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115 Global Issues Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best global issues topic ideas & essay examples, ✍️ global issues essay topics for college, 📌 good essay topics on global issues, 💡 interesting topics to write about global issues, ❓ global issues questions.

Water Scarcity as a Global Issue: Causes and Solutions Common causes of water scarcity include overpopulation e in regions that have limited water resources, global warming, destruction of water catchment areas by human activities, and pollution of water sources.
Tuberculosis as a Global Health Issue Over the years, the bacteria strain that causes tuberculosis has developed a lot of resistance mainly as a result of a lack of compliance to treatment on the part of the patient.
Gender Inequality as a Global Issue This essay will examine some of the causes that affect the gap in the treatment of men and women, and its ramifications, particularly regarding developing countries.
Homelessness as a Global Social Issue In the US, homelessness is on the increase because of economic melt- down and foreclosures. Moreover, differences in perception of homelessness by liberal and conservative on homeless have increased homelessness in the US.
The Great Global Warming Swindle: Different Views on the Issue According to the film, the main aim of the scientific organizations is to get funding for the research of this problem and attract additional attention to global warming, while in reality, the climate is changing […]
Anthropology in Solving Global Social Issues Artists were moving in the same direction, which excluded the possibility to understand and assess other examples of the art of other nations.
Reflection on Global Issues: Globalization of the Environment The global conflicts, managing the post-pandemic world, and the need to navigate the social injustices to ensure equality for all are among the most pressing ones.
Project Cost Management: Global Issues and Challenges The information revealed by the author is likely to be beneficial for those individuals who are occupied in various fields but provide cost management services in the framework of the global construction industry.
Global Health Issue in the “Mother Teresa” Movie The movie is devoted to her immense donation to the universal HIV/AIDS struggle in India, but along with the help to HIV infected people, she made the greatest ever contribution to the matters of peace […]
Environmental and Global Health Issues: Measles Measles is among the most contagious disease in the world and is highly frequent and densely distributed in poor developing nations of Africa and Asia.
Global Issues: Addressing an Aging Population An important issue that is currently facing the world community is aging due to the increasing number of older people. Migration leaves the countries in which people are moving with a significant number of older […]
Global Health Issue of Malaria It can be explained due to the higher density of the population in those areas and the low socioeconomic status of most people.
Global Health Issues Affecting International Community The HIV and tuberculosis pandemics have caused and will continue to present considerable challenges to emerging nations’ public health care systems, especially in the hardest-hit nations.
Global Inequality Issues in Modern Society It was evident during the times of colonization when foreign entities tried to impose their sociopolitical and economic institutions on the developing nations.
Global Issues, Climate Justice, and Human Overpopulation On the one hand, globalization has many positive aspects: the mutual enrichment of the world community, the exchange of best practices, and the availability of goods.
Sustainability as an Urgent Global Issue Therefore, this shows the importance of integrating technology with other multidisciplinary teams to achieve quick and sustainable designs that can help in solving the urgent global issue.
Global Issues, Common Good, and Individualism In such a case, the cohesion and commitment of each individual to shared goals and interests seem to solve the mentioned problems.
Global Issues: Politics, Economics, and Culture by R.Payne The next chapter 14 reveals the issue of cultural homogenization and hybridization due to globalization. From the perspective of the biblical worldview, it largely determines the principles of the world.
Global Ecological Issues of Covid-19 Pandemic The reduction in carbon dioxide emissions is due to the removal of cars on the streets, which account for about 23% of total CO2 emissions.
Solving Global Issues May Not Be as Easy as It Seems The main point of the essay is to demonstrate how the inaction of those with power and money in the face of human suffering is purely immoral.
Global Health Issue: The Coronavirus Disease Families have suffered unparalleled grief, anxiety, and distress from the increasing fatality, massive job losses, lockdowns, and movement restrictions to curb the spread of the virus.
WHO and Its Impact on Global Health Issues The issues which are the center of attention of the World Health Organization are: Women’s Health Health In Africa Eradication of communicable diseases Dr Margaret Chan, the Director-General of World Health Organization said;”I want my […]
Examination of a Global Population Issue of Russia The country is one of the richest in the world. The country also has the largest forest cover in the world, and the largest fresh water lake.
Global Health Concerns Overview Title Report 1. Japan nuke risks are minimal The World Health Organization has sent alerts to global health experts to travel to Japan to prevent health hazards caused by radiation. WHO reported the health risks arising from the incident is very low and the current radiation level has no great risk on public health. In […]
Global Issues Action Plan in the U.S. While drawbacks are the possibility of losing power that other states can use to influence the United States and the lack of protection from emerging military organizations and countries, such as China and Iran, that […]
Global Health Issue Analysis: HIV – A Relatively New Disease Rapid detection and treatment are crucial to limit the spread of HIV and limit the patient’s effects. As the frequency and intensity of symptoms vary from person to person, testing is the only clear way […]
Race as a Global Issue in the 1920s The main intention of prohibiting immigrants from entering the country was to block the Germans whom the Americans saw as a threat to their country.
Global Digital Divide as a Social Issue That is, if societies around the globe are able to bridge the gap between those who have and those who do not in relation to information technology, then the development problems would be minimized at […]
Global Issue: WWF on Bio-Refineries NGO’s and private communities provide most of the funds, along with the government, for the development of these integrated bio-refineries. Integrated bio-refineries come with the promise of a better lifestyle and enhanced working conditions for […]
Global Warming Issues Review and Environmental Sustainability Whether it is the melt down of Arctic ice, the damage of the Ozone layer, extra pollution in developing countries; all sums up to one thing in common and that is global warming.
Modern Global Issues: Drinking Water Shortage The situation is closely linked with the lack of water, and the offered technology to cope with this problem. This is the only way to use naturally filtered and sprang water.
How Has Globalization Impacted on Issues of Human Rights? William Adler closely examines the disrupted lives of the three women who occupy an assembly-line job as the job and its company moves from New Jersey to rural Mississippi and to Matamoros, Mexico, across the […]
Malnutrition in Children as a Global Health Issue The peculiarity of this initiative is not to support children and control their feeding processes but prevent pediatric malnutrition even before a child is born.
Adolescent Pregnancy as a Global Issue The wider the information system is, the more effective methods of solving problems related to the health of pregnant teens are.
The Doha Round Effectiveness in Solving Global Issues Except for the Dispute Settlement Understanding actions, the attendees of the conference agreed that the outcome of all negotiations was to be done as a single undertaking.
Cultural Competence in Action: Solutions to Global Health Issues In this paper, the analysis of several case studies about cultural competence will be discussed to clarify how to achieve positive results and reduce the wasting of resources. In the second case, certain attention is […]
Polar Transformations as a Global Warming Issue Changes in vegetation due to global warming will be varying as the regions are covered with three main vegetation types: polar desert, boreal forest, and the tundra.
Project Cost Management’s Global Issues and Challenges The results suggest the lack of identity for the profession on the global scale due to the lack of consensus regarding the common descriptor, the scarcity of common standards, terminology, and bodies of knowledge, and […]
Natural Disasters and Global Social Issues The hurricane led to a major shift in the social arrangement of the populations in the worst affected areas. This led to a significant loss of jobs in the affected areas.
Childhood Obesity in Developing Countries – A Global Health Issue Childhood Obesity and the Globe As mentioned earlier, according to the data of WHO, the number of obese children in the world today is more than 42 million, and the vast majority of them are […]
Differing Views on Global Warming Issues It is crucial to bring on board the views of those who view global warming as a myth that need not to be addressed.
Ethics-Related Global Workplace Issues Child labor also exposes the children to activities that are illegal. Forced labor is a form of slavery and should not be practiced anywhere in the world.
Examination of a Global Population Issue Economic Issues The economy of South Africa is one of the fastest developing economies in the world. Being the only African country which is a member of the G-20, this country has been seen to […]
Global Population Issues and Population in the UAE The natural resources will face exhaustion due to the great pressure of the population. Consequently, the governments of these countries will be forced to take measures to drive the fertility rates up to cover up […]
Global Issues for Global Citizens: An Introduction to Key Development Challenges
Are Gender Rights and Gender Discrimination Global Issues
Global Issues Regarding the Container Shipping
Analysis of the Global Issues in Business
Global Issues, Local Solutions: Rethinking Wealth and Health
Climate Change and Pollution Are Serious Global Issues
Compounded Global Issues: Terrorism, Nuclear Proliferation, and Climate Change
Global Issues: Obesity, Inactivity, and Water-Crisis
Environment-Related Global Issues: Global and Regional Conventions
How Global Issues Are Resolved With the Scopes of Many Disciplines
Explaining the Global Issues of Environment and Health
Global Crimes Cause Global Issues That Affect the National
The Alarming and Troublesome Global Warming Issue
Analyzing How Global Issues Affect Tourism
The Link Between Global Issues and Change in Human Resource Management
The Relations Between the Global Issues and Institutions
Global Issues Surrounding the Millennium Development Goals
Analyzing Human Trafficking as a Global Issue
Global Warming: An Issue That Is Man-Made?
Immigration and Migration Described as the Global Issues
Analyzing Global Issues That Effect Everyone
Environmental Issues: Chevron’s Contribution to Global Warming
Global Issues We Are Facing Today
Cigarette Smoking Relation to Global Issues of the Future
Six Global Issues Associated With E-Commerce
Global Issues: The Link Between Water Shortage and Child Mortality
Analysis of the Innovation and Global Issues in Social Sciences
The Relationships Between Internet, Computers, and Global Issues
Global Issues Within the First Civilizations
Legal and Global Issues Focused On Treating Undocumented Immigrants
Analysis of the Poor News Coverage and Public Opinion on Global Issues
Depicting Social and Global Issues and Trends in Adult Education
The Global Issues Depicted in “Home”, a Documentary by Yann Arthus-Bertrand
Teaching for Sustainable Development Through Ethical Global Issues Pedagogy
Terrorism and the Military: Global Issues of Today
The Concept, Content, and Nature of Contemporary Global Issues
The Gay Marriage Debate: Contemporary Global Issues
The Analysis of the Global Issues and Threats of Nuclear Weapons
Overview of the Significant Global Issues of Nowadays
The Part of the U.S. and India in Global Issues On Women
Are Gender Rights and Gender Discrimination Global Issues?
What Are the Global Issues in Business?
Are Climate Change and Pollution Serious Global Issues?
Are Terrorism and Nuclear Proliferation Global Issues?
What Is the Role of Third World Countries in Global Environmental Issues?
How Are Global Issues Solved With the Help of Many Disciplines?
What Are the Social and Global Issues and Trends in Adult Education?
What Institutions Can Solve Global Issues?
What Are the Global Issues of Immigration and Migration?
Do Global Issues Have Local Solutions?
How Global Is the Issue of Obesity?
What Are the Global Issues Related to Container Transportation?
Is Child Mortality a Global Issue?
What Are the Global Issues Associated With the Millennium Development Goals?
What Were the Global Issues of the First Civilizations?
What Global Issues Is Humanity Currently Facing?
What Are the Global Issues Related to Human Resource Management?
What Does Smoking Have to Do With Global Issues of the Future?
How Do Global Issues Affect Individual States?
What Is Public Opinion About Global Issues?
What Are the Concepts, Meaning and Nature of Modern Global Issues?
Gay Marriage: Is It a Modern Global Issue?
What Are the US and India Global Issues Affecting Women?
Global Issues: How to Fight Addiction to Video Games?
What Are the Global Health Issues?
Is Organized Crime a Global Issue in the World?
How Can National Governments Solve the Global Issue of Climate Change?
What Are Starbucks Global Issues?
Why Is Global Cooperation Important to Address the Global Issues of Postharvest Losses?
Is It Possible to Solve the Global Issue of PTSD?
Environment Research Topics
Gender Inequality Research Topics
Human Rights Essay Ideas
National Parks Research Topics
Overpopulation Topics
Nuclear Energy Essay Titles
Poverty Essay Titles
Racism Paper Topics
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Climate Change

There is no economy or individual that is unaffected by climate change. By 2050, this problem could force 216 million people to relocate within their own nations. The changes in weather may worsen water stress and reduce crop output, particularly in the most food-insecure areas of the world.

One of the major problems on our planet is linked to global temperatures that are continually rising. By 2100, studies show that there is a 50% likelihood of facing global warming that is higher than 3.5 degrees Celsius and a 10% probability of witnessing warming higher than 4.7 degrees Celsius relative to temperatures registered between 1850 and 1900. This would result in more severe shifts in weather patterns, food and resource shortages, and the more rapid spread of diseases.

