, physics, medicine or geography. After all, most often the solution to a particular global problem should be sought just at the junction of two or more scientific disciplines.
In 1968, on the initiative of the Italian industrialist Aurelio Peccei, an international organization called the Club of Rome was established. The main task of this organization is to attract the attention of the world community to the global problems of mankind. Each year, the Club of Rome prepares one large-scale report. The organization determines the topic of the report, and also funds all necessary research.
During its existence, the Club of Rome has made a significant contribution to the study of the biosphere and the promotion of the idea of harmonizing relationships in the "man-nature" system. Until 2012, Russia was represented in this international public organization by the physicist and educator Sergey Kapitsa.
As a conclusion, it is worth noting that the solution of global problems is by no means the prerogative of individual officials, ministers or scientists. This duty falls on the shoulders of all, without exception, the inhabitants of the Earth. Each of us today should think about what he can specifically do onthe good of our planet.
