The main global problems of mankind. Global problems of mankind

Problems that do not concern any particular continent or state, but the entire planet, are called global. As civilization develops, it accumulates more and more of them. Today there are eight main problems. Consider the global problems of mankind and ways to solve them.

Ecological problem

Today it is considered the main one. For a long time, people used the resources given to them by nature irrationally, polluted the environment around them, poisoned the Earth with a variety of waste - from solid to radioactive. The result was not long in coming - according to most competent researchers, environmental problems in the next hundred years will lead to irreversible consequences for the planet, and therefore for humanity.

Already now there are countries where this issue has reached a very high level, giving rise to the concept of a crisis ecological region. But the threat looms over the whole world: the ozone layer that protects the planet from radiation is being destroyed, the earth's climate is changing - and man is unable to control these changes.

Even the most developed country cannot solve the problem alone, so the states unite to solve important environmental problems together. The main solution is considered to be the rational use of natural resources and the reorganization of everyday life and industrial production so that the ecosystem develops naturally.

Rice. 1. Threatening scale of the environmental problem.

demographic problem

In the 20th century, when the world's population passed the six billion mark, everyone heard about it. However, in the 21st century, the vector has shifted. In short, now the essence of the problem is this: there are fewer and fewer people. A competent family planning policy and improvement of the living conditions of each individual will help to solve this issue.

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food problem

This problem is closely related to demographic and consists in the fact that more than half of humanity is experiencing acute food shortages. To solve it, it is necessary to use the available resources more rationally for food production. Experts see two ways of development - intensive, when the biological productivity of existing fields and other lands increases, and extensive - when their number increases.

All global problems of mankind must be solved together, and this one is no exception. The issue of food arose due to the fact that most of the people live in areas unsuitable for this. Combining the efforts of scientists from different countries will significantly speed up the solution process.

Energy and raw materials problem

The uncontrolled use of raw materials has led to the depletion of mineral reserves that have accumulated for hundreds of millions of years. Very soon, fuel and other resources may disappear altogether, so scientific and technical progress is being introduced at all stages of production.

The issue of peace and disarmament

Some scientists believe that in the very near future it may happen that it will not be necessary to look for possible ways to solve the global problems of mankind: people produce such an amount of offensive weapons (including nuclear) that at some point they can destroy themselves. To prevent this from happening, world treaties on the reduction of armaments and the demilitarization of economies are being developed.

The problem of people's health

Humanity continues to suffer from deadly diseases. The advances of science are great, but untreatable diseases still exist. The only solution is to continue scientific research in search of drugs.

The problem of using the oceans

The depletion of land resources has led to an increase in interest in the World Ocean - all countries that have access to it use it not only as a biological resource. Both the mining and chemical sectors are actively developing. This gives rise to two problems at once: pollution and uneven development. But how are these issues resolved? At the moment, scientists from all over the world are engaged in them, who are developing the principles of rational oceanic nature management.

Rice. 2. Industrial station in the ocean.

The problem of space exploration

To master outer space, it is important to unite efforts on a global scale. Recent studies are the result of the consolidation of the work of many countries. This is the basis for solving the problem.

Scientists have already developed a mock-up of the first station for settlers on the moon, and Elon Musk says that the day is not far off when people will go to explore Mars.

Rice. 3. Model of the lunar base.

What have we learned?

Humanity has many global problems that can ultimately lead to its death. These problems can be solved only if efforts are consolidated, otherwise the efforts of one or several countries will be reduced to zero. Thus, civilizational development and the solution of problems of a universal scale are possible only if the survival of man as a species becomes higher than economic and state interests.

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Problems have existed for mankind throughout the entire path of its development. However, for a number of reasons, many problems have recently acquired a worldwide character. Their decision or not decision is directly related to the survival of mankind. The threat of irreversible changes in the ecological properties of the environment, the violation of the emerging integrity of the world community and, in general, the self-destruction of civilization are the realities of our days.

The concept of "global problems" gained wide popularity in the last decades of the 20th century.

Global problems are called problems that cover the whole world, pose a threat to the present and future of mankind and require the joint efforts of all states and peoples of the Earth for their solution.

There are various lists and classifications of global problems, where their number varies from 8 to 45. The main global problems of our time are the following 8 problems:

the problem of preserving peace;

ecological problem;

energy and raw material problem;

demographic problem;

food problem;

the problem of overcoming the backwardness of the developing countries;

the problem of using the World Ocean;

problem of peaceful exploration of outer space.

In addition to these, there are a number of important, requiring global participation, but more private problems: crime, drug addiction, interethnic relations, natural disasters, etc.

1. The problem of preserving the world

The essence of the problem: any modern large-scale war with the use of weapons of mass destruction can lead to the destruction of entire countries and even continents, an irreversible global environmental catastrophe, and in the territory of industrialized countries, even a war using conventional weapons can lead to such consequences.

This problem has long been the number 1 problem in the world. Currently, its severity has slightly decreased, but the problem remains quite acute.

Causes of the problem:

the appearance at the end of the 20th century of weapons of mass destruction and their spread around the planet;

huge accumulated world stocks of modern weapons capable of repeatedly destroying the entire population of the planet;

the constant growth of military spending;

the steady growth of the arms trade;

increased unevenness in the level of socio-economic development between developing and developed countries, exacerbation of energy, raw materials, territorial and other problems leading to an increase in the possibility of interstate conflicts, etc.