At COP28 in Dubai, held at the end of 2023, the World Bank unveiled ambitious plans to boost climate funding, improve initiatives for carbon markets, and much more.

Possible solutions:

A reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and increased awareness of the necessity to turn green are among the solutions that can make a significant difference. In addition, strategies to cut carbon emissions and opting for replanting are among the effective ways to address climate change.

Wars and military conflicts

Maintaining peace and security is crucial to preventing poverty and high numbers of refugees and asylum seekers. With an increasing number of territories becoming conflict zones, the number of poor and displaced women and children is on rise, causing the spread of diseases and a halt to economic progress.

Preventative diplomacy and demilitarization are the two key tactics for avoiding conflicts. Preventive diplomacy is defined as those actions undertaken to avoid conflicts from forming or worsening. It can also help to limit the spread of existing hostilities. Mediation, conciliation, or negotiation are all options to tackle this world issue.

Today, among the greatest world issues, wars and conflicts are at the top of the list. 2022 and 2023 were marked by a number of conflicts that led to many casualties and displaced people. The conflicts in Ukraine and Palestine in particular have led to a massive number of people fleeing or attempting to flee their countries in search of shelter.

Individuals with disabilities and the elderly are the most vulnerable because they may not be able to escape high-risk regions.

As of May 2023, there were around 5.1 million internally displaced persons in Ukraine and the number of documented refugees from Ukraine was over 6.2 million worldwide. Around 90% of those escaping the crisis were women and children.

In Gaza, there are approximately 1.4 million internally displaced people with around 690,000 being housed in 150 shelters run by the UN agency for Palestine refugees.

Refugee statistics:

In mid-2023, according to the UN , there were 110 million forcibly displaced people in the world
43.3 million (around 40%) of these were children
1.9 million children were born as refugees
36.4 million (over 30%) of all displaced people were refugees
6.1 million were asylum-seekers
4.4 million stateless people reside in 97 countries although it has been estimated that the true figure is much higher
Over 50% of refugees come from just three countries: the Syrian Arab Republic, Afghanistan, and Ukraine.

Water contamination

There is no life without water – apparently a simple truth but one that people seem to overlook. Poor management and irrational use forces communities to migrate in search of drinking water. Industries are polluting underground water and this issue is growing massively.

Due to pollution, poverty, and inadequate resource management, around 2.1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water
Agriculture is responsible for 70% of global water loss
Annually, 297,000 children under the age of five die from diarrheal infections caused by poor sanitation, hygiene, or contaminated drinking water
80% of wastewater is discharged into the environment without being processed or reused

Possible solutions to the water pollution issue:

The most efficient technique to reduce water pollution is to treat water (filtration, disinfection, etc.) before it reaches the waterway system. Clearing wastewater of pollutants can be performed via biological, physical, and chemical operations.

Human rights violation

Human rights are universal, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, religion, or any other status but what if this only happens on paper?

Indeed, the problems in today’s society are linked with the constant violation of human rights – gender inequality, human trafficking, the lack of freedom of speech – all of these can be witnessed in the 21st century in every country, even in developed nations.

Gender Equality

50% of the world’s population are women and girls. Gender equality is not only a crucial human right , it is also necessary for a peaceful society, the full development of human potential, and long-term evolution.

Possible solutions to gender inequality:

Speak up for what you believe in
Pay attention to what others have to say
Defend yourself from discrimination
Raise public awareness of a problem
Get the media to talk about it
Demonstrate to those in positions of power that they are being watched

Global health issues

There is no comprehensive list of the top global health challenges because this field is dynamic and ever-evolving. In addition, new threats and hazards related to global health are constantly emerging as seen by the monkeypox outbreak that occurred in 2023. On the other hand, certain global health problems are long-term and may be on the list forever including cancer, air pollution, and tuberculosis.

Major health problems in the world include:

Communicable diseases

Influenza outbreaks and COVID-19 are examples of pandemics that highlight our susceptibility to widespread infections, many of which begin in animals. Anxiety and fear are common reactions to pandemics. Other worrisome infectious diseases worth attention are HIV/AIDS, malaria, and Ebola which have remained deadly for decades.

Environmental factors

Air pollution and climate change have a serious impact on our health. Hurricanes, floods and droughts make disease transmission easier among large populations of people.

Inequalities and poor healthcare access

Poor access to healthcare, increased infant mortality rates, mainly in low-income nations, and income inequality around the world make it virtually impossible for many families to afford healthcare.

Political aspects

People become increasingly exposed to diseases as wars within or between countries damage essential infrastructure. As a result, they look for ways to escape the harmful situations that jeopardize their safety but diseases can spread swiftly when people migrate.

Mental health

A major contributor to disability is depression, and among those aged 15 to 29, suicide caused by depression is the main cause of mortality. Individuals suffering from serious mental health issues frequently encounter stigma, discrimination, and infringements of their human rights which can lead to earlier death. In less severe cases, mental health conditions can impact participation in social activities, close interpersonal connections, and academic or professional performance.

Noncommunicable diseases (NDCs)

Cancer, heart disease, and diabetes are just a few examples of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). The risk factors for NCDs include the use of tobacco products and alcohol, obesity, a poor or unbalanced diet, and lack of exercise. Although these global health concerns are present everywhere and are responsible for almost 3 out of every 4 deaths worldwide, low- and middle-income nations make up 77% of NCD deaths .

Possible solutions to global health issues:

Empower marginalized populations
Encourage physicians to work in rural regions
Implement policies that eliminate obstacles and improve access to healthcare
Promote health breakthroughs (improve research, increase funding)
Education can help people recognize and improve lifestyle variables such as poor diets, obesity, cigarette use, and alcohol intake which can lead to NCDs.
Veterinary medicine can enhance global health since diseases originating from livestock play an important role in the spreading of diseases.

Global poverty

Although there has been a decline in extreme poverty in middle-income nations, poverty in the world’s poorest nations and those impacted by instability, wars, or violence remains higher than it was before COVID-19.

Currently, about 700 million people worldwide face extreme poverty, meaning that their daily income is less than the $2.15 poverty-line established by the World Bank . The majority of these individuals reside in sub-Saharan Africa. All in all, the places where it is most difficult to tackle extreme poverty are rural areas and regions impacted by conflicts. It’s worth mentioning that 50% of the people who live in extreme poverty are children.

Possible solutions to poverty:

End marginalization by ensuring equality and representation for all
Provide preventative education and treatment assistance during an epidemic
Offer recovery interventions during climate disasters
Help refugees and internally displaced people in terms of health, nutrition, and shelter
Improve education
Increase the level of food security and clean water access
Put an end to conflicts

See also: Absolute poverty vs relative poverty, what is the difference?

Children’s poor access to healthcare, education and safety

Every child must benefit from the right to proper healthcare, access to education, and grow in safety, and every society benefits from increasing children’s life prospects. Despite this, millions of children worldwide face serious challenges linked with their birthplace, gender, or circumstances.

Over 72 million children around the world who are old enough to attend elementary school are not enrolled. Marginalization and poverty are two major social issues.

Possible solutions to protect children’s rights:

Encourage education for both children and adults in less developed countries
Provide clean water
Ensure basic healthcare
Tackle gender inequality
Improve childhood nutrition

Access to food and hunger

By 2030, it is less likely that the world will achieve Sustainable Development Goal 2: Zero Hunger, according to international agencies and media. The situation in countries that have faced food insecurity and where populations suffer from hunger has worsened further as a result of the health and socioeconomic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our planet houses over 8 billion people, and there is enough food to feed them all. Sadly, 828 million face hunger on a daily basis despite the quantity of available food.

According to the World Food Program , more than 40% of these people face severe hunger. At the same time, around 2.3 billion people lack proper access to food. Statistics also show that around 9 million people die each year from hunger-related factors – most of them being children aged 5 or younger.

In regions impacted by conflict, humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding initiatives should be rolled out quickly
The resilience of those who are more prone to economic hardship should be increased
To reduce the cost of nutritious foods, governments should intervene at various points in the food supply chain
Deal with poverty by focusing on interventions that help those suffering
Food environments should be reinforced. In addition, it is important to influence consumer behavior to encourage eating habits that are good for both people and the environment.
Experts believe that the immediate solution to the food crisis linked to the conflict in Ukraine could be monetary, mainly because of the rising food prices. If governments and donors are able to help people to pay for food, fewer will go hungry.

Massive migration movements impact all UN Member States , necessitating greater collaboration and responsibility-sharing.

The United Nations Member States endorsed the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants (A/RES/71/1) wherein they acknowledged that there is a need for a comprehensive strategy for migration. The New York Declaration recognizes the beneficial contributions of migrants to inclusive and sustainable development and pledges to defend their dignity, human rights, and basic freedoms, irrespective of their migration status.

Weapons accessibility

Multilateral disarmament and armaments restriction are the aims that have been important to the United Nations’ attempts to keep international peace since its inception.

The United Nations has placed a high priority on decreasing and ultimately eliminating nuclear weapons, abolishing chemical weapons, and reinforcing the ban on biological weapons, all of which pose the greatest dangers to humanity.

A number of multilateral treaties and procedures have been developed as a result of worldwide efforts to regulate, limit, or eliminate specific weapons, including:
Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons – one of its goals is to stop nuclear weapons and weapons technology from spreading
Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty – its goal is to prohibit nuclear weapons trial explosions, as well as any other nuclear explosions
Biological and Chemical Weapons Convention – forbids biological and toxin weapon manufacturing, procurement, transmission, storage, and use
Arms Trade Treaty – controls the international conventional armaments trade.

Although the top 10 global issues certainly help to establish what governments and ordinary people around the world should focus on, there are many other problems that everyone should be aware of, including the aging of the population, AIDS, and law and justice. Tackling at least some of these is possible but requires a lot of effort, patience and understanding.

UK spends increasingly more development aid on domestic refugees May 23, 2024
Rebuilding a state devastated by floods: Brazil's investment and solidarity initiative May 22, 2024
The top 10 safest and least safe countries in the world May 17, 2024
Water pollution in Uganda: A growing concern May 16, 2024
USA falls short of renewable energy goals May 16, 2024

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These are the biggest global risks we face in 2024 and beyond

From disinformation to inflation, these are the global risks we face in 2024.

From disinformation to inflation, these are the world's most pressing risks. Image: Unsplash/Ryoji Iwata

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Stay up to date:, global cooperation.

The World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report 2024 says the biggest short-term risk stems from misinformation and disinformation.
In the longer term, climate-related threats dominate the top 10 risks global populations will face.
Two-thirds of global experts anticipate a multipolar or fragmented order to take shape over the next decade.

The cascading shocks that have beset the world in recent years are proving intractable. War and conflict, polarized politics, a continuing cost-of-living crisis and the ever-increasing impacts of a changing climate are destabilizing the global order.

The key findings of the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report 2024 reflect these most pressing challenges faced by people in every region of the world.

A pessimistic global outlook

The report reveals a world “plagued by a duo of dangerous crises: climate and conflict.” These threats are set against a backdrop of rapidly accelerating technological change and economic uncertainty.

The findings are based on the Forum’s Global Risks Perception Survey, which gathers insights from nearly 1,500 global experts from academia, business, government, the international community and civil society.

Have you read?

The four key ways disinformation is spread online, will a regional conflict re-tangle global supply chains, this is what the climate crisis is costing economies around the world.

A chart showing the global outlook for the next 2 and 10 years.

As the chart above shows, optimism among respondents was in short supply. More than half (54%) anticipate a significant degree of instability and a moderate risk of global catastrophes. Another 30% see things getting even worse, envisioning looming global catastrophes and with a “stormy” or “turbulent” period ahead in the next two years.

Expand that view out to 10 years and the pessimism among respondents grows. By 2034, almost two-thirds (63%) predict a stormy or turbulent world order.

Breaking down the risks

While climate-related risks remain a dominant theme, the threat from misinformation and disinformation is identified as the most severe short-term threat in the 2024 report.

A graphic showing the global outlook of risks for the next 2 and 10 years.

The growing concern about misinformation and disinformation is in large part driven by the potential for AI, in the hands of bad actors, to flood global information systems with false narratives.

In response to the uncertainties surrounding generative AI and the need for robust AI governance frameworks to ensure responsible and beneficial outcomes for all, the Forum’s Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR) has launched the AI Governance Alliance .

The Alliance will unite industry leaders, governments, academic institutions, and civil society organizations to champion responsible global design and release of transparent and inclusive AI systems.

Over the next two years, the report states, “foreign and domestic actors alike will leverage misinformation and disinformation to widen societal and political divides”. This risk is enhanced by a large number of elections in the near future, with more than 3 billion people due to head to the polls in 2024 and 2025, including in major economies like the United States, India and the United Kingdom.

