Top 10 problems
- Thread starter CODE-D
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I agree with most of the list. I don't see Terrorism as a top 10 problem, especially when War is already listed. The other entry I disagree with is immigration, at most that is a minor legal problem compared to the rest of the problems that threaten survival of millions, and of civilization.
I'd replace one of those entries with weapons of mass destruction (mostly I'm concerned about engineered diseases, although nuclear weapons technology is a concern as well).
The other big problem I would have included is depending on economic growth. That might sound strange, but the problem is that governments and corporations are addicted to percentage-based growth, e.g. 7% per year etc, and percentage-based growth is the same as exponential growth, so it's unsustainable, and one day the whole system will have to adjust to not growing.
I'd replace one of those entries with weapons of mass destruction (mostly I'm concerned about engineered diseases, although nuclear weapons technology is a concern as well).
The other big problem I would have included is depending on economic growth. That might sound strange, but the problem is that governments and corporations are addicted to percentage-based growth, e.g. 7% per year etc, and percentage-based growth is the same as exponential growth, so it's unsustainable, and one day the whole system will have to adjust to not growing.
Why do you say that? I'm pretty sure that people across the political spectrum view violent abuse of human beings as a problem.Nouw said:
I would love to start mining asteroids, but to be honest overpopulation eventually evens itself out. It has happened before on a smaller country wide scale. Overpopulation leads to famine, which leads to death (mostly babies, young children, and the elderly) population goes down. Then growth starts up again. Its a cycle.
But yes humans treating humans badly through war, bullying, or through economic manipulation is something that should be addressed.
But yes humans treating humans badly through war, bullying, or through economic manipulation is something that should be addressed.
Wow... how... what...
...
Hippy rubbish.
While I can see those as issues, their obviously written by someone with a bias. Lets look at these.
1. Bullying and women abuse.
Oh, come the hell on. I thought this one was about global slave trade at first, which I could understand, but this? The number one problem today is that we're mean to each other? Seriously?
2. Genocide.
Truly a bad thing, but mostly in the past. Genocide is now contained in Third world countries that have no global impact. Horrible? Yes. A problem? Yes. Should we do something about it? Yes. A world wide problem? No.
3. Economic Lies.
Industries are dumping food away so that they can turn a profit. Oh no.
4. Unjust Wars.
I'll give her this one. But here's a question - Who decides what war IS just? Patty?
5. Oil.
The real problem is energy, not oil. Oil is a part of that problem, not the cause. And until we can make jumbo airliners that can lift enough batteries to make it across the ocean (Hint - Impossible as of this point), oil isn't really the problem.
6. Overpopulation.
A problem without an answer. The moment you try to regulate children in modern, western countries is the day this Earth splits down the middle. Try not to put unsolvable issues on the Big 10 list.
7. Misinformation.
8. World Wide Immigration.
People from bad places can't move to good place. Maybe the problem isn't immigration - Maybe its the fact that these bad places exist in the first place.
9. Terrorism.
Out of 10, you have to get at least one right.
10. Consumerism.
Oh, bite me, Patty.
...
Hippy rubbish.
While I can see those as issues, their obviously written by someone with a bias. Lets look at these.
1. Bullying and women abuse.
Oh, come the hell on. I thought this one was about global slave trade at first, which I could understand, but this? The number one problem today is that we're mean to each other? Seriously?
2. Genocide.
Truly a bad thing, but mostly in the past. Genocide is now contained in Third world countries that have no global impact. Horrible? Yes. A problem? Yes. Should we do something about it? Yes. A world wide problem? No.
3. Economic Lies.
Industries are dumping food away so that they can turn a profit. Oh no.
4. Unjust Wars.
I'll give her this one. But here's a question - Who decides what war IS just? Patty?
5. Oil.
The real problem is energy, not oil. Oil is a part of that problem, not the cause. And until we can make jumbo airliners that can lift enough batteries to make it across the ocean (Hint - Impossible as of this point), oil isn't really the problem.
6. Overpopulation.
A problem without an answer. The moment you try to regulate children in modern, western countries is the day this Earth splits down the middle. Try not to put unsolvable issues on the Big 10 list.