Ways to solve the problem:

an integrated approach to the problem of disarmament (inclusion of more countries in treaties on the limitation or destruction of weapons; phased elimination of weapons of mass destruction, etc.);

demilitarization of the economies of countries (conversion of the military-industrial complex);

strict international control over the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction;

reducing the tension of interstate conflicts by political measures;

reducing the gap in the level of socio-economic development of countries, solving food and other problems.

Examples and numbers:

according to experts, during the wars, the following died: 17th century - 3.3 million people, 18th century - 5.4 million, 19th century - 5.7 million, 1st World War - 20 million, 2nd World War - 50 million;

world military spending exceeds the income of the entire poorest half of humanity and amounts to more than 700 billion dollars a year; this is significantly more than military spending during the Second World War;

US military spending for 2004 - $400 billion;

arms trade now reaches 25-30 billion dollars a year;

leading arms suppliers - USA, UK, France, Russia;

the cost of importing weapons and equipment in developing countries exceeds the cost of importing all other goods, including food.

a set of problems of mankind, on the solution of which social progress and the preservation of civilization depend:

preventing a world thermonuclear war and ensuring peaceful conditions for the development of all peoples;

overcoming the gap in economic level and per capita income between developed and developing countries by eliminating their backwardness, as well as eliminating hunger, poverty and illiteracy on the globe;

stopping rapid population growth (“demographic explosion” in developing countries, especially in Tropical Africa) and eliminating the danger of “depopulation” in developed countries;

prevention of catastrophic environmental pollution; ensuring the further development of mankind with the necessary natural resources;

prevention of immediate and long-term consequences of the scientific and technological revolution.

Some researchers also include problems of healthcare, education, social values, relations between generations, etc. among the global problems of our time.

Their features are: - Have a planetary, global character, affect the interests of all peoples of the world. - Threaten degradation and/or death to all mankind. - They need urgent and effective solutions. - They require the collective efforts of all states, the joint actions of the peoples for their resolution.

Major global issues

Destruction of the natural environment

Today, the biggest and most dangerous problem is the depletion and destruction of the natural environment, the violation of the ecological balance within it as a result of the growing and poorly controlled human activities. Exceptional harm is caused by industrial and transport accidents that lead to the mass death of living organisms, infection and pollution of the world's oceans, atmosphere, and soil. But the continuous emissions of harmful substances into the environment have an even greater negative impact. Firstly, a strong impact on people's health, all the more destructive because humanity is increasingly crowded in cities, where the concentration of harmful substances in the air, soil, atmosphere, directly in the premises, as well as in other influences (electricity, radio waves, etc.) very high. Secondly, many species of animals and plants are disappearing, and new dangerous microorganisms are emerging. Thirdly, the landscape is deteriorating, fertile lands are turning into piles, rivers into sewers, the water regime and climate are changing in places. But the biggest danger is global climate change (warming), possible, for example, due to an increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This can lead to the melting of glaciers. As a result, huge and densely populated areas in different regions of the world will be under water.

Air pollution

The most common atmospheric pollutants enter it mainly in two forms: either in the form of suspended particles or in the form of gases. Carbon dioxide. As a result of fuel combustion, as well as the production of cement, a huge amount of this gas enters the atmosphere. This gas itself is not poisonous. Carbon monoxide. Combustion of fuel, which creates most of the gaseous and aerosol pollution of the atmosphere, serves as a source of another carbon compound - carbon monoxide. It is poisonous, and its danger is aggravated by the fact that it has neither color nor smell, and poisoning with it can occur completely unnoticed. Currently, as a result of human activity, about 300 million tons of carbon monoxide are released into the atmosphere. Hydrocarbons released into the atmosphere as a result of human activities are a small fraction of naturally occurring hydrocarbons, but their pollution is very important. Their entry into the atmosphere can occur at any stage of production, processing, storage, transportation and use of substances and materials containing hydrocarbons. More than half of the hydrocarbons produced by humans enter the air as a result of the incomplete combustion of gasoline and diesel fuel during the operation of cars and other means of transport. Sulphur dioxide. Atmospheric pollution with sulfur compounds has important environmental consequences. The main sources of sulfur dioxide are volcanic activity, as well as the processes of oxidation of hydrogen sulfide and other sulfur compounds. Sulfur sources of sulfur dioxide have long surpassed volcanoes in intensity and are now equal to the total intensity of all natural sources. Aerosol particles enter the atmosphere from natural sources. Aerosol formation processes are very diverse. This is, first of all, crushing, grinding and spraying, solids. In nature, this origin has mineral dust raised from the surface of deserts during dust storms. The source of atmospheric aerosols is of global importance, since deserts cover about a third of the land surface, and there is also a tendency for their increased share due to unreasonable human activities. Mineral dust from the surface of deserts is carried by the wind for many thousands of kilometers. Volcanic ash that enters the atmosphere during eruptions occurs relatively rarely and irregularly, as a result of which this aerosol source is significantly inferior in mass to dust storms, its significance is very large, since this aerosol is thrown into the upper layers of the atmosphere - into the stratosphere. It stays there for several years, reflecting or absorbing some of the solar energy that could reach the Earth's surface in its absence. The source of aerosols is also the technological processes of people's economic activities. A powerful source of mineral dust is the building materials industry. The extraction and crushing of rocks in quarries, their transportation, the production of cement, the construction itself - all this pollutes the atmosphere with mineral particles. A powerful source of solid aerosols is the mining industry, especially in the extraction of coal and ore in open pits. Aerosols enter the atmosphere when spraying solutions. The natural source of such aerosols is the ocean, which supplies chloride and sulfate aerosols, formed as a result of the evaporation of sea spray. Another powerful mechanism for the formation of aerosols is the condensation of substances during combustion or incomplete combustion due to lack of oxygen or low combustion temperature. Aerosols are removed from the atmosphere in three ways: dry deposition by gravity (the main route for large particles), deposition on obstacles, and sedimentation. Aerosol pollution affects weather and climate. Chemical inactive aerosols accumulate in the lungs and lead to damage. Ordinary quartz sand and other silicates - micas, clays, asbestos, etc. accumulates in the lungs and penetrates into the blood, leads to diseases of the cardiovascular system and liver disease.