The report suggests that the spread of mis- and disinformation around the globe could result in civil unrest, but could also drive government-driven censorship, domestic propaganda and controls on the free flow of information.

In a 10-year context, climate-related risks contribute 5 of the top 10 threats as the world nears or crosses “climate tipping points”.

The risk posed by extreme weather events tops the list as nations remain unprepared for the “triggering of long-term, potentially irreversible and self-perpetuating changes to select planetary systems [which] could be passed at or before 1.5C of global warming, currently anticipated to be reached by the early 2030s”.

While the threat of extreme weather is seen as an immediate one, there was disagreement about the urgency of other climate-related risks such as the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem collapse. Concern about these risks was significantly higher among younger respondents to the survey, prompting fears that mitigation could be delayed beyond the point where meaningful action can be taken.

Opportunities for responding to global risks

With diminishing trust, political polarization and a volatile geopolitical landscape, the potential for cooperation to tackle global risks is under pressure. The report finds that solutions could emerge as a result of more localized cooperation on the part of nations, corporations and even individual citizens.

However, given the scale of the economic, political and environmental challenges the world is facing, the report concludes that, “cross-border collaboration at scale remains critical for risks that are decisive for human security and prosperity”.

This will be a focus at the 2024 World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, taking place under the theme Rebuilding Trust. The programme urges a “back to basics” spirit of open and constructive dialogue between leaders of government, business and civil society.”

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Top 20 Current Global Issues We Must Address

What are the most pressing issues in the world today? What will demand the most attention in the next 5, 10, and 20+ years? In this article, which frequently refers to the World Economic Forum’s 17th Edition of the Global Risks Report, we’ll highlight 20 current global issues we must address, including issues related to climate change, COVID-19, social rights, and more. While it’s hardly a comprehensive discussion, it’s a solid introduction to the kinds of concerns facing our world today.

#1. Poverty

In fall 2022, the World Bank will update the International Poverty Line from $1.90 to $2.15. This means anyone living on less than $2.15 is in “extreme poverty.” Why the change? Increases in the costs of food, clothing, and shelter between 2011-2017 make the “real value of $2.15 in 2017 prices equal to $1.90 in 2011 prices. As for the World Bank’s goal to reduce extreme poverty to 3% or less by 2030, the pandemic has made it even harder. Extreme poverty isn’t the only poverty we have to contend with. 62% of the global population lives on less than $10/day. While there’s been progress over the years, the end of poverty is still far off.

Learn more about tackling poverty with an online course: Poverty & Population: How Demographics Shape Policy (Columbia University)

#2. Climate change

The IPCC released its sixth report in 2022. In its summary for policy-makers, the report’s authors outlined a series of near-term, mid-term, and long-term risks. If global warming reaches 1.5°C in the near term (2021-2040), it would cause “unavoidable increases in multiple climate hazards,” as well as “multiple risks to ecosystems and humans.” In the long term, climate change will present major health issues, premature deaths, risks to cities and settlements , and other dangers. Mitigation is desperately needed – and fast. Because of climate change ’s connection to other issues on this list, it’s one of the most serious challenges facing humanity.

Learn more about climate change with an online course: Science and Engineering of Climate Change (EDHEC Business School)

#3. Food insecurity

According to the 2022 Global Report on Food Crises , which is produced by the Global Network against Food Crises, the number of people in crisis or worse is the highest it’s been in the six years since the report has existed. Close to 193 million people were experiencing acute food insecurity in 2021, which is an increase of almost 40 million since 2020. This represents a staggering 80% increase since 2016. Causes include “economic shocks,” like an increase in global food prices. Domestic food price inflation in low-income countries also rose a lot. “Weather-related disasters” are also a big driver. For 15.7 million people in 15 countries, it was the primary driver of acute food insecurity.

Learn more about food insecurity with an online course: Feeding the World (University of Pennsylvania)

#4. Refugee rights

According to UNHCR, the war in Ukraine sparked the fastest-growing refugee crisis since WWII. Almost 6 million (as of May 10, 2022) people have fled. The UNCHR’s Refugee Brief , which compiles the week’s biggest refugee stories, has recently described situations in places like Somalia, where thousands of people were displaced due to severe drought. Between January and mid-April, more than 36,000 refugees from Nigeria, Mali, and Burkina Faso arrived in Niger. These are only a few examples of the refugee crises, which endangers already marginalized groups – like women and children – and puts them at an increased risk of trafficking , violence, and death.

Learn more about refugee rights with an online course: Refugees in the 21st Century (University of London)

#5. COVID-19

The WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic in March 2022. It will continue to be a major issue for the world. The WEF’s Global Risks Report 2022 discusses COVID’s effects at length , including major economic recovery disparities and social erosion. According to a January 2022 article from NPR , there are also issues with vaccinations as many countries continue to have trouble getting doses. Distribution, vaccine hesitancy, healthcare systems, and other problems also factor into low vaccination rates. While we may never know the exact impact, the WHO estimates that between 1 January 2020 and 31 December 2021, there were around 14.9 million excess deaths linked to COVID-19.

Learn more about the impact of COVID-19 with an online course: Life After COVID-19: Get Ready for our Post-Pandemic Future (Institute for the Future)

#6. Future pandemic preparation and response

COVID-19 taught the world the importance of prepardeness. In a Harvard blog , Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the WHO, outlined the lessons the world should take to heart. The first: science has to guide policy. The politicization of the pandemic led to a lot of unnecessary damage. Another lesson is that science must pair with equity or it can actually make inequalities worse. This is obvious when looking at how low-income countries struggled to get the vaccines while wealthier countries stocked up. More resilient healthcare systems are also a must, as well as more coherent, global plans on how to respond. The world must also invest in research on contagious diseases, zoonotic diseases, the effectiveness of outbreak responses, and more.

Learn more about future pandemic response with an online course: Pandemic preparedness, prevention, and response (Politecnico di Milano)

#7. Healthcare

The healthcare industry has experienced major shifts due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the World Economic Forum, there’s been new investments and innovations, especially from the technology and telehealth sectors. In 2021, $44 billion was spent on health innovation. The world will be seeing the effects of these innovations for years to come, though equity will no doubt be a major issue. In places like the United States, the pandemic also reaffirmed how broken healthcare systems can be. In an MIT News blog , Andrea Campbell, a professor of political science, says the pandemic revealed a “dire need” for investments in public-health infrastructure, as well as a need to expand healthcare access and insurance coverage.

Learn more about health inequity issues with an online course: Addressing Racial Health Inequity in Healthcare (University of Michigan)

#8. Mental health

Globally, almost 1 billion people have some form of mental disorder. The pandemic made the world’s mental health worse. According to a scientific brief from the WHO , there’s been a 25% increase in anxiety and depression worldwide. Causes include social isolation, fear of sickness, grief, and financial anxieties. Health workers were also severely impacted, as well as young women and girls. The brief also highlights how the pandemic disrupted many mental health services, including services for substance abuse. Countries need to ensure access to mental health services as part of their COVID-19 recovery plans and beyond. It’s an economic decision, as well. The Lancet states that anxiety and depression alone cost the global economy around $1 trillion a year.

Learn more about mental health with an online course: The Science of Well-Being (Yale University)

#9. Disability rights

According to the WHO , over 1 billion people have some form of disability. Half can’t afford healthcare. They’re also more likely to live in poverty than those without a disability, have poorer health outcomes, and have less access to work and education opportunities. Human Rights Watch lists other discriminations disabled people face, such as an increased risk of violence. There’s been progress regarding disability rights, but many countries lack strong protections. The world still has a long way to go to ensure equality for those with disabilities.

Learn more about disability rights with an online courses: Disability Awareness and Support (University of Pittsburgh)

#10. LGBTQ+ rights

Members of the LGBTQ+ community face discrimination in many forms. According to Amnesty International , discrimination can target sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and sex characteristics. Even in more progressive countries like the United States, people face violence and discrimination. According to the Human Rights Campaign, more than 300 anti-LGBTQ+ bills were proposed in 2022. At least a dozen states are considering legislation that forbids schools from discussing or using a curriculum that covers sexual orientation and gender identity. Considering the United States’ influence in the world, this attack on LGBTQ+ rights will likely have consequences that need to be addressed.

Learn more about LGBTQ+ issues with an online courses .

#11. Reproductive justice

Reproductive justice – which encompasses more than just abortion rights – is threatened by legislation, lack of funding, lack of education, and restricted healthcare access. In most places, wealth is a big determinant of whether a person can access reproductive services. It’s better in some places than others, but as we’ve seen with other issues on this list, even “progressive” countries like the United States are experiencing major shifts. In June 2022, the Supreme Court is expected to overrule Roe v. Wade , a milestone court case that protected a pregnant woman’s right to abortion. The impact would be immediate and will likely influence other countries.

Learn more about reproductive justice and women’s rights: International Women’s Health and Human Rights (Stanford University)

#12. Children’s rights

Children are a very vulnerable group. In 2019, around 5.2 million children under five from mostly preventable and treatable causes. 2.4 million were newborns under 28 days old. Leading causes include preterm birth complications, pneumonia, and malaria. According to UNICEF, the climate crisis also represents a severe threat to kids. Around 1 billion kids live in “extremely high-risk countries” that are hit by the worst effects of climate change. 920 kids have trouble accessing clean water and 600 million are exposed to vector-borne diseases like malaria. Child labor also remains an issue. At the beginning of 2020, around 160 million were forced into labor while COVID-19 put 9 million more kids at risk. That’s almost 1 in 10 children globally. Almost half are in dangerous environments. As is often the case, the other issues on this list – climate change, poverty, COVID, gender equality, etc – factor into children’s rights.

Learn more about children’s rights: Children’s Human Rights – An Interdisciplinary Introduction (University of Geneva)

#13. Gender equality

Global gender equality has gradually improved over the years, but data from the 2021 Global Gender Report shows that the end of the global gender gap is still 135 years away. The pandemic played a huge role in reversing positive trends as women were hit harder financially. According to Oxfam , women experienced a 5% job loss while men experienced 3.9%. That means women lost about $800 million in 2020. This is a low estimate since it doesn’t count the informal economy, which includes millions of women. Women are also more likely to live in poverty, more affected by gender-based violence, and more affected by climate change.

Learn more about gender equality: Gender Analytics: Gender Equity through Inclusive Design (University of Toronto)

#14. Cybersecurity

The WEF’s Global Risks Report 2022 (page 9) listed cybersecurity vulnerabilities as a concern. The reason is rapid digitalization, which was triggered in part by COVID-19. Many “advanced economies” are now at a higher risk for cyberattacks. GRPS respondents identified cybersecurity failure as a critical short-term risk. In 2020, malware and ransomware attacks went up by 358% and 435%. There are a few reasons for this, including better (and easier) attack methods and poor governance. Cyberattacks have a swath of serious consequences and erode public trust. As countries become more dependent on digitalization, their cybersecurity needs to keep up.

Learn more about cybersecurity: IBM Cybersecurity Analyst Professional Certificate (IBM)

#15. Disinformation

Rapid digitalization comes with many issues, including the lightning-fast spread of disinformation. The WEF report describes deepfakes, an accessible AI technology, and its potential to sway elections and other political outcomes. Disinformation doesn’t need to be sophisticated to be successful, however. Through social media posts and videos, twelve anti-vax activists were responsible for almost ⅔ of all anti-vaccine content on platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Their content flooded the internet with the type of harmful, fear-mongering disinformation that played a significant role in vaccine hesitancy and political radicalization. Because disinformation travels faster online than the truth, it’s a global issue that should be addressed.

Learn more about tackling disinformation: Communicating Trustworthy Information in the Digital World (University of Rotterdam)

#16. Freedom of the press

According to the Varieties of Democracy Institute (as reported in The Economist ), about 85% of people live in a country where press freedom has gone down in the past 5 years. After peaking at .65 in the early 2000s and 2011, the global average dropped to .49 in 2021. Major countries like China, India, Russia, Brazil, and Turkey saw significant declines. Journalists and news organizations face threats like violence, imprisonment, lack of funding, and coordinated online attacks and harassment. A free press is essential to a functioning democracy. Without press freedom, all human rights are at risk.

Learn more about freedom of expression: Human Rights for Open Societies (Utrecht University)

#17. Debt crises

In the WEF Global Risks Report (page 7), respondents named debt crises as one of the most pressing issues over the next decade, though respondents believe they will become most serious in just 3-5 years. COVID-19 is a big reason why. Government stimulus was necessary, but many countries are now left with debt burdens. For corporate and public finances in large economies, debt burdens can lead to defaults, bankruptcies, insolvency, and more. This is a far-reaching issue as it affects budgets for areas like healthcare and green energy.

Learn more about the debt: Finance for everyone – Debt (McMaster University)

#18. Corruption

Corruption encompasses a host of actions such as bribery, election manipulation, fraud, and state capture. The World Bank Group names corruption as a barrier to ending extreme poverty and “boosting shared prosperity” for the poorest populations. When it comes to addressing poverty, climate change, healthcare, gender equality, and more, corruption gets in the way. Because corruption is a global problem, global solutions are necessary. Reform, better accountability systems, and open processes will all help.

Learn more about tackling corruption: What is Corruption: Anti-Corruption and Compliance (University of Pennsylvania)

#19. Authoritarianism

According to Freedom House, global democracy is eroding. That includes countries with long-established democracies. In their 2022 report, the organization reveals that global freedom has been declining for the past 16 years. 60 countries faced declines in the last year. Only 25 saw improvements. Only 20% of the global population lives in Free countries. China, Russia, and other authoritarian countries have gained more power in the international system, while countries with established democracies – like the United States – are losing their freedoms. What can be done? Freedom House says success “requires a bold, sustained response that establishes support for democracy and countering authoritarianism.” Governments and citizens engage and stand for democracy.

Learn more about tackling authoritarianism: Citizenship and the Rule of Law (University of London)

#20. Global cooperation

Addressing the issues in this article is not an easy task. True progress is only possible through global cooperation, a fact which is woven through the WEF report. Everything from addressing cybersecurity threats to humanitarian emergencies to protecting democracy depends on strong cooperation between countries. As the report says in its preface: “Restoring trust and fostering cooperation within and between countries will be crucial to addressing these challenges and preventing the world from drifting further apart.” The challenges threatening global cooperation are just as clear as the need, however, which makes it one of the most serious issues of the day.

Learn more about global cooperation: Global Diplomacy: the United Nations in the World

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About the author, emmaline soken-huberty.

Emmaline Soken-Huberty is a freelance writer based in Portland, Oregon. She started to become interested in human rights while attending college, eventually getting a concentration in human rights and humanitarianism. LGBTQ+ rights, women’s rights, and climate change are of special concern to her. In her spare time, she can be found reading or enjoying Oregon’s natural beauty with her husband and dog.

104 Global Issues Essay Topics

Find a collection of global issues topics for students covering challenges of the entire world. This is a broad spectrum of problems, from environmental concerns and human rights to economic disparities and geopolitical conflicts. Have a look at these world issues to write about and encourage a dialogue on the shared responsibilities we all have.

🗺️ TOP 7 Global Issues Essay Topics

🏆 global issues topics for students, 🎓 interesting world issues to write about, 💡 simple global issues essay topics, ❓ more issues in the world to write about.

Global Health Issues: Essay Example
Global Environmental Issue in the 21st Century
Global and Local Issues Affecting John Deere Firm
Global and Local Issues Affecting John Deere
Aspects of Global Health Issues
Globalization and National Security Issues
World Hunger and Food Distribution as Global Issue
Artificial Intelligence and Global Societal Issues Examination of the latest trends in the sphere of development of manufacturing processes indicates significant growth in the interest in artificial intelligence.
Global Issues of World Poverty: Reasons and Solutions The term ‘world poverty’ refers to poverty around the world and is not only limited to developing and under-developed nations.
Violence against Women: A Review of the Global Issue Millions of women continue to suffer from domestic abuse and discrimination. This paper explores the issue of global violence against women in its current state.
Food Security: Global Health Issue Comparison The paper discusses three initiatives or approaches practiced by international organizations and offers three suggestions from the author on methods of improvement
Global Warming: Issue Analysis Global warming is a term commonly used to describe the consequences of man- made pollutants overloading the naturally-occurring greenhouse gases causing an increase of the average global temperature.
The History of Climate Change and Global Warming Issue The paper states that the history of climate change and the solutions communities opted for are critical to tackling the current global warming issue.
Global Health Issues: On the Border Line The main purpose of this paper is to discuss how serving as a public health administrator at a border is a challenge for public health workers.
Vaccine Hesitancy as a Global Health Issue This work aims to describe the issue of vaccine hesitancy in the context of one of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) offered by the United Nations.
Global Warming and Other Ecology Issues The results of global warming will always remain a topic of controversy. Most scientists will always agree and disagree on the real effects of global warming on human life.
Sexual Health and Identity as Global Issues This paper discusses the origins and essential information about the issue of sexual health and identity, the population impacted by the issue, and society’s impact on the issue.
Food and Water Security as Globalization Issues Globalization has several implications for the business environment, among which are the expanded access to resources, and the interdependence of international companies.
COVID 19 as a Global Health Issue Today, the global community remains concerned about the state of healthcare as new diseases arise, and the treatment for the widespread illnesses remains undeveloped.
Chinese Companies and Globalization Issues People are the driving force of a company; to unleash that force, the patrimonial approach should be changed to more liberal and liberating methods.
The Global Water Crisis: Issues and Solutions The water crisis has now been associated with the reduction in food quantity besides the scarcity of safe drinking water.
Global Nursing Issues: Challenges, Strategies and Advocating for Health Care Every person is entitled to quality health support and care. Unfortunately, many underdeveloped nations find it hard to deliver quality health care to their citizens.
Global Societal Issue: Food and Water Security According to research, food and water security is a pertinent global problem in the current decade, with access to food and water becoming scarce in certain world regions.
Global Issues in Healthcare: Cultural Competence and Patient Safety Within the framework of domestic issues’ impact on US HCM, the supporting systems are affected to the greatest extent.
Articles about Global Issues: Reading Summary and Reflective Comments This paper presents reading summary and reflective comments on two articles: “Understanding international law” and “Global issues: Politics, economics, and culture”.
Global LGBTQ Health and Health Issues Although there has been rapid progress in the inclusion of LGBTQ people, they continue to face many health disparities, hence their poor health outcomes across the world.
Outbreak Investigation: Global Issues Outbreaks may occur frequently but not every case is reported. The investigation is important because it helps to learn more about the cases to put appropriate prevention and control measures.
Global Health Policy Issue: Africa There is global inequality in terms of health service delivery in Africa. The main problems that make health delivery a problem are poverty, illiteracy, and inequality.
Global Issues, Advocacy & Caregiving for Patients in India This paper will examine the global issue, advocacy, and caregiving for people who have been infected and affected by HIV/AIDS in India.
Globalization and Related Environmental Issues Globalization supports the flow of raw materials, wastes, and pollutants from one region to another. The wave of industrialization does not care much about environmental issues.
Global Human Rights Progress and the Role of National Cultural Value Systems This paper aims to investigate arguments in favor and against the claim that there has been progressing in developing global human rights over the last twenty years.
Global Pandemic Issues: Prevention of Infection and Transmission of COVID-19 For the last seven months, the world has been dealing with the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. The disease is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.
Global Health Issues, Tuberculosis Tuberculosis is often latent and reveals itself when the immune system is weak. The TB incidence rates in Southeast Asia and Africa remain the highest in the world.
Education With Regard to Globalization Issues Education is very important for representatives of the modern global community as would-be professionals and labor force.
Global Warming as Not a New-Fangled Issue Analytical research and an explanatory research have been seen to be helpful in many ways in order to increase the awareness that an audience has about the issues as global warming.
“Global Issues: Third Edition” by John L. Seitz The third edition of the book “Global issues” by Seitz is an introductory analysis of most of the factors that influence the environment, economy, and society.
Terrorism as Global Issue and Preventive Laws Terrorism is one of the actions that should be punished the hardest because it takes innocent life each time, no matter the justification of it.
Global Awareness of Environmental and Moral Issues Global awareness entails the aspect of making people, the society, have an understanding of various life issues that is based on knowledge of global perspectives.
Global Issues Influencing Compensation in the US Compensation is a systematic approach of providing monetary value and other benefits to employees in exchange for their work and service.
Compounded Global Issues: Terrorism, Nuclear Proliferation, and Climate Change
The Global Issues Depicted in “Home”, a Documentary by Yann Arthus-Bertrand
Global Issues, Local Solutions: Rethinking Wealth and Health Through the Lens of Social Enterprise
Global Issues of the Present and Ways to Overcome Them
Understanding Global Issues Is More Important Than Ever
Environment-Related Global Issues: Global and Regional Conventions and the Role of the Third World
Teaching for Sustainable Development Through Ethical Global Issues Pedagogy
Global Crimes Cause Global Issues That Affect the National and International Justice System
Legal and Global Issues Focused on Treating Undocumented Immigrants
Global Issues: What We Can Do to Solve the Biggest Problems in the World
Solving Major Global Issues by Founding a System on Ethical Principles in Simon Blackburn’s Book
Climate Change and Tourism: Responding to Global Issues
The Politics of Marriage and Gender: Global Issues in Local Contexts
Global Issues for Global Citizens: An Introduction to Key Development Challenges
The Overpopulation of the Earth as a Global Issue: Are There Humane Ways to Prevent It?
Critical Global Issues: What Are the World’s Biggest Problems and How Can We Help?
The Secret to Solving Global Issues? Fewer Secrets, More Collaboration
Global Issues and Challenges Beyond Ottawa: The Way Forward
Top Ten Global Economic Issues: An Assessment of Global Risks and Priorities
Science and Technology Cooperation on Global Issues
Climate Change and Pollution: Serious Global Issues
The Concept, Content, and Nature of Contemporary Global Issues
Global Issues of Environment and Health
Top 20 Current Global Issues That Need to Be Addressed
How Cigarette Smoking Relates to Global Issues of the Future
The Gay Marriage Debate: Contemporary Global Issues
Lack of Fresh Water Is Becoming a Global Issue of Increasing Importance
Global Issues and Change in Human Resource Management
Poor News Coverage and Public Opinion on Global Issues
Global Issues Surrounding the Millennium Development Goals
Social and Global Issues and Trends in Adult Education
Global Issues Within the First Civilizations
Are Caste Systems a Global or a Local Issue?
S. and India Global Issues Pertaining to Women
How Global Issues Impact Individual States
Global Issues in Finance and Accounting
Environmental Problems Are Becoming a Global Issue
Three Reasons Why You Should Care About Global Issues
Global Issues: Violence and Peace in the Modern Age
Canada’s Efforts to Address Global Issues
What Global Issues Are Most Threatening?
Are Gender Rights and Gender Discrimination Global Issues?
Why Is It Important to Be Aware of the Global Issues in Society?
How Do Global Issues Affect the Whole World?
What Are the Top Global Issues in the World?
Why Is Poverty a Global Issue?
How Do Global Issues Impact Undeveloped Countries?
What Is the Biggest Global Issue Today?
Why Is Understanding Global Issues Important?
How Do Global Issues Affect Communication?
What Is an Important Global Issue That Impacts the Future?
Why Is It Important to Learn About Global Contemporary Issues?
How Can We Stop Global Issues?
What Are the Major Contemporary Global Issues Facing the World in the 21st?
How Can You Help Solve the Different Global Issues?
What Is the Concept of Global Issues?
Does Technology Help With Global Issues?
What Are the Causes of Global Issues?
Are Global Issues Important in Our Society Today?
What Is the Most Important Global Issue We Face?
How Has Technology Become a Solution to Global Issues?
What Causes Global Issues?
How Can We Turn Global Issues Into Innovation-Led Opportunities?
Is Climate Change the Most Important Global Issue?
What Global Issues Have Emerged Because of Globalization?

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This essay topic collection was updated on January 21, 2024 .

Essay: The World’s Biggest Crisis Is the End of Scarcity

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The World’s Biggest Crisis Is the End of Scarcity

How our era of plenty has created the global problems that plague us today..

United States

Imagine an alien observer, sent undercover to Earth every half-century, to account for the status of human life on the planet. What would she convey to her extraterrestrial colleagues about 2024?

This article is adapted from The Taming of Scarcity and the Problems of Plenty: Rethinking International Relations and American Grand Strategy in a New Era , Francis J. Gavin, Routledge, 106 pp., $16.95, March 2024.

Before taking her trip, she would peruse her previous reports, noting a few things. In 1974, the world’s leading democratic power, the United States, was in geopolitical retreat and domestic disarray, while the authoritarian Soviet Union appeared increasingly powerful. The most populated state in the world, a Mao Zedong-led China, possessed an economy barely above subsistence level, while the second most populous nation, India, was scarcely better. The global economy suffered from both inflation and slow growth, marked by a chaotic international monetary and financial system. Wars or the threat of wars, both civil and interstate, were ever present in every part of the globe. Nuclear Armageddon hung like a sword of Damocles over the planet.

1974’s report, however, was absolutely Pollyannaish compared to 1924’s. One horrific world war had concluded while laying the seeds for another even more murderous. Imperialism shaped the international order, as a significant percentage of the world’s population was ruled or exploited by European capitals thousands of miles away. A steep economic depression had just ended but was only a precursor to a far deeper, more devastating financial collapse a few years later. Racism, misogyny, and intolerance were the norm. This, however, was paradise compared to the previous chronicle. 1874’s report pointed out that global life expectancy was only 30 and that few living people had not, at some point in their life, been visited by personal and communal violence, deadly disease, misrule and misgovernance, and the threat of famine and disaster. Each preceding half-century report was, in fact, more dire than the last.

The soup line in New York City, circa 1929. Bettman Archives/via Getty Images

Seen from this historical perspective, the alien could send a positively glowing report back home. In 2024, famine and illiteracy have been dramatically reduced, and life expectancy has more than doubled over the past century. Unimaginable volumes of wealth are generated; staggering amounts of information are available to ordinary people, instantaneously; and transformative new labor and lifesaving technologies are created every day. Genocide is rare; tolerance, not prejudice, is increasingly a shared norm; formal colonialism has been thrown on the dustbin of history; and economic recessions are unlikely to turn into crippling depressions.

Most importantly, the incentives for states to fully mobilize their societies to pursue total wars of conquest—perhaps the most pervasive and frightening aspect of world politics in her past chronicles—have all but disappeared. Indeed, states are now expected to protect and provide benefits to their citizens, instead of simply using them as military fodder to vanquish foes and seize land. Ideas and innovation, not territory, are the sources of power in this new world.

In short, the world has made unimaginable progress in taming the steep challenges of scarcity that had plagued humanity for millennia and had been one of the core drivers of total wars for plunder, empire, and conquest. But the success in creating a more prosperous, informed, and secure world for humanity has, unexpectedly, generated a whole new set of planetary challenges that, if not resolved, threatens disaster, if not human extinction.

The remarkable progress in generating unimaginable levels of wealth, information, and security has created the new, more vexing, and arguably more dangerous problems of plenty—unexpected and potentially catastrophic challenges that were created, ironically, by humanity’s impressive efforts to tame scarcity.

Drone to Yacht, an exclusive delivery service, drops a bag of food to boats near Ibiza on Aug. 24, 2021. Jaime Reina/AFP via Getty Images

Five revolutionary shifts were key in creating our present era of plenty. First, an unexpected and voluntary demographic compression unfolded in the developed world, with birth rates falling precipitously while life expectancy markedly expanded; as median ages increased and population growth slowed, the need to conquer additional territory abated. Second, an economic-technological revolution emerged that massively improved agricultural yields and the availability of food, dramatically boosted industrial productivity, and transformed finance capitalism, while improving transportation, housing, and health, and making accessible, affordable fuel bountiful. Third, an information revolution took place, whereby increased literacy and technological change significantly expanded the amount of access to knowledge about the world. Fourth, leaders of the developed world created domestic and international governing institutions and practices, which, among other benefits, generated far greater domestic stability and socio-economic well-being, eliminated great depressions, and provided increased personal as well as collective security, creating a political order that prized order, sovereignty, and, in time, human rights. Finally, ground-breaking new military capabilities, especially thermonuclear weapons, prohibitively increased the costs and risks of great-power wars of conquest.

These revolutions combined to reduce the shadow of famine, disease, and misery that had long fallen upon the human experience, massively increasing total wealth and information while weakening core drivers of territorial expansion, immeasurably improving the quality of life in the developed world. Populations stabilized and aged; food, resources, and markets became more abundant; and disintermediated flows of information exploded.

So what exactly are the problems of plenty? The current world order produces great material output, generated by increasing global exchange, but distributing it fairly among and between populations is contentious. This enormous prosperity generated by the burgeoning trade and industrial prowess has spawned grave risks of climate, ecological, migratory, and public-health catastrophes. The emergence of new technologies, developed largely in the private sector, has solved innumerable problems, while also creating frightening new ones. Surprisingly, an unlimited amount of data and information, no longer intermediated by legacy institutions, generates different though equally fraught dangers as scarce information controlled by religious institutions or the state.

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The 1970s Weren’t What You Think

Yes, fiscal and monetary policy seemed stuck for too long in expansionary mode. But the era also saw the rebalancing of the world economy.

As Jonathan S. Blake and Nils Gilman point out in their forthcoming book, Children of a Modest Star , the list of threats to human welfare, life, and the planet itself generated by plenty is daunting: “climate change, pandemic diseases, stratospheric ozone depletion, atmospheric aerosol loading, space junk, growing antibiotic resistance, biodiversity loss, anthropogenic genetic disruptions, declining soil health, upended nitrogen and phosphorus cycles, freshwater depletion, ocean acidification, oceanic plastics—and maybe even emerging technologies with terraforming potential, like bioengineering and artificial intelligence.”

A key feature of the age of plenty is the extraordinary ability to move massive quantities of ideas, money, goods, and especially people around the world quickly, irrespective of borders and territory. But this revolution in transmission does not simply enable good citizens and products to move around the world: unwanted agents—from pathogens to terrorists to bad ideas—can also move far more quickly and effortlessly, often with devastating consequences. Expectations have also been dramatically raised while left unmet. While the age of abundance has promoted tolerance and radical individuality, it has also undermined social cohesion and weakened the sense of common purpose needed to confront these challenges. Governing norms and institutions developed to successfully tame scarcity have been exposed as ill-suited to confront contemporary challenges, generating a crisis of political legitimacy and stoking polarization.

Families arrive to board a train at Kramatorsk central station as they flee Kramatorsk, in the Donbas region of Ukraine on April 4, 2022. Fadel Senna/AFP via Getty Images

In an era of plenty where empire, plunder, and conquest make little sense, how should we understand the current turmoil in world politics, marked by atrocities in the Middle East, Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, and the deepening tensions between the world’s two most powerful states, China and the United States? Why are the leading powers seemingly focused on issues that resonated in the world of scarcity, particularly great-power rivalry and war, while offering inadequate responses to the pressing issues generated by a world of plenty? There are many reasons, but three stand out.

First, Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine is the exception that proves the rule, revealing the dangers of strategic decisions based on outdated assumptions about conquest. From a narrow national-interest perspective, a desire to control the Donbas made some sense in 1900, when its abundant coal, wheat, defense in depth, and pliant population added to Russia’s power in a world shaped by scarcity and where empire and conquest were the norm. Today, in an age when food and fuel are historically cheap and abundant, land less valuable, conquered territories much more difficult to subdue, alternative grand strategies far more promising, and the world both aghast by and willing to punish Russia for its violations of the norms of sovereignty and human rights, even a successful conquest of Ukraine was unlikely to make Russia much more powerful in the long run. There are many important differences between America’s disastrous post-9/11 wars in the greater Middle East and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Both, however, reflect poor grand-strategic decisions based on profound misreadings of the nature of power and the incentives of the contemporary international system, misunderstanding the increased difficulty and decreased payoff for using force to conquer territories or subdue uncooperative populations in the age of plenty.

Second, it is important to recognize that there are many causes of war and conflict beyond plunder and imperial conquest. In particular, we must distinguish between the imperial conquest of the past—or an expansive, often unlimited impulse to add territory and colonies—and irredentism, or the finite desire of a state to reclaim territory it believes it has unfairly lost. The most dangerous places in the world—Kashmir, the Korean Peninsula, the Middle East, and the Taiwan Strait—are often where states are willing to fight, at great cost, to regain territory they believe is naturally and historically their own. While they may seem similar, imperial conquest and irredentism are driven by significantly different factors and forces, are shaped by different cost-benefit calculations, and demand different grand-strategic responses.

Whether China’s ambitions to take Taiwan is an example of irredentism or the desire for global domination is a critical question. Regardless of China’s ultimate goal, however, the changing circumstances wrought by the age of plenty make the return of an imperial, ever-expanding Eurasian empire similar to Napoleonic France, Nazi Germany, imperial Japan, or Stalin’s Soviet Union very unlikely. Unlike states and empires during the age of scarcity, China has no reason to fear being conquered, nor, even if it wanted to, could it easily invade, occupy, and take over neighbors like India, Japan, and Southeast Asian states, especially if a future successful takeover of Taiwan generated widespread military balancing and nuclear proliferation in the region. In the age of plenty, China might soon discover that the cost-benefit ratio of conquest has been completely inverted over the past century. Even if Beijing wished to pursue imperial conquest, it is hard to imagine how it could succeed, and, if it tried, it would risk its own defeat and collapse.

Finally, it often takes some time—sometimes decades—for people, institutions, and states to understand when their environment and circumstances have changed and to update their assumptions, conceptual lenses, and policy practices accordingly. Millenia of conquest, empire, and violent revolutions—and governing institutions built to deal with those crises—have left deep scars and unchallenged assumptions, and states, leaders, and populations have been slow to recognize the profound changes in demographics, technology, economics, and socio-cultural realities that have done much to tame scarcity while abetting the problems of plenty.

This myopia can come at a steep cost. Today’s leaders may share the characteristics of their tragic predecessors on the eve of World War I. Faced with a rapidly changing world and global phenomena they do not understand, they fall back on their long-held, unspoken, and often unexamined beliefs about how the world should work, as opposed to trying to better understand how the world does work. As terrifying as the problems of scarcity and the geopolitical behaviors they unleash can be, at least they are familiar. Leading powers and their leaders and institutions understand how to play the great-power political game that dominated the past. The problems of plenty, and the solutions required, are unfamiliar, disorienting, and vexing. Yet a melting planet, mass migrations, another even more lethal pandemic, destabilizing new technologies, and the cancers of inequality, deep polarization, and sociocultural fragmentation and alienation threaten the United States and the planet far more than the kind of expanding industrial, mobilized Eurasian hegemon that plagued the first half of the 20th century.

An IBM computer center that processes agricultural data to produce projected figures for farming, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, circa 1973. Alan Band/ Getty Images Archive

How would our alien friend end her report? She would point out that the institutions, practices, theories, and policies that successfully tamed scarcity—and that dominated current debates—were woefully ill-suited to meet the problems of plenty. The costs of failing to update core, often unspoken assumptions about how the world works and what matters would be highlighted, and that by preparing for the last war, Earth might tragically and unnecessarily get it. Her report would chide the thinkers and statesmen of 2024 for obsessing over the return of great-power competition and regurgitating the works of geopolitical thinkers like Mahan and Mackinder in order to control oceans and land that, if the problems of plenty are not confronted, may be dying and uninhabitable before long.

Visiting the planet every half-century has made her, unlike her Earth friends, an optimist. Humankind never goes the easy way around, and given the stakes, they could easily mess up—by starting World War III or being unprepared for a more lethal pandemic than COVID-19, unrestrained artificial intelligence, or the deadly consequences of the climate crisis. She reminds herself, and wishes the citizens of the planet could remember, that few living in 1974, 1924, or 1874 could have imagined the extraordinary progress earthlings have made since. Which, perhaps against her better judgment, gives her hope that she will get to visit in 2074 and be impressed once again.

Francis J. Gavin is the Giovanni Agnelli distinguished professor and the director of the Henry A. Kissinger Center for Global Affairs at SAIS-Johns Hopkins University. This essay is adapted from his most recent book, The Taming of Scarcity and the Problems of Plenty: Rethinking International Relations and American Grand Strategy in a New Era .

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Home — Essay Samples — Environment — Environment Problems — World Problems

Essays on World Problems

Writing an essay about world problems is a great way to raise awareness and spark meaningful conversations about important issues. By addressing world problems in your essay, you can shed light on pressing issues and inspire others to take action.

When choosing a topic for your world problems essay, consider focusing on a specific issue that you are passionate about. Whether it's climate change, poverty, or social injustice, there are countless topics to explore. You can also consider different types of essays, such as argumentative, cause and effect, opinion, or informative essays, to present your ideas in a compelling way.

Argumentative Essay

For an argumentative essay on world problems, you can explore topics like the impact of globalization on the environment, the role of governments in addressing poverty, or the effects of social media on mental health.

Cause and Effect Essay

When writing a cause and effect essay, you can delve into topics such as the causes and consequences of deforestation, the relationship between poverty and access to education, or the effects of pollution on public health.

Opinion Essay

If you prefer writing an opinion essay, you can express your thoughts on topics like the effectiveness of international aid in addressing world problems, the role of individuals in combating climate change, or the importance of raising awareness about social issues.

Informative Essay

For an informative essay, you can provide valuable information on topics such as the impact of natural disasters on communities, the significance of sustainable development goals, or the challenges of providing healthcare in developing countries.

To give you a better idea of how to structure your world problems essay, here are a few examples. For instance, your thesis statement could focus on the urgency of addressing climate change, the need for global cooperation to combat poverty, the importance of advocating for human rights, the impact of technology on world problems, or the role of education in addressing social issues.

In your paragraph, you can start by providing background information on the chosen topic, present your thesis statement, and outline the main points you will address in your essay. For example, you can start by highlighting the severity of the issue, providing relevant statistics, and explaining why it's crucial to address the problem.

In your paragraph, you can restate your thesis, summarize the key points discussed in your essay, and emphasize the importance of taking action to address world problems. You can also encourage readers to get involved in initiatives related to the topic, raise awareness, and support organizations working to make a positive impact.

Overall, writing an essay about world problems allows you to contribute to important conversations, raise awareness, and advocate for positive change. By choosing a compelling topic and structuring your essay effectively, you can make a meaningful impact and inspire others to take action.

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The world’s energy problem

The world faces two energy problems: most of our energy still produces greenhouse gas emissions, and hundreds of millions lack access to energy..

The world lacks safe, low-carbon, and cheap large-scale energy alternatives to fossil fuels. Until we scale up those alternatives the world will continue to face the two energy problems of today. The energy problem that receives most attention is the link between energy access and greenhouse gas emissions. But the world has another global energy problem that is just as big: hundreds of millions of people lack access to sufficient energy entirely, with terrible consequences to themselves and the environment.

The problem that dominates the public discussion on energy is climate change. A climate crisis endangers the natural environment around us, our wellbeing today and the wellbeing of those who come after us.

It is the production of energy that is responsible for 87% of global greenhouse gas emissions and as the chart below shows, people in the richest countries have the very highest emissions.

This chart here will guide us through the discussion of the world's energy problem. It shows the per capita CO2 emissions on the vertical axis against the average income in that country on the horizontal axis.

In countries where people have an average income between $15,000 and $20,000, per capita CO 2 emissions are close to the global average ( 4.8 tonnes CO 2 per year). In every country where people's average income is above $25,000 the average emissions per capita are higher than the global average.

The world’s CO 2 emissions have been rising quickly and reached 36.6 billion tonnes in 2018 . As long as we are emitting greenhouse gases their concentration in the atmosphere increases . To bring climate change to an end the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere needs to stabilize and to achieve this the world’s greenhouse gas emissions have to decline towards net-zero.

To bring emissions down towards net-zero will be one of the world’s biggest challenges in the years ahead. But the world’s energy problem is actually even larger than that, because the world has not one, but two energy problems.

The twin problems of global energy

The first energy problem: those that have low carbon emissions lack access to energy.

The first global energy problem relates to the left-hand side of the scatter-plot above.

People in very poor countries have very low emissions. On average, people in the US emit more carbon dioxide in 4 days than people in poor countries – such as Ethiopia, Uganda, or Malawi – emit in an entire year. 1

The reason that the emissions of the poor are low is that they lack access to modern energy and technology. The energy problem of the poorer half of the world is energy poverty . The two charts below show that large shares of people in countries with a GDP per capita of less than $25,000 do not have access to electricity and clean cooking fuels. 2

The lack of access to these technologies causes some of the worst global problems of our time.

When people lack access to modern energy sources for cooking and heating, they rely on solid fuel sources – mostly firewood, but also dung and crop waste. This comes at a massive cost to the health of people in energy poverty: indoor air pollution , which the WHO calls "the world's largest single environmental health risk." 3 For the poorest people in the world it is the largest risk factor for early death and global health research suggests that indoor air pollution is responsible for 1.6 million deaths each year, twice the death count of poor sanitation. 4

The use of wood as a source of energy also has a negative impact on the environment around us. The reliance on fuelwood is the reason why poverty is linked to deforestation. The FAO reports that on the African continent the reliance on wood as fuel is the single most important driver of forest degradation. 5 Across East, Central, and West Africa fuelwood provides more than half of the total energy. 6

Lastly, the lack of access to energy subjects people to a life in poverty. No electricity means no refrigeration of food; no washing machine or dishwasher; and no light at night. You might have seen the photos of children sitting under a street lamp at night to do their homework. 7

The first energy problem of the world is the problem of energy poverty – those that do not have sufficient access to modern energy sources suffer poor living conditions as a result.

The second energy problem: those that have access to energy produce greenhouse gas emissions that are too high

The second energy problem is the one that is more well known, and relates to the right hand-side of the scatterplot above: greenhouse gas emissions are too high.

Those that need to reduce emissions the most are the extremely rich. Diana Ivanova and Richard Wood (2020) have just shown that the richest 1% in the EU emit on average 43 tonnes of CO 2 annually – 9-times as much as the global average of 4.8 tonnes. 8

The focus on the rich, however, can give the impression that it is only the emissions of the extremely rich that are the problem. What isn’t made clear enough in the public debate is that for the world's energy supply to be sustainable the greenhouse gas emissions of the majority of the world population are currently too high. The problem is larger for the extremely rich, but it isn’t limited to them.

The Paris Agreement's goal is to keep the increase of the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and “to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C”. 9

To achieve this goal emissions have to decline to net-zero within the coming decades.

Within richer countries, where few are suffering from energy poverty, even the emissions of the very poorest people are far higher. The paper by Ivanova and Wood shows that in countries like Germany, Ireland, and Greece more than 99% of households have per capita emissions of more than 2.4 tonnes per year.

The only countries that have emissions that are close to zero are those where the majority suffers from energy poverty. 10 The countries that are closest are the very poorest countries in Africa : Malawi, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

But this comes at a large cost to themselves as this chart shows. In no poor country do people have living standards that are comparable to those of people in richer countries.

And since living conditions are better where GDP per capita is higher, it is also the case that CO 2 emissions are higher where living conditions are better. Emissions are high where child mortality is the lowest , where children have good access to education, and where few of them suffer from hunger .

The reason for this is that as soon as people get access to energy from fossil fuels their emissions are too high to be sustainable over the long run (see here ).

People need access to energy for a good life. But in a world where fossil fuels are the dominant source of energy, access to modern energy means that carbon emissions are too high.

The more accurate description of the second global energy problem is therefore: the majority of the world population – all those who are not very poor – have greenhouse gas emissions that are far too high to be sustainable over the long run.

The current alternatives are energy poverty or fossil-fuels and greenhouse gases

The chart here is a version of the scatter plot above and summarizes the two global energy problems: In purple are those that live in energy poverty, in blue those whose greenhouse gas emissions are too high if we want to avoid severe climate change.

So far I have looked at the global energy problem in a static way, but the world is changing of course.

For millennia all of our ancestors lived in the pink bubble: the reliance on wood meant they suffered from indoor air pollution; the necessity of acquiring fuelwood and agricultural land meant deforestation; and minimal technology meant that our ancestors lived in conditions of extreme poverty.

In the last two centuries more and more people have moved from the purple to the blue area in the chart. In many ways this is a very positive development. Economic growth and increased access to modern energy improved people's living conditions. In rich countries almost no one dies from indoor air pollution and living conditions are much better in many ways as we've seen above. It also meant that we made progress against the ecological downside of energy poverty: The link between poverty and the reliance on fuelwood is one of the key reasons why deforestation declines with economic growth. 11 And progress in that direction has been fast: on any average day in the last decade 315,000 people in the world got access to electricity for the first time in their life.

But while living conditions improved, greenhouse gas emissions increased.

The chart shows what this meant for greenhouse gas emissions over the last generation. The chart is a version of the scatter plot above, but it shows the change over time – from 1990 to the latest available data.

The data is now also plotted on log-log scales which has the advantage that you can see the rates of change easily. On a logarithmic axis the steepness of the line corresponds to the rate of change. What the chart shows is that low- and middle-income countries increased their emissions at very similar rates.

By default the chart shows the change of income and emission for the 14 countries that are home to more than 100 million people, but you can add other countries to the chart.

What has been true in the past two decades will be true in the future. For the poorer three-quarters of the world income growth means catching up with the good living conditions of the richer world, but unless there are cheap alternatives to fossil fuels it also means catching up with the high emissions of the richer world.

Our challenge: find large-scale energy alternatives to fossil fuels that are affordable, safe and sustainable

The task for our generation is therefore twofold: since the majority of the world still lives in poor conditions, we have to continue to make progress in our fight against energy poverty. But success in this fight will only translate into good living conditions for today’s young generation when we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the same time.

Key to making progress on both of these fronts is the source of energy and its price . Those living in energy poverty cannot afford sufficient energy and those that left the worst poverty behind rely on fossil fuels to meet their energy needs.

Once we look at it this way it becomes clear that the twin energy problems are really the two sides of one big problem. We lack large-scale energy alternatives to fossil fuels that are cheap, safe, and sustainable.

This last version of the scatter plot shows what it would mean to have such energy sources at scale. It would allow the world to leave the unsustainable current alternatives behind and make the transition to the bottom right corner of the chart: the area marked with the green rectangle where emissions are net-zero and everyone has left energy poverty behind.

Without these technologies we are trapped in a world where we have only bad alternatives: Low-income countries that fail to meet the needs of the current generation; high-income countries that compromise the ability of future generations to meet their needs; and middle-income countries that fail on both counts.

Since we have not developed all the technologies that are required to make this transition possible large scale innovation is required for the world to make this transition. This is the case for most sectors that cause carbon emissions , in particular in the transport (shipping, aviation, road transport) and heating sectors, but also cement production and agriculture.

One sector where we have developed several alternatives to fossil fuels is electricity. Nuclear power and renewables emit far less carbon (and are much safer) than fossil fuels. Still, as the last chart shows, their share in global electricity production hasn't changed much: only increasing from 36% to 38% in the last three decades.

But it is possible to do better. Some countries have scaled up nuclear power and renewables and are doing much better than the global average. You can see this if you change the chart to show the data for France and Sweden – in France 92% of electricity comes from low carbon sources, in Sweden it is 99%. The consequence of countries doing better in this respect should be that they are closer to the sustainable energy world of the future. The scatter plot above shows that this is the case.

But for the global energy supply – especially outside the electricity sector – the world is still far away from a solution to the world's energy problem.

Every country is still very far away from providing clean, safe, and affordable energy at a massive scale and unless we make rapid progress in developing these technologies we will remain stuck in the two unsustainable alternatives of today: energy poverty or greenhouse gas emissions.

As can be seen from the chart, the ratio of emissions is 17.49t / 0.2t = 87.45. And 365 days/87.45=4.17 days

It is worth looking into the cutoffs for what it means – according to these international statistics – to have access to energy. The cutoffs are low.

See Raising Global Energy Ambitions: The 1,000 kWh Modern Energy Minimum and IEA (2020) – Defining energy access: 2020 methodology, IEA, Paris.

WHO (2014) – Frequently Asked Questions – Ambient and Household Air Pollution and Health . Update 2014

While it is certain that the death toll of indoor air pollution is high, there are widely differing estimates. At the higher end of the spectrum, the WHO estimates a death count of more than twice that. We discuss it in our entry on indoor air pollution .

The 2018 estimate for premature deaths due to poor sanitation is from the same analysis, the Global Burden of Disease study. See here .

FAO and UNEP. 2020. The State of the World’s Forests 2020. Forests, biodiversity and people. Rome. https://doi.org/10.4060/ca8642en

The same report also reports that an estimated 880 million people worldwide are collecting fuelwood or producing charcoal with it.

This is according to the IEA's World Energy Balances 2020. Here is a visualization of the data.

The second largest energy source across the three regions is oil and the third is gas.

The photo shows students study under the streetlights at Conakry airport in Guinea. It was taken by Rebecca Blackwell for the Associated Press.

It was published by the New York Times here .

The global average is 4.8 tonnes per capita . The richest 1% of individuals in the EU emit 43 tonnes per capita – according to Ivanova D, Wood R (2020). The unequal distribution of household carbon footprints in Europe and its link to sustainability. Global Sustainability 3, e18, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1017/sus.2020.12

On Our World in Data my colleague Hannah Ritchie has looked into a related question and also found that the highest emissions are concentrated among a relatively small share of the global population: High-income countries are home to only 16% of the world population, yet they are responsible for almost half (46%) of the world’s emissions.

Article 2 of the Paris Agreement states the goal in section 1a: “Holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels, recognizing that this would significantly reduce the risks and impacts of climate change.”

It is an interesting question whether there are some subnational regions in richer countries where a larger group of people has extremely low emissions; it might possibly be the case in regions that rely on nuclear energy or renewables (likely hydro power) or where aforestation is happening rapidly.

Crespo Cuaresma, J., Danylo, O., Fritz, S. et al. Economic Development and Forest Cover: Evidence from Satellite Data. Sci Rep 7, 40678 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/srep40678

Bruce N, Rehfuess E, Mehta S, et al. Indoor Air Pollution. In: Jamison DT, Breman JG, Measham AR, et al., editors. Disease Control Priorities in Developing Countries. 2nd edition. Washington (DC): The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank; 2006. Chapter 42. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK11760/ Co-published by Oxford University Press, New York.

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As the world’s only truly universal global organization, the United Nations has become the foremost forum to address issues that transcend national boundaries and cannot be resolved by any one country acting alone.

To its initial goals of safeguarding peace, protecting human rights, establishing the framework for international justice and promoting economic and social progress, in the seven decades since its creation the United Nations has added on new challenges, such as AIDS, big data and climate change.

While conflict resolution and peacekeeping continue to be among its most visible efforts, the UN, along with its specialized agencies, is also engaged in a wide array of activities to improve people’s lives around the world – from disaster relief, through education and advancement of women, to peaceful uses of atomic energy.

This section offers an overview of some of these issues, and links to other resources, where you can get additional information.

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The UN system plays a crucial role in coordinating assistance of all kinds — to help Africa help itself. From promoting the development of democratic institutions, to the establishment of peace between warring nations, the UN is present on the ground supporting economic and social development and the promotion and protection of human rights.

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The world’s population is ageing: virtually every country in the world is experiencing growth in the number and proportion of older persons in their population. The number of older persons, those aged 60 years or over, has increased substantially in recent years in most countries and regions, and that growth is projected to accelerate in the coming decades.

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HIV infections have been reduced by 59% since the peak in 1995, (by 58% among children since 2010) and AIDS-related deaths have fallen by 69% since the peak in 2004 and by 51% since 2010. Globally 46% of all new HIV infections were among women and girls in 2022. The UN family has been in the vanguard of this progress.

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Atomic Energy

More than 30 countries worldwide are operating 413 nuclear reactors for electricity generation and 58 new nuclear plants are under construction. By the end of 2022, 12 countries relied on nuclear energy to supply at least one-quarter of their total electricity.

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Big Data for Sustainable Development

The volume of data in the world is increasing exponentially. New sources of data, new technologies, and new analytical approaches, if applied responsibly, can allow to better monitor progress toward achievement of the SDGs in a way that is both inclusive and fair.

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Child and Youth Safety Online

Rising Internet connectivity has the potential to transform children and young people’s lives for the better, but also makes them vulnerable to sexual abuse, cyberbullying, and other risks. The UN is actively working to protect children and youth online through various programmes and initiatives.

Every child has the right to health, education and protection, and every society has a stake in expanding children’s opportunities in life. Yet, around the world, millions of children are denied a fair chance for no reason other than the country, gender or circumstances into which they are born.

Climate Change

Climate change is one of the major challenges of our time. From shifting weather patterns that threaten food production, to rising sea levels that increase the risk of catastrophic flooding, the impacts of climate change are global in scope and unprecedented in scale.

Decolonization

The wave of decolonization, which changed the face of the planet, was born with the UN and represents the world body’s first great success. As a result of decolonization many countries became independent and joined the UN.

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Democracy is a universally recognized ideal and is one of the core values and principles of the United Nations. Democracy provides an environment for the protection and effective realization of human rights.

Disarmament

Since the birth of the United Nations, the goals of multilateral disarmament and arms limitation have been central to the Organization’s efforts to maintain international peace and security.

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Ending Poverty

At current rates of progress, the world is unlikely to meet the global goal of ending extreme poverty by 2030, with estimates suggesting that nearly 600 million people will still be living in extreme poverty.

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The world is not on track to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 2, Zero Hunger by 2030. The food security and nutritional status of the most vulnerable population groups is likely to deteriorate further due to the health and socio-economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Gender Equality

Women and girls represent half of the world’s population and, therefore, also half of its potential. Gender equality, besides being a fundamental human right, is essential to achieve peaceful societies, with full human potential and sustainable development.

A young girl waits to be vaccinated in Mogadishu, Somalia.

The United Nations, since its inception, has been actively involved in promoting and protecting good health worldwide. Leading that effort within the UN system is the World Health Organization (WHO), whose constitution came into force on 7 April 1948.

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Promoting respect for human rights is a core purpose of the United Nations and defines its identity as an organization for people around the world. Member States have mandated the Secretary-General and the UN System to help them achieve the standards set out in the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights .

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International Law and Justice

The UN continues to promote justice and international law across its three pillars of work: international peace and security, economic and social progress and development, and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.

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International migration

Since the earliest times, humanity has been on the move. Today, more people than ever before live in a country other than the one in which they were born.

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Oceans and the Law of the Sea

Life itself arose from the oceans. The ocean is vast, some 72 per cent of the earth's surface. Not only has the oceans always been a prime source of nourishment for the life it helped generate, but from earliest recorded history it has served for trade and commerce, adventure and discovery.

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Saving succeeding generations from the scourge of war was the main motivation for creating the United Nations, whose founders lived through the devastation of two world wars.

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In 1950, five years after the founding of the United Nations, world population was estimated at around 2.6 billion people. It reached 5 billion in 1987 and 6 in 1999. In October 2011, the global population was estimated to be 7 billion.

Kamal cradles his daughter who is holding a piece of bread, while a boy fondly looks at them.

There were 110 million people forcibly displaced world-wide at the end of June 2023. Among those were 36.4 million refugees, (30.5 million refugees under UNHCR's mandate, and 5.94 million Palestine refugees under UNRWA's mandate). ;

Fresh water sustains human life and is vital for human health. There is enough fresh water for everyone on Earth. However, due to bad economics or poor infrastructure, millions of people (most of them children) die from diseases associated with inadequate water supply, sanitation and hygiene.

As youth are increasingly demanding more just, equitable and progressive opportunities and solutions in their societies, the need to address the multifaceted challenges faced by young people (such as access to education, health, employment and gender equality) have become more pressing than ever.

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Home Essay Samples Environment

Essay Samples on World Problems

Navigating global challenges: exploring pressing world problems.

World problems encompass a myriad of complex issues that impact societies, economies, and the environment on a global scale. In today's interconnected world, addressing these challenges requires collaboration, innovative solutions, and a shared commitment to creating a more equitable and sustainable future. This essay delves...

World Problems

How Each Human Choice Leads to Destruction or to Protection

Protecting the environment is something I am passionate about and I think we all should be. We need to save our planet before its to late. Already the average temperature is 1C warmer in the 21st century than it was in the mid 20th century,...

Environment Problems
Environmental Issues

The Urgent Need for Environmental Sustainability and Human Responsibility

Environment or more so the eco system as we know it in common parlance is the habitat of human being and its surrounding flora and fauna, in which human being lives, interacts in multiple ways; which in turn seriously impacts and affects the human lives...

Preserving the Fragile Balance: Our Responsibility towards the Environment

All natural matters that make existence on earth possible encompass water, air, sunlight, land, fire, forests, animals, plants, and different dwelling and non-living environments. People suppose that the Earth is the solely planet in the universe that has the surroundings essential for life to survive....

Current Matter of Water Pollution in India: Cause and Effect

The Earth is composed largely of water and freshwater comprises only three percent of the total water available to humans. Out of total water available, only 0.06 percent is easily accessible--mostly in rivers, lakes, wells, and natural springs. The fresh water is exposed to a...

Water Pollution
Water Quality

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Environmental Conflicts in the South Durban Basin: Political Ecology

Political ecology approaches to vulnerability emerged in response to risk-hazard assessment to climate impacts and disasters. Political ecology of risks, hazards and, disasters based on the study of the South Durban Basin. Political ecology risk and hazard insists upon appraising inequalities, marginalization and unequal distribution...

The Biggest Threat to the Human Population: Food Security

When you think of the most prevalent problems facing the world, you may not think hunger to be high on the list, but hunger around the world has slowly grown since 2015 after decades of a gradual decline. In 2018, there were an estimated 821...

Food Security
Human Population

Human Population Leads to Environment Depopulation

'How is it possible that the most intellectual creature to ever walk on Earth is destroying its only home?' It is a question that truly challenged my mind and made me rethink some things. One of the first thoughts that had immediately popped into my...

Making World A Better Place By Helping Others

They will walk up to you, hold your shirt and won't let go off you until you give them money or food. Growing up, I've never liked just the sight of these refugees and children of disabled parents. I've always treated them with hostility and...

Helping Others

Exploring Climate Change During Spring Break

There are many places around the world that will suffer from the common impacts of climate change. However, since Galveston, Texas is around an hour away from my house in Houston I chose to look at Galveston County and the similarities with the Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta...

Climate Change
Spring Break

Understanding the Concept of Sociological Imagination Through the Bird Eye View

C. Wright Mills’, concept of sociological imagination is the understanding of personal problems being reflected by more global or public issues worldwide. It is thinking past your personal issues and looking at the influence it has on society. A good way of thinking about this...

Social Imagination

Environmental Art Works Created By John Dahlsen

10 days ago, I entered the biggest and the most devastating typhoon in my life and so do my father, although we enter typhoon almost every year in our hometown. The road downstairs in my house turned into a logging farm. According to the local...

Natural Environment

Earthquake In Ecuador In 2016 - A Horrifying Natural Disaster

A horrifying natural disaster impacted the Coastal of Manabi, Ecuador, on April 18, 2016. It was the most powerful earthquake to ever hit South America. The consequences were severely terrible which led to numerous of homes being shattered and leaving the community without a roof....

Apple Pest Management And Their Adaptation Practices Towards Climate Change

Apple production plays a vital socio-economic role in the Fes-Meknes region of Morocco. It is the main source of income for a large segment of small and medium-sized farmers in mountainous areas where it is considered among the most adapted tree crops to the edaphoclimatic...

Factory Farming

The Effects Of Poverty On Society

Poverty is a problem within the world. Being so that most people that are in these conditions will not get any further because the economic resources and standards of living are extremely low and have no intentions of bettering. Society today has been taught those...

Poverty in America

Best topics on World Problems

1. Navigating Global Challenges: Exploring Pressing World Problems

2. How Each Human Choice Leads to Destruction or to Protection

3. The Urgent Need for Environmental Sustainability and Human Responsibility

4. Preserving the Fragile Balance: Our Responsibility towards the Environment

5. Current Matter of Water Pollution in India: Cause and Effect

6. Environmental Conflicts in the South Durban Basin: Political Ecology

7. The Biggest Threat to the Human Population: Food Security

8. Human Population Leads to Environment Depopulation

9. Making World A Better Place By Helping Others

10. Exploring Climate Change During Spring Break

11. Understanding the Concept of Sociological Imagination Through the Bird Eye View

12. Environmental Art Works Created By John Dahlsen

13. Earthquake In Ecuador In 2016 – A Horrifying Natural Disaster

14. Apple Pest Management And Their Adaptation Practices Towards Climate Change

15. The Effects Of Poverty On Society

Importance Of Water Conservation
Importance Of Recycling
Deforestation
Waste Problem
Natural Resources

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Portrait of a woman standing in front of a series of huts in the Somali desert.

The top 10 crises the world can’t ignore in 2023

Learn about the world’s worst crises and what can be done to help.

Go to the Emergency Watchlist 2024 here.

Each year, the International Rescue Committee releases a list of the 20 humanitarian crises expected to deteriorate the most over the next year. For the past decade, this report has helped us determine where to focus our emergency services and lifesaving support to make the greatest impact.

Editor's note, June 5, 2023: The IRC released a Watchlist Insight report focused on the Central Sahel, a region warming at 1.5x the global average. Long-term economic underdevelopment and political marginalization are making communities in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger more vulnerable to the effects of both the climate crisis and protracted armed conflict.

Heading into 2023, countries across the globe continue to struggle with decades-long conflicts, economic turmoil, and the devastating effects of climate change. The guardrails that once prevented such crises from spiraling out of control —including peace treaties, humanitarian aid, and accountability for violations of international law—have been weakened or dismantled.

The human and economic costs of these crises and disasters are not equally shared. The countries on the 2023 Watchlist are home to just 13 percent of the global population, yet they account for 90 percent of people in humanitarian need and 81 percent of the people who have been forcibly displaced.

If we can understand what is happening in these 20 countries—and what to do about it—then we may, finally, have a chance to start reducing the scale of human suffering.

Here, we break down what you need to know about the 10 countries likely to face the worst humanitarian crises next year. For more information and to see the full list of 20, read the 2023 Emergency Watchlist report or our Watchlist at a Glance summary.

10. Ukraine: War creates world’s largest displacement crisis

The war in Ukraine has sparked the world’s fastest, largest displacement crisis in decades, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), pushing the country into the Watchlist for the first time since 2017. Many still in the country are facing winter without access to food, water, health care, and other essential supplies. The conflict also continues to have ripple effects across the world.

Ukraine is not higher on the Watchlist only because the huge scale of the international response helped to mitigate the impact of the war, at least somewhat, relative to other Watchlist countries.

Iryna and her daughter stand near the Medyka border crossing point in Poland after fleeing Ukraine.

What to expect in 2023

Conflict is likely to continue into 2023, with Ukrainians facing increased risk of injury, illness and death. Russian missile strikes could leave millions without water, electricity and heating in winter. 6.5 million Ukrainians have been displaced inside the country, while more than 7.8 million are refugees across Europe.

How the IRC helps

The IRC launched an emergency response to the war in February 2022, working with local partners in Ukraine, Poland and Moldova to reach the most vulnerable by providing essential items, cash assistance, improved access to health care, and safe spaces for women and children.

9. Haiti: Gang violence and climate change combine for chaos

Haiti makes it into the Watchlist top 10 as political instability and gang violence surge following the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021.

Armed gangs regularly take control of distribution routes, causing shortages of basic goods and fuel. Rising prices make it increasingly difficult for people to afford to buy the food they can access.

Meanwhile climate shocks and the first cholera outbreak in three years strain critical health and sanitation systems.

A woman and her son embrace under a tarp in Haiti. The tarp will clearly not provide any longterm protection from the elements.

Gang violence will continue to disrupt people’s livelihoods and essential services. Kidnappings, rape and killings are all rising, putting thousands at risk of death.

Haiti also recorded record levels of food insecurity in 2022, which is expected to worsen in 2023.

Humanitarian actors and other service providers will continue to face disruptions to their work in 2023, preventing aid from reaching those most affected.

While the IRC is not currently present in Haiti, we have a history of supporting the country dating back to 2010, working with a strong network of local civil society organizations to respond to the needs of communities. We currently serve Haitians on the move in countries where the IRC has a programmatic response, including Mexico.

8. Burkina Faso: Armed group activity invites instability

The situation in Burkina Faso grows increasingly dire as armed groups intensify their attacks and seize land. Tensions among the country’s political factions have contributed to the instability. Members of the armed forces seized power twice in 2022 alone.

A growth in the number of vigilante groups has added to the violence. Further expansion among these groups could increase political instability.

Portrait of a displaced woman in a crisis-affected region of northern Burkina Faso.

Armed groups now control as much as 40 percent of the country.

While needs are dire, humanitarian aid is limited by conflict and lack of funding. Some towns in northern Burkina Faso are almost entirely cut off. The price of food has increased 30 percent, among the highest food inflation rates in the world.

The IRC is active in Djibo, an area currently under siege by armed groups and host to many people who have fled their homes. We deliver clean water, sanitation services and primary health care programs.

7. South Sudan: Climate change compounds the legacy of civil war

South Sudan is still recovering from a civil war that ended in 2018. While conflict has decreased, localized fighting remains widespread. The country is one of the most fragile in the world.

Climate disasters including severe floods and droughts make it increasingly difficult for people to access food and basic resources.

Sisters Muna and Khamis live with their mother in an IDP camp in South Sudan. Here, they pose for a photo outdoors.

More South Sudanese people than ever before—7.8 million—will face crisis levels of food insecurity in 2023. Despite severe flooding, destroyed crops and disease outbreaks, funding shortages forced the World Food Program to suspend part of its food aid in 2022.

Conflict across the country also threatens civilians and humanitarian supporters. South Sudan consistently has the world’s highest level of violence against aid workers, hindering their ability to reach people in need.

With more than 900 full-time staff in South Sudan, the IRC's work includes lifesaving health and nutrition, protection and economic recovery services.

6. Syria: Years of war trigger a health crisis

Over a decade of war has destroyed Syria ’s health system and left the country on the brink of economic collapse. A decade of conflict in neighboring Lebanon has further increased food prices and poverty. Currently, 75 percent of Syrians are unable to meet their most basic needs and millions rely on humanitarian aid.

47% of Syrians rely on alternative and often water sources to meet or complement their water needs.

Prices of goods will continue to increase into 2023. Ongoing conflict and airstrikes could force more people to flee their homes.

The first cholera outbreak in a decade threatens to overwhelm Syria’s health care and water systems.

Since 2014, the U.N. Security Council has authorized U.N. agencies to deliver aid from neighboring countries into Syria. This critical lifeline could be cut off for millions in early 2023—in the middle of winter when needs will be particularly severe.

The IRC promotes economic recovery with job training, apprenticeships and small business support. We also support health facilities and mobile health teams with lifesaving trauma services as well as primary, reproductive and mental health services.

5. Yemen: Failed truce could lead to renewed conflict

The crisis in Yemen is deepening as an eight-year conflict between armed groups and government forces remains unresolved. While a ceasefire reduced fighting for several months, it collapsed in October 2022 and failed to mitigate the economic and health consequences of conflict.

Humanitarian funding has lagged. As it stands, 80 percent of the population lives in extreme poverty and 2.2 million children are acutely malnourished.

Bodor Ali Muhammad, 21, sits with her three daughters in Modhoor camp in Yemen.

Due to the failed truce, major conflict could resume in 2023. Yemen is at increased risk of violence unless a longer ceasefire agreement is reached.

Already, localized fighting persists, making it difficult for humanitarian organizations to deliver aid to the most vulnerable. Basic goods like food and fuel will remain unaffordable for many Yemenis.

While ongoing conflict and restrictions have posed a challenge, the IRC and our volunteers continue to reach vulnerable people and provide health care, women’s protection and empowerment, and education programming.

4. Democratic Republic of Congo: Decades-long conflicts escalate

Over 100 armed groups fight for control in eastern Congo , fueling a crisis that has lasted for decades. Citizens are often targeted. After nearly 10 years of dormancy, the M23 armed group launched a new offensive in 2022, forcing families to flee their homes and disrupting humanitarian aid.

Major disease outbreaks–including measles, malaria and Ebola–continue to threaten an already weak health care system, putting many lives at risk.

A woman pauses her agricultural work to pose for a photo in North Kivu, DRC. Two other women continue to work behind her.

Conflict remains the key concern in Congo, especially as tensions escalate and M23 takes control of more land.

Political unrest is rising as the country prepares for elections. Leaders have been accused of inciting and supporting conflict to win over constituents. Despite peacekeeping efforts, violence against aid organizations may increase before the vote.

The IRC works with communities on peace-building projects to reduce conflict and launches emergency responses to contain Ebola and other health crises, including the latest outbreak in eastern Congo.

3. Afghanistan: An entire population is pushed into poverty

Afghanistan ranked No. 1 on the 2022 Watchlist but dropped down for 2023—not because conditions have improved but because the situation in East Africa is so severe.

Over a year since the shift in power, Afghans remain in economic collapse. While a rapid increase in aid prevented famine last winter, the root cause of the crisis persists. Ongoing efforts to engage the government and improve the economy have fallen short. Almost the entire population is now living in poverty and preparing for another long winter.

A girl poses for a portrait, staring solemnly into the camera.

Heading into winter, millions of people are unable to afford basic needs, with drought and flooding decimating crops and livestock.

Afghan women and girls will experience the brunt of this hardship. They remain at risk of violence and exploitation. And many are left without a voice as the government places bans on education, dress, travel and political participation for women.

The IRC more than quadrupled our staff in Afghanistan in 2022 to operate in 12 provinces, support 68 health facilities and manage 30 mobile health teams. In the next year, we expect to reach 800,000 people directly and impact 4 million with our services.

2. Ethiopia: Drought and conflict torments tens of millions

Ethiopia is heading toward its sixth consecutive failed rainy season, which could prolong a drought already affecting 24 million people. At the same time, various conflicts across the country are disrupting lives and preventing humanitarian organizations from delivering aid.

While a November 2022 peace deal may hold and offers hope for an end to the conflict in Tigray, northern Ethiopia, 28.6 million remain in need of humanitarian aid.

Ethiopia's drought response requires $1.66B but was only 42% funded as of late 2022.

The humanitarian response to the drought in Ethiopia is insufficiently funded, even more so than in East African countries facing a similar crisis. If humanitarian groups can’t deliver resources in a country that is badly affected by aid funding shortfalls, Ethiopians will starve as they are hit by drought and rising food prices.

If the peace deal unravels, humanitarian needs will increase even more.

The IRC distributes cash and basic emergency supplies, builds safe water supply systems and sanitation facilities, and supports government partners and community workers in maintaining health clinics.

1. Somalia: A catastrophic hunger crisis tops the Watchlist

Topping the Watchlist for the first time, Somalia is facing an unprecedented drought and hunger crisis. Pe ople have already lost their lives to starvation, and the country is on the brink of famine.

This is no “natural disaster.” Human-caused climate change has increased the frequency and severity of droughts. Decades of conflict have eroded Somalia’s ability to respond to shocks of any kind, destroying systems and infrastructure that would have provided a guardrail against the current crisis.

For instance, with its food production decimated by climate change and conflict, Somalia’s dependence on imports has proven disastrous — over 90% of its wheat comes from Russia and Ukraine.

Mohamed Hassan, 71, and Madina Omar, 70, pose for a photo outside of a group of huts in Somalia.

Somalia, like Ethiopia, could experience its sixth consecutive failed rainy season in 2023. High global food prices driven by the war in Ukraine make it even harder for families to eat.

Humanitarian organizations have limited ability to reach people in areas controlled by non-state armed groups. There are even reports of one group destroying food deliveries and poisoning water sources.

Meanwhile, the humanitarian response in Somalia remains severely underfunded.

The IRC has been operational in Somalia since 1981, with programs including health, nutrition, water and sanitation services; women’s protection and empowerment; and cash assistance. We are scaling up our programs to address drought and rising food insecurity, and we are expanding to new areas to meet severe needs.

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What needs to be done.

Aid-as-usual will not address the severe challenges revealed by Watchlist. To make a lasting impact, international institutions must rethink the way we address crises in 2023. This involves setting ambitious goals to break ongoing cycles of conflict and devastation.

How can I help?

A record 340 million people are in need of humanitarian aid this year, and 100 million have been forced to flee their homes. Make a donation to support the IRC's life-changing work in Watchlist countries and across the world.

*Some names have been omitted for privacy and safety reasons.

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World Problems Essay Examples

Environmental degradation: the phenomenon of environmental refugees.

In the present time, with an increase in the ecological imbalances and extreme environmental degradation over the last 3 decades, the vulnerable community has been affected deplorably and violently as a result. The pressing problem of environmental challenges, migration and international security are entwining in...

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The world we make now is a society where technological development enhances the convenience of life. Technological innovation has achieved technological development and miniaturization. In addition, globalization has been achieved in a large part. However, there are many global problems or issues such as poverty,...

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Today’s world is faced be a multitude of problems. Some problems, to which we have a solution, can be solved by some effort, while other problems, to which we have no solution, cannot be solved. Solving problems and creating new ones while doing so is...

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The Fashion Iindustry is Destroying the Environment

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I Want to Change the World by Fostering People

I want to change the world by fostering young children who didn't have a chance in the world. I want to start off by explaining why I think if foster children I can change the world. Another way I want to change the world is...

The Problem of Overpopulation: We Are Living Beyond the Planet’s Carrying Capacity

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115 Global Issues Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

Top 10 world problems and their solutions

Climate Change

Wars and military conflicts

Water contamination

Human rights violation

Global health issues

Global poverty

Children’s poor access to healthcare, education and safety

Access to food and hunger

Weapons accessibility

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These are the biggest global risks we face in 2024 and beyond

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A pessimistic global outlook

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Top 20 Current Global Issues We Must Address

#1. Poverty

#2. Climate change

#3. Food insecurity

#4. Refugee rights

#5. COVID-19

#6. Future pandemic preparation and response

#7. Healthcare

#8. Mental health

#9. Disability rights

#10. LGBTQ+ rights

#11. Reproductive justice

#12. Children’s rights

#13. Gender equality

#14. Cybersecurity

#15. Disinformation

#16. Freedom of the press

#17. Debt crises

#18. Corruption

#19. Authoritarianism

#20. Global cooperation

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