7. Misinformation.
I'll say, Mrs. Internet Journalist/Blogger.patty said:
8. World Wide Immigration.
People from bad places can't move to good place. Maybe the problem isn't immigration - Maybe its the fact that these bad places exist in the first place.
9. Terrorism.
Out of 10, you have to get at least one right.
10. Consumerism.
Oh, bite me, Patty.
Once I got to the part about Misinformation, I kind of stopped reading. Whatever happens in the future happens. As for over-population, the solution is right above us (well more or less...The Moon may be hovering over foreign skies while you read this, same for Mars). Remember Movie Bob's, Big Picture Junk Drawer...episode 2 I think. I'm 100% with him when it comes to the colonization of our orbital neighbors. Yes there are problems here on Earth but there always have, there always will be and yet the problems of today aren't nearly as bad as the problems of the 1980's, 1960's, 1940's, etc.
Top of the list HAS to be Money (linked to resources / renewable energy).
Simply put it's a backwards system. I won't go into details here but essentially every time money is used it depreciates so more has to be created / inflated / some other nonsense to account for it. This perpetuates itself indefinitely. If we relied on the exchange of resources and services themselves, provided through a global distribution service that provides sufficient resources to everyone (which is very much possible with current technology and resources worldwide), a lot of the other problems would drastically reduce. Why kill / rob / hurt people when you've got what you want and need? (yes some people are predisposed to this but at least many causes such as poverty are removed)
The second is probably overpopulation. We need global awareness of maintaining an equilibrium between the human population and the resources we have.
As for information / the internet, it is the way forward. Full access to a range of information and services through a global network works, so long as people are willing to contribute to it constructively. Sounds crazy for people to be nice, I know, but as presumably the problems above have been addressed there is less reason to be counter-productive.
Simply put it's a backwards system. I won't go into details here but essentially every time money is used it depreciates so more has to be created / inflated / some other nonsense to account for it. This perpetuates itself indefinitely. If we relied on the exchange of resources and services themselves, provided through a global distribution service that provides sufficient resources to everyone (which is very much possible with current technology and resources worldwide), a lot of the other problems would drastically reduce. Why kill / rob / hurt people when you've got what you want and need? (yes some people are predisposed to this but at least many causes such as poverty are removed)
The second is probably overpopulation. We need global awareness of maintaining an equilibrium between the human population and the resources we have.
As for information / the internet, it is the way forward. Full access to a range of information and services through a global network works, so long as people are willing to contribute to it constructively. Sounds crazy for people to be nice, I know, but as presumably the problems above have been addressed there is less reason to be counter-productive.
I don't know, many of the things on this list have either always been with us in human civilization or are so isolated that they aren't really huge problems. Sorry, but I think making a list of all of the problems in the world isn't all that productive, especially when the people that list is pointing to (as a cause) are either far off warlords in developing countries or people in our societies that are powerful (politicians, corporate leaders, special interest groups, etc.).
Main point, people are people and we'll always do certain things that are bad and mean. To focus only on the bad and mean is to not see the whole picture. I think this person should write another list with all of the great things in the world today (like the internet!), that'd be more useful.
Main point, people are people and we'll always do certain things that are bad and mean. To focus only on the bad and mean is to not see the whole picture. I think this person should write another list with all of the great things in the world today (like the internet!), that'd be more useful.
If hitler wasnt bullied by his father, maybe we wouldnt see world war 2. He could have been a happier individual with more humane ideals.AccursedTheory said:
If people were nicer to each other, there would be more trust and less loneliness, less depression . Loneliness and Depression is a serious problem.
I have a 5 month old Australian Cattle Dog...
His farts.
Easily top 3. In all history. Way ahead of most dictators, diseases or social issues.
His farts.
Easily top 3. In all history. Way ahead of most dictators, diseases or social issues.
honestly, I'd put economic manipulation, rampant consumerism, and the prevalence of outdated culture at 1, 2, and 3 respectively. The energy/fossil fuel problem falls under 1 (slow R&D in alternatives) and 2 (overuse). Unjust wars, human rights violations, genocide, overpopulation, lies told by news organizations, and terrorism all fall under 3.
But there's no quick fix. Reasonable discussion only works on calm, content, educated people.
But there's no quick fix. Reasonable discussion only works on calm, content, educated people.
Why the hell is misinformation on there? That would be down around number 76356 for me. Same as the abuse one. Yes its bad, but I fail to see how abusing people is worse then everyone dying.
The way I figure it is that things would sort of work out for a bit longer if we start living in tribes and caves again. Get rid of all the technology and buildings.
We would have more space, less ways to kill people, better for the earth and stuff. [sub] Hug a tree man... save a whale...[/sub]
Lets just hope its not in my time.
The way I figure it is that things would sort of work out for a bit longer if we start living in tribes and caves again. Get rid of all the technology and buildings.
We would have more space, less ways to kill people, better for the earth and stuff. [sub] Hug a tree man... save a whale...[/sub]
Lets just hope its not in my time.
This would generally hold up, but as humanity have advanced in their technological level, and more and more nations reach a point of surplus resources, environmental causes have less of an impact on the overall population. Famines, floods, tidal waves, earthquakes that might previously have led to population extinction in certain parts of the world rarely do so now. When a disaster occurs you can guarantee that aid from outside of the country, worldwide efforts to mitigate the impact and aid from charitable institutions will lead to the "population goes down" part of the equation being less marked. 100 years ago, widespread famine in Ethiopia or a massive earthquake on Haiti would have been effectively ignored by the world at large and would have had a much more significant impact on the local population.Zack Alklazaris said:
Combine this with medical advances which lead to less childhood/birth deaths and the increasing prevalence of this and you have a situation where population growth begins to outstrip the rate at which natural events reduces population levels. The cycle of overpopulation leads to famine, leads to population reduction and back around again no longer affects large parts of the global population, so the cycle is reaching the point where it ceases to turn. Or at least, ceases to turn for a long time, until such a point is reached where the overpopulation reaches a truly critical mass; and famine becomes a worldwide issue.
It's not that I think you're wrong that overpopulation eventually sorts itself out, but more that, in our current circumstances, the events that will sort out overpopulation are probably going to be globally devastating and could, nay should be avoided. Not just to preserve our own asses as a species, but to preserve the planet itself.
Of course, it's possible to take the position of "Well, maybe global devastation and mass population reduction wouldn't be a bad thing, it might finally wake people up to the idea of finite space and resources."
these problems are so vague.
Somehow I don't think the first one is solvable, its human nature surely....
Somehow I don't think the first one is solvable, its human nature surely....
If you want specifics then in no order:CODE-D said:
1) Water shortages - The genocide in Darfur was directly caused by this and the problem will only get worse
2) Agricultural technology beginning to look like it will lag behind the increased demand as the world population rises.
3) Bee hive population collapse - Directly related to agriculture. We don't produce food without the aid of bees, the entire agricultural industry relies on it.
4) Rise of China/Decline of the US - only an issue in that political theory and history suggest that when one empire rises and another declines there is the greatest amount of wars and violence.
5) Ecosystem collapse caused by over harvesting - In or close to 2056 the entire ocean will be devoid of life. This isn't the far future this is your lifetime, and that is not a crazy prediction it is the official estimate maintained by the marine biologist community based on current fishing trends combined with all relevant data.
6) Environmental destruction - Short sighted policies that do things like polluting the largest fresh water source in the world, lake Baikal.
7) Political meddling in foreign nations creating backlash against western powers.
8) Curing genetic diseases like cancer
9) Israel-Palestinian conflict - needs to be solved not only for the inherent reasons but also for the political tension it creates in the Middle East.
10) The trend towards corporativism - There are very few people who believe that a government should give tons of money to a few private businesses so that they can take over, or that the government should enact favorable policies for single companies to the detriment of other companies. But this is exactly what is happening and it leads to bad business practices that don't benefit the people as well as heavy amounts of corruption.
I picked things that are big problems but that could potentially be solved if we put our minds to it. I could not make a list of things that are bigger that we need to overcome without dropping the 'specific' part. Plus it would become much more highly subjective, more abstract and would require a lot more typing to explain. Also I doubt they are things we would be able to actually fix.