World's Biggest Problems, Week 3

1) Water is an important resource to maintain human life, but often, fresh and clean water are something that many people in the world go without. The underwater aquifers that are storing much of the water we intake are draining quickly, and as the population increases, it is going to be more difficult to make sure everybody has clean drinking water. On top of that, our other water sources are being polluted by garbage, and are toxic for humans to drink. The first step to solve this problem, is to refrain from polluting the water of lakes and rivers, so that we have more sources of water. Another is to invent new water conservation technologies and recycle waste water so we don't have to discard all of it which could allow us to have more water for the future.

2) Animals are an important part of our life because without them, we wouldn't be able to eat the foods we love most: chicken nuggets, sushi, and hamburgers. With the population sky rocketing and the need to feed people being more serious, we are over killing animals in oder to sustain ourselves. It is unfortunate as well because we end up throwing out a lot of the food we collect. If everyone became a vegetarian, we could really stop this, but since that isn't likely, if everyone refused to eat one meal with meat in it every day, then the people who provide it will need to produce less.

3) The depletion of the ozone layer because of all the pollution from the way we develop energy is one of the many reasons why there is such a rapid climate change in the world. This could lead to disease outbreaks, failure to grow crops, and water shortages in the world. A solution could be to develop cleaner power plants that use their energy from the sun to create electricity instead of from coals. An increase in solar panels and solar powered machines would also be a beneficial solution.

4) Poverty has always been a major problem in the world, but with increasing an population, more and more people are falling under this category. A large fraction of the poor are uneducated. A simple solution to cutback the amount of people who suffer from poverty would be to educate them. Mandatory schooling funded by the government until they are legal adults would be the best solution and now that we have online schooling, it would be even more ideal.

5) There are billions of people in the world and a large fraction of that number do not get enough to eat. Hunger is a large problem in the world, and it can come from lack of money to buy it or lack of food where they live. In the United States, Americans are throwing out $165 billion dollars worth of food each year. If restaurants started giving the food that their customers do not eat to homeless shelters, or if people started buying less food that they buy for themselves, there would be great progress.

6) Animals are a gift to the world, and many are becoming extinct because they are not being protected. They are hunted for fun and are suffering from the changes in the earth's environment. Species like the blue whale and sea lions are endangered. Sea lions are victims of by catch in fisheries and are also being killed by diseases set on them by new introduced species. If people would be more careful how they fish, these sea lions would not be endangered. If people would refrain from introducing new species to environments where they don't belong, these endangered species could be protected.

7) Many countries in the world lack the safety that the people in the United States are used to having. South American countries like Venezuela and Columbia have so much crime and death happening it is overlooked by the citizens. The government is so corrupt that people get away with it everyday. A police force separate from the government would be the most valuable to the people. More security from outside countries where they have good systems of security would also be helpful.

8) Underemployment and unemployment are very dangerous to the population. These problems have been introduced into society from the low economic growth in the nations. Education is another reason why there is so much unemployment in the world. If people would go to school and get their degrees, they would be more likely to have well paying jobs. Programs in which education is offered to those who cannot afford it would be prime. The world is in need of doctors and engineers and the lack of education in countries is what makes the world loose out on what it needs most.

9) While the increase in technology has improved our lives greatly, it is also a problem the world has to face in the future. With the extensive technology that can do jobs that once took ten workers to do, there is an unemployment issue on our hands. Also, with the growth of technology has come the growth of cyber attacks where terrorists can infiltrate systems and hurt a country greatly. Although technology has been such a blessing in everyone's life, it is also dangerous, and a solution would be more security. More online security where even the brightest of minds cannot infiltrate a system.

10) Finally, drug abuse by youths and adults alike are causing the world to loose many bright people who are in need of guidance. The easy access to drugs and the reason why people turn to them are the biggest problems. In order to stop this, there should be free support groups in public facilities where the people using the drugs have a place to come to. We should use the technology we have discovered over the years to clear out the black market so it can stop producing the drugs that can ruin people's lives.