Soil pollution

Almost all pollutants that are initially released into the atmosphere end up on land and water. Settling aerosols may contain toxic heavy metals - lead, mercury, copper, vanadium, cobalt, nickel. Usually they are inactive and accumulate in the soil. But acids also get into the soil with rain. By combining with it, metals can turn into soluble compounds available to plants. Substances that are constantly present in the soil also pass into soluble forms, which sometimes leads to the death of plants.

Water pollution

The water used by man is eventually returned to the natural environment. But, apart from evaporated water, it is no longer pure water, but domestic, industrial and agricultural wastewater, usually not treated or treated insufficiently. Thus, there is pollution of freshwater reservoirs - rivers, lakes, land and coastal areas of the seas. There are three types of water pollution - biological, chemical and physical. Pollution of the oceans and seas occurs as a result of the entry of pollutants with river runoff, their precipitation from the atmosphere, and, finally, due to human activities. A special place in the pollution of the oceans is occupied by pollution with oil and oil products. Natural pollution occurs as a result of oil seepage from oil-bearing layers, mainly on the shelf. The greatest contribution to oil pollution of the ocean is made by sea transportation of oil, as well as sudden spills of large quantities of oil during tanker accidents.

Ozone Layer Problems

On average, about 100 tons of ozone is formed and disappears every second in the Earth's atmosphere. Even with a small increase in the dose, a person has burns on the skin. Skin cancer diseases, as well as eye diseases, leading to blindness, are associated with an increase in the intensity of UV radiation. The biological effect of UV radiation is due to the high sensitivity of nucleic acids, which can be destroyed, which leads to cell death or the occurrence of mutations. The world has learned about the global environmental problem of "ozone holes". First of all, the destruction of the ozone layer is the increasingly developing civil aviation and chemical industries. Applications of nitrogen fertilizers in agriculture; chlorination of drinking water, the widespread use of freons in refrigeration plants, for extinguishing fires, as solvents and in aerosols, has led to the fact that millions of tons of chlorofluoromethanes enter the lower atmosphere in the form of a colorless neutral gas. Spreading upwards, chlorofluoromentormethanes under the action of UV radiation are destroyed, releasing fluorine and chlorine, which actively enter into the processes of ozone destruction.

air temperature problem

Although air temperature is the most important characteristic, it certainly does not exhaust the concept of climate, for the description of which (and corresponds to its changes) it is important to know a number of other characteristics: air humidity, cloudiness, precipitation, air flow, etc. Unfortunately, data that would characterize changes in these quantities over a long period on the scale of the entire globe or hemisphere are currently not available or very few. Work on the collection, processing and analysis of such data is underway, and if there is hope that soon it will be possible to more fully assess climate change in the twentieth century. Precipitation data seem to be better than others, although this characteristic of the climate is very difficult to objectively globally analyze. An important characteristic of the climate is "cloudiness", which largely determines the influx of solar energy. Unfortunately, there are no data on changes in global cloudiness over the entire hundred-year period. a) The problem of acid rain. When studying acid rain, one must first answer two basic questions: what causes acid rain and how it affects the environment. About 200 mil. Solid particles (dust, soot, etc.) 200 mil. tons of sulfur dioxide (SO2), 700.mil. tons of carbon monoxide, 150.mil. tons of nitrogen oxides (Nox), which in total is more than 1 billion tons of harmful substances. Acid rain (or, more correctly), acid precipitation, since the fallout of harmful substances can occur both in the form of rain and in the form of snow, hail, causes environmental, economic and aesthetic damage. As a result of acid precipitation, the balance in ecosystems is disturbed, soil productivity deteriorates, metal structures rust, buildings, structures, architectural monuments, etc. are destroyed. sulfur dioxide is adsorbed on the leaves, penetrates inside and takes part in oxidative processes. This entails genetic and species changes in plants. First of all, some lichens die, they are considered "indicators" of clean air. Countries should strive to limit and gradually reduce air pollution, including pollution that goes beyond the borders of their state.

The problem of the greenhouse effect

Carbon dioxide is one of the main culprits of the "greenhouse effect", which is why other known "greenhouse gases" (and there are about 40 of them) account for only about half of global warming. Just as in a greenhouse, a glass roof and walls allow solar radiation to pass through, but do not allow heat to escape, so does carbon dioxide along with other “greenhouse gases”. They are practically transparent to the sun's rays, but they delay the thermal radiation of the Earth and prevent it from escaping into space. The increase in the average global air temperature must inevitably lead to an even more significant decrease in continental glaciers. Climate warming is leading to the melting of polar ice and rising sea levels. Global warming can cause a shift in the main areas of agriculture to temperature, large floods, persistent droughts, forest fires. Following the upcoming climate change, changes in the position of natural zones will inevitably come a) reduction in coal consumption, replacement of its natural gases, b) development of nuclear energy, c) development of alternative types of energy (wind, solar, geothermal) d) world energy saving. But the problem of global warming to some extent at the moment is still compensated due to the fact that another problem has developed on its basis. Global dimming problem! At the moment, the temperature of the planet has risen by only one degree in a hundred years. But according to the calculations of scientists, it should have risen to higher values. But due to global dimming, the effect was reduced. The mechanism of the problem is based on the fact that: the rays of sunlight that must pass through the clouds and reach the surface and, as a result, increase the temperature of the planet and increase the effect of global warming, cannot pass through the clouds and are reflected from them, and therefore never reach the surface of the planet. And it is thanks to this effect that the atmosphere of the planet does not heat up rapidly. It would seem easier to do nothing and leave both factors alone, but if this happens, then human health will be in danger.

The problem of overpopulation

The number of earthlings is growing rapidly, albeit at a constantly slowing pace. But each person consumes a large number of different natural resources. Moreover, at present, this growth is primarily in the underdeveloped or underdeveloped countries. However, they are guided by the development of the state, where the level of well-being is very high, and the amount of resources consumed by each inhabitant is huge. If we imagine that the entire population of the Earth (the main part of which today lives in poverty, or even starves) will have a standard of living as in Western Europe or the USA, our planet simply cannot stand it. But to believe that the majority of earthlings will always vegetate in poverty, ignorance and squalor is unfair, inhumane and unfair. The rapid economic development of China, India, Mexico and a number of other populous countries refute this assumption. Consequently, there is only one way out - birth control with a simultaneous decrease in mortality and an increase in the quality of life. However, birth control runs into many obstacles. Among them are reactionary social relations, the huge role of religion, which encourages large families; primitive communal forms of management in which large families benefit; illiteracy and ignorance, poor development of medicine, etc. Consequently, backward countries have before them a tight knot of complex problems. However, very often in backward countries those who put their own or tribal interests above state interests rule, they use the ignorance of the masses for their own selfish purposes (including wars, repressions and other things), the growth of armaments and similar things. The problem of ecology, overpopulation and backwardness is directly related to the threat of possible food shortages in the near future. Today in a large number of countries due to rapid population growth and insufficient development of agriculture of modern methods. However, the possibilities of increasing its productivity, apparently, are not unlimited. After all, an increase in the use of mineral fertilizers, pesticides, etc. leads to a deterioration in the environmental situation and an increasing concentration of substances harmful to humans in food. On the other hand, the development of cities and technology takes a lot of fertile land out of circulation. Especially harmful is the lack of good drinking water.

Problems of energy resources.

Artificially low prices misled consumers and triggered the second phase of the energy crisis. Today, energy obtained from fossil fuels is used to maintain and increase the achieved level of consumption. But since the state of the environment is deteriorating, energy and labor will have to be spent on stabilizing the environment, which the biosphere can no longer cope with. But then more than 99 percent of electrical and labor costs will be spent on environmental stabilization. But the maintenance and development of civilization remains less than one percent. There is no alternative to increasing energy production yet. But nuclear energy has come under the powerful pressure of public opinion, hydropower is expensive, and non-traditional types of energy production - solar, wind, tidal - are under development. What remains is ... traditional thermal power engineering, and with it the dangers associated with atmospheric pollution. The work of many economists have shown: electricity consumption per capita is a very representative indicator of the standard of living in a country. Electricity is a commodity that can be spent on your needs or sold for rubles.

The problem of AIDS and drug addiction.

Fifteen years ago, one could hardly have predicted that the media would receive so much attention to the disease, which was briefly called AIDS - "acquired immunodeficiency syndrome." Now the geography of the disease is striking. The World Health Organization estimates that at least 100,000 cases of AIDS have been detected worldwide since the start of the epidemic. The disease was found in 124 countries. Most of them are in the USA. The social, economic and purely humanitarian costs of this disease are already high, and the future is not so optimistic as to seriously count on a speedy solution to this problem. No less evil is the international mafia and especially drug addiction, which poisons the health of tens of millions of people and creates a fertile environment for crime and disease. Even today, even in developed countries, there are countless diseases, including mental ones. In theory, hemp fields should be guarded by workers of the state farm - the owner of the plantation. The foreman's are red from constant lack of sleep. Understanding this problem, one must take into account that in this small North Caucasian republic there is no poppy and hemp planting - neither public nor private. The republic has become a "transshipment base" for Datura dealers from various regions. The growth of drug addiction and the fight against the authorities resembles a monster with which he fights. This is how the term “drug mafia” arose, which today has become a synonym for millions of ruined lives, broken hopes and destinies, a synonym for a catastrophe that has befallen an entire generation of young people. In recent years, part of the drug mafia's profits has been spent on strengthening its "material base". That is why the caravans with the "white death" in the "golden triangle" are accompanied by detachments of armed mercenaries. The drug mafia has its own runways and so on. A war has been declared against the drug mafia, in which tens of thousands of people and the latest achievements of science and technology are involved on the part of governments. Among the most commonly used drugs are cocaine and heroin. The health consequences are exacerbated by the use of two or more types of different drugs alternately, as well as by particularly dangerous methods of administration. Those who inject them into a vein face a new danger - they put them at great risk of contracting acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), which can lead to death. Among the reasons for the growing addiction to drugs are young people who are unemployed, but even those who have a job are afraid of losing it, whatever it may be. There are, of course, reasons for a “personal” nature - there is no relationship with parents, no luck in love. And drugs in a difficult moment, thanks to the "concerns" of the drug mafia, are always at hand ... The "White Death" is not satisfied with the positions won, feeling the growing demand for their goods, the sellers of poison and death continue their offensive.

The problem of thermonuclear war.

No matter how serious dangers for mankind may be accompanied by all other global problems, they are even remotely incomparable in the aggregate with the catastrophic demographic, ecological and other consequences of the world thermonuclear war, which threatens the very existence of civilization and life on our planet. Back in the late 70s, scientists believed that a world thermonuclear war would be accompanied by the death of many hundreds of millions of people and the resolution of world civilization. Studies on the likely consequences of a thermonuclear war have revealed that even 5% of the nuclear arsenal of the great powers accumulated to date will be enough to plunge our planet into an irreversible environmental catastrophe: the soot rising into the atmosphere from incinerated cities and forest fires will create a screen impenetrable to sunlight and will lead to a drop in temperature by tens of degrees, so that even in the tropical zone a long polar night will come. The priority of preventing a world thermonuclear war is determined not only by its consequences, but also by the fact that a non-violent world without nuclear weapons creates the need for prerequisites and guarantees for the scientific and practical solution of all other global problems in the conditions of international cooperation.

Chapter III. The relationship of global problems. All global problems of our time are closely connected with each other and mutually determined, so that their isolated solution is practically impossible. Thus, ensuring the further economic development of mankind with natural resources obviously presupposes the prevention of increasing environmental pollution, otherwise this will lead to an environmental catastrophe on a planetary scale in the foreseeable future. That is why both of these global problems are rightly called environmental and even with a certain reason are considered as two sides of a single environmental problem. In turn, this environmental problem can be solved only on the path of a new type of environmental development, fruitfully using the potential of the scientific and technological revolution, while at the same time preventing its negative consequences. And although the pace of ecological growth over the past four decades as a whole in developing times, this gap has increased. Statistical calculations show that if the annual population growth in developing countries were the same as in developed countries, then the contrast between them in terms of per capita income would have been reduced by now. Up to 1:8 and could be in comparable sizes per capita twice as high as now. However, this "demographic explosion" in developing countries, according to scientists, is due to their continuing economic, social and cultural backwardness. The inability of mankind to develop at least one of the global problems will most negatively affect the possibility of solving all the others. In the view of some Western scientists, the interconnection and interdependence of global problems form a kind of “vicious circle” of disasters insoluble for humanity, from which there is either no way out at all, or the only salvation lies in the immediate cessation of ecological growth and population growth. This approach to global problems is accompanied by various alarmist, pessimistic forecasts of the future of mankind.

Christianity

Christianity originated in the 1st century in Israel in the context of the messianic movements of Judaism.

Christianity has Jewish roots. Yeshua (Jesus) was brought up as a Jew, observed the Torah, attended the synagogue on Shabbat, observed holidays. The apostles, the first disciples of Yeshua, were Jews.

According to the New Testament text of the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 11:26), the noun "Χριστιανοί" - Christians, adherents (or followers) of Christ, first came into use to refer to the supporters of the new faith in the Syrian-Hellenistic city of Antioch in the 1st century.

Initially, Christianity spread among the Jews of Palestine and the Mediterranean diaspora, but already from the first decades, thanks to the sermons of the Apostle Paul, it gained more and more followers among other peoples (“pagans”). Until the 5th century, the spread of Christianity took place mainly within the geographical boundaries of the Roman Empire, as well as in the sphere of its cultural influence (Armenia, eastern Syria, Ethiopia), later (mainly in the 2nd half of the 1st millennium) - among the Germanic and Slavic peoples, later (by the XIII-XIV centuries) - also among the Baltic and Finnish peoples. In modern and recent times, the spread of Christianity outside of Europe occurred due to colonial expansion and the activities of missionaries.

Currently, the number of adherents of Christianity around the world exceeds 1 billion [source?], of which in Europe - about 475 million, in Latin America - about 250 million, in North America - about 155 million, in Asia - about 100 million, in Africa - about 110 million; Catholics - about 660 million, Protestants - about 300 million (including 42 million Methodists and 37 million Baptists), Orthodox and adherents of the "non-Chalcedonian" religions of the East (Monophysites, Nestorians, etc.) - about 120 million.

Main Features of the Christian Religion

1) spiritualistic monotheism, deepened by the doctrine of the trinity of Persons in the single essence of the Godhead. This teaching gave and gives rise to the deepest philosophical and religious speculations, revealing the depth of its content over the centuries from new and new sides:

2) the concept of God as an absolutely perfect Spirit, not only absolute Reason and Omnipotence, but also absolute Goodness and Love (God is love);

3) the doctrine of the absolute value of the human person as an immortal, spiritual being, created by God in His own image and likeness, and the doctrine of the equality of all people in their relationship to God: all the same, they are loved by Him, as children by the Heavenly Father, all are destined for eternal blissful existence in union with God, everyone is given the means to achieve this destiny - free will and divine grace;

4) the doctrine of the ideal purpose of man, which consists in infinite, all-round, spiritual improvement (be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect);

5) the doctrine of the complete dominance of the spiritual principle over matter: God is the unconditional Lord of matter, as its Creator: they have entrusted man with dominance over the material world in order to fulfill his ideal purpose through the material body and in the material world; Thus, Christianity, dualistic in metaphysics (since it accepts two foreign substances - spirit and matter), is monistic as a religion, for it puts matter in unconditional dependence on the spirit, as a creation and environment for the activity of the spirit. Therefore it

6) equally far from metaphysical and moral materialism, and from hatred towards matter and the material world as such. Evil is not in matter and not from matter, but from the perverted free will of spiritual beings (angels and humans), from whom it passed to matter (“Cursed is the earth in your deeds,” God says to Adam; at creation, everything was “very good ").

7) the doctrine of the resurrection of the flesh and the bliss of the resurrected flesh of the righteous together with their souls in the enlightened, eternal, material world and

8) in the second cardinal dogma of Christianity - in the teaching about the God-man, about the Eternal Son of God, who was truly incarnated and incarnated to save people from sin, damnation and death, identified by the Christian church with its Founder, Jesus Christ. Thus, Christianity, for all its impeccable idealism, is a religion of the harmony of matter and spirit; it does not curse or deny any of the spheres of human activity, but ennobles them all, inspiring to remember that all of them are only means for a person to achieve spiritual god-like perfection.

In addition to these features, the indestructibility of the Christian religion is facilitated by:

1) the essential metaphysical nature of its content, which makes it invulnerable to scientific and philosophical criticism, and

2) for the Catholic Churches of the East and West - the doctrine of the infallibility of the Church in matters of dogma by virtue of the Holy Spirit acting in it at all times - a doctrine that, in the correct understanding, protects it, in particular, from historical and historical-philosophical criticism.

These traits, carried by Christianity through two millennia, despite the abyss of misunderstandings, passions, attacks, and sometimes unsuccessful defenses, despite all the abyss of evil that was done and is done supposedly in the name of Christianity, lead to the fact that if the Christian teaching could always be accepted and not to accept, to believe in it or not to believe it, then it cannot be refuted and never will be possible. To these features of the attractiveness of the Christian religion, it is necessary to add one more and by no means the last: the incomparable Personality of its Founder. To renounce Christ is perhaps even more difficult than to renounce Christianity.

Today in Christianity there are the following main directions:

Catholicism.

Orthodoxy

Protestantism

Catholicism or Catholicism(from the Greek καθολικός - worldwide; for the first time in relation to the church, the term "η Καθολικη Εκκλησία" was used around 110 in a letter from St. , formed in the 1st millennium on the territory of the Western Roman Empire. The final break with Eastern Orthodoxy occurred in 1054.

Orthodoxy(tracing paper from Greek ὀρθοδοξία - “correct judgment, glorification”)

The term can be used in 3 close, but distinctly different meanings:

1. Historically, as well as in theological literature, sometimes in the expression "Orthodoxy of Jesus Christ", denotes a doctrine approved by the universal Church - as opposed to heresy. The term came into use at the end of IV and was often used in doctrinal documents as a synonym for the term "catholic" (in the Latin tradition - "catholic") (καθολικός).

2. In modern broad word usage, it denotes a direction in Christianity that took shape in the east of the Roman Empire during the first millennium AD. e. under the leadership and with the title role of the See of the Bishop of Constantinople - New Rome, which professes the Niceno-Tsaregradsky Creed and recognizes the decisions of the 7 Ecumenical Councils.

3. The totality of teachings and spiritual practices that the Orthodox Church contains. The latter is understood as a community of autocephalous local Churches having Eucharistic communion with each other (lat. Communicatio in sacris).

It is lexicologically incorrect in Russian to use the terms "orthodoxy" or "orthodox" in any of the given meanings, although such usage is sometimes found in secular literature.

Protestantism(from lat. protestans, genus n. protestantis - publicly proving) - one of the three, along with Catholicism (see Papacy) and Orthodoxy, the main areas of Christianity, which is a collection of numerous and independent Churches and denominations, connected by their origin with the Reformation - a broad anti-Catholic movement of the 16th century in Europe.

Mironov Nikita

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MBOU "Balezinsky secondary school No. 5"

Global problems of mankind

Research

Completed by a 9th grade student

Mironov Nikita

Checked by geography teacher

First qualifying category

Mironova Natalia Alekseevna

P. Balezino, 2012

1. Introduction…………………………………………………………….3

2. Main body:

1. Characteristics of the global problems of mankind………5
2. Questionnaire………………………………………………………6
3. Ecological problems

1. Air pollution………………………………….8
2. Ozone holes……………………………………………10
3. Acid rains………………………………………........11
4. Pollution of the hydrosphere………………………………..13
5. Terrorism………………………………………………….14
6. Alcoholism…………………………………………………15
7. Smoking……………………………………………………..17
8. Drug addiction………………………………………………...18

3. Conclusion…………………………………………………………..19

4. Literature …………………………………………………………..20

5. Appendix ............................................. .......................... 21

Introduction

The last decades of the 20th century posed many acute and complex problems before the peoples of the world, which are called global. This drastic change occurred due to two interrelated circumstances characteristic of the second half of the century: the growth of the world's population and the scientific and technological revolution.

The rapid growth of the world's population is called the population explosion. It was accompanied by the seizure of vast territories from nature for residential buildings and public institutions, roads and railways, airports and marinas, crops and pastures. Hundreds of square kilometers of tropical forests were cut down. Under the hooves of numerous herds, the steppes and prairies turned into deserts.

Simultaneously with the population explosion, there was also a scientific and technological revolution. Man mastered nuclear energy, rocket technology and went into space. He invented the computer, created electronic technology and the industry of synthetic materials.

The population explosion and the scientific and technological revolution have led to a colossal increase in the consumption of natural resources. Thus, 3.5 billion tons of oil and 4.5 tons of coal and lignite are produced annually in the world today. At such a rate of consumption, it became obvious that many natural resources would be depleted in the near future. At the same time, the waste from giant industries began to pollute the environment more and more, destroying the health of the population. In all industrialized countries, cancerous, chronic pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases are widespread. Scientists were the first to sound the alarm. Beginning in 1968, the Italian economist Aurelio Pecchen began to gather annually in Rome major experts from different countries to discuss issues about the future of civilization. These meetings were called the Club of Rome. In the spring of 1972, the first book prepared by the Club of Rome was published, with the characteristic title "Limits to Growth". And in June of the same year, the UN held the First International Conference on Environment and Development in Stockholm, which summarized materials on pollution and its harmful effects on the health of the population of many countries. The participants of the conference came to the conclusion that a person from a subject who studied the ecology of animals and plants, in the new conditions, must himself turn into an object of multilateral environmental research. They appealed to the governments of all countries of the world with an appeal to create special state institutions for these purposes.

After the conference in Stockholm, ecology merged with nature conservation and began to acquire its present great importance. In different countries, ministries, departments and committees on ecology began to be created, and their main goal was to monitor the natural environment and combat its pollution in order to preserve public health.

The term ecology is derived from two Greek words: from the Greek "oikos" - house, dwelling, homeland and "logos" - science, meaning "the science of the house." In a general sense, ecology is the science that studies the relationship of organisms and communities with their environment. For centuries, man has sought not to adapt to the natural environment, but to make it convenient for his existence. Now many people have realized that any human activity has an impact on the environment, and the deterioration of the biosphere is dangerous for all living beings, including humans. The problem of the interaction of human society and nature has become the most important at the present stage of the development of civilization. The threat of ecological catastrophe comes to the fore, becoming even more significant than the threat of a thermonuclear conflict. The difficult ecological situation in the world did not develop suddenly, but was the result of a long-term anthropogenic impact on the natural environment, the result of ill-conceived decisions and actions. Global problems directly concern each of us.

Characteristics of the global problems of mankind

Firstly , global problems are those problems that affect the interests of not only individuals, but can affect the fate of all mankind.

Secondly , global problems are not solved by themselves and even by the efforts of individual countries. They require purposeful and organized efforts of the entire world community. Unresolved global problems may lead in the future to serious, irreversible consequences for humans and their environment.

Thirdly global problems are closely related to each other. Therefore, it is so difficult even theoretically to isolate and systematize them, to develop a system of successive steps to solve them.

Global problems are, on the one hand, natural in nature, and on the other, social. In this regard, they can be considered as the influence or result of human activity, which had a negative impact on nature. The second option for the emergence of global problems is a crisis in relations between people, which affects the entire complex of relationships between members of the world community.

Global problems are grouped according to the most characteristic features. Classification allows you to establish the degree of their relevance, the sequence of theoretical analysis, methodology and sequence of solution.

The most widely used method of classification, which is based on the task of determining the severity of the problem and the sequence of its solution. In connection with this approach, three global problems can be identified:

Between states and regions of the planet (prevention of conflicts, establishment of economic order);

Environmental (environmental protection, protection and distribution of fuel raw materials, space and ocean exploration;

Between society and a person (demography, health care, education, etc.).

Questionnaire

In my work, I want to talk about the global problems of mankind, which became the goal of my work. In order to achieve this goal, I set the following tasks for myself:

1. Reveal ideas about the main problems of mankind, show what danger some of them represent.

2. Conduct a survey among students in grades 8-9, show the results of the survey in a diagram.

3. Give a complete description of the main global problems and find solutions.

I used methods such as scientific literature analysis and survey. I interviewed 80 students in eighth and ninth grades, asking them the following questions:

1. How do you understand the meaning of the term "Global problems of mankind"?

Basically, the meaning of the term "Global problems of mankind" is clear to students. Most students believe that the global problems of mankind are:

1. Problems of all mankind;

2. World;

3. Problems with a great threat to humanity;

4. Problems affecting the whole world as a whole;

5. Very important;

6. Problems causing harm to the environment and humans;

7. Extensive, covering vast territories;

8. Large scale;

1. Which of the following problems do you consider the most dangerous? Choose three problems:

A) global warming

B) Ozone holes

B) acid rain

D) Atmospheric pollution

E) Pollution of the hydrosphere

E) Terrorism

G) Raw material problems (resource availability)

H) Demographic problem

I) The problem of peace and disarmament

K) AIDS

According to the diagram (see appendices, fig. 1), it can be seen that the main problems of mankind are:

1. Ozone holes
2. Air pollution
3. acid rain
4. Terrorism
5. Hydrosphere pollution

The main problems relate to natural pollution.

3. What measures are being taken to solve these problems in the world or country?

The students came up with the following solutions:

1. Creation of treatment facilities;

2. Respect for nature;

3. Limit the release of waste into the atmosphere;

4. Promoting a healthy lifestyle;

5. Creation of reserves;

6. Strengthening the fight against terrorism;

7. Reducing the amount of exhaust gases;

8. Signing of peace treaties, regulation of foreign policy relations;

4. What other problems, in your opinion, can be classified as global?

1. Alcoholism

2. Smoking

3. Addiction

(See Fig. No. 2)

5. Can you contribute to solving global problems?

Many of those interviewed can contribute to solving global problems, and here is what they offer:

1. Do not litter
2. Do not pollute the atmosphere
3. Do not pollute the hydrosphere

4. Use the latest technology

5. Do not exterminate flora and fauna

(See Fig. No. 3)

Following from this, I put forward a hypothesis: there are a huge number of global problems that require immediate solutions. I would like to explore these problems in more detail and find ways to solve them..

Air pollution

Under air pollutionany change in its composition and properties that adversely affect human and animal health, the condition of plants and ecosystems should be understood. It may be natural (natural) and anthropogenic (technogenic).

The natural is caused by natural processes. These include volcanic activity, weathering of rocks, wind erosion, mass flowering of plants, smoke from forest and steppe fires, etc.;

Anthropogenic - emissions into the atmosphere of various pollutants in the course of human activity. In terms of volume, it often exceeds natural pollution.

Emissions of substances into the atmosphere are classified into: gaseous (sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, etc.); liquid (acids, alkalis, salt solutions, etc.); solid (carcinogenic substances, lead and its compounds, dust, soot, resinous substances, etc.).

The main air pollutants are formed in the process of industrial and other human activities; these are sulfur dioxide (SO2), carbon monoxide (CO) and particulate matter; they account for about 98% of the total emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere. The total world emissions of these pollutants into the atmosphere in 1990 amounted to 401 million tons (in Russia - 26.2 million tons). In addition to them, more than 70 types of harmful substances are observed in the atmosphere of cities and towns.

Another form of atmospheric pollution is local excess heat input from anthropogenic sources. This is indicated by the so-calledthermal zones, for example, “heat island” in cities, warming of reservoirs, etc.

Currently, the following enterprises mainly pollute the atmospheric air in Russia: thermal and nuclear power plants, vehicles, industrial and municipal boiler houses, ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, building materials, oil production and petrochemistry enterprises.

In the developed industrial countries of the West, for example, the main amount of emissions of harmful substances falls on motor vehicles (50 - 60%), while the share of thermal power is much less, only 16 - 20%.

At thermal power plants, boiler plantsin the process of burning solid or liquid fuels, smoke is emitted into the atmosphere, containing products of complete and incomplete combustion. When units are converted to liquid fuel (fuel oil), ash emissions are reduced, but emissions of sulfur and nitrogen oxides are practically not reduced. The cleanest is gas fuel, which pollutes the atmospheric air three times less than fuel oil and five times less than coal.

A major source of energy pollution of the atmosphere - the heating system of dwellings (boiler plants, see Fig. No. 6) - emits products of incomplete combustion. Due to the low height of the chimneys, toxic substances in high concentrations are dispersed near the boiler plants.

In ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgywhen smelting one ton of steel, 0.04 tons of solid particles, 0.03 tons of sulfur oxides and up to 0.05 tons of carbon monoxide enter the atmosphere. Non-ferrous metallurgy plants discharge into the atmosphere compounds of manganese, lead, phosphorus, arsenic, mercury vapor, vapor-gas mixtures consisting of phenol, formaldehyde, benzene, ammonia and other toxic substances.

Enterprise emissionschemical productionsmall in volume (about 2% of all industrial emissions). Atmospheric air is polluted with sulfur oxides, fluorine compounds, ammonia, nitrous gases (a mixture of nitrogen oxides), chloride compounds, hydrogen sulfide, and inorganic dust.

There are several hundred million cars in the world, which, burning a huge amount of oil products, significantly pollute the atmospheric air. Exhaust gases from internal combustion engines contain toxic compounds such as benzopyrene, aldehydes, oxides of nitrogen and carbon, and lead compounds. Proper adjustment of the fuel system of cars can reduce the amount of harmful substances by 1.5 times, and special converters (catalytic afterburners) can reduce the toxicity of exhaust gases by 6 or more times.

Intensive pollution also occurs during the extraction and processing of raw materials at oil and gas processing plants, with the release of dust and gases from underground mine workings, with the burning of garbage and burning rocks in dumps. In rural areas, the sources of air pollution are livestock and poultry farms, industrial complexes for the production of meat, spraying pesticides.

Ozone holes

Ozone holes (See Figure #5) are a phenomenon of low concentration of ozone in the stratosphere, which is located in the earth's upper atmosphere at an altitude of 10 to 50 km, where there is a layer of high concentration of ozone, called the ozonosphere.

Ozone holes are located mainly in polar regions such as Antarctica. And recently it has been observed in the area of ​​​​Southern Argentina and Chile.

According to annual studies, in these areas the ozone content is decreasing by about three percent per year. Currently, the depletion of the ozone layer is about 50% of its original state.

The formation of the ozone hole is associated with human economic activity and its constant intervention in the environment. Ozone is a natural filter that protects the Earth from ultraviolet radiation and compounds such as fluorochlorocarbons.

The ozone hole is formed by the decomposition of ozone into ordinary diatomic molecules of oxygen and chlorine, which rises and reaches the upper atmosphere. Where does chlorine come from? Some of it comes from volcanic gases, but most of the ozone-destroying chlorine comes from the breakdown of CFCs, which are components of most paints, cosmetics, and aerosol products.

The weakening of the ozone layer increases the flow of solar radiation to the Earth and causes an increase in the number of skin cancers in people. Plants and animals also suffer from increased levels of radiation.

acid rain

In the fresh water of rivers and lakes there are many soluble substances, including poisonous ones. It may contain pathogenic microbes, so it is impossible to use it, let alone drink it, without additional purification. When it rains, drops of water (or snowflakes when it snows) capture harmful impurities from the air that have fallen into it from the pipes of some factory.

As a result, harmful, so-called acid rains fall in some places on the Earth (See Fig. No. 8). Blessed raindrops have always made people happy, but now in many parts of the world, rains have become a serious danger.

Acid precipitation (rain, fog, snow) is precipitation whose acidity is higher than normal. The measure of acidity is the pH value (hydrogen index). The pH scale goes from 02 (extremely acidic), through 7 (neutral) to 14 (alkaline), with the neutral point (pure water) having pH=7. Rainwater in clean air has a pH of 5.6. The lower the pH value, the higher the acidity. If the acidity of the water is below 5.5, then the precipitation is considered acidic. In the vast territories of the industrialized countries of the world, precipitation falls, the acidity of which exceeds the normal value from 10 to 1000 times (рН = 5-2.5).

Chemical analysis of acid precipitation shows the presence of sulfuric (H2SO4) and nitric (HNO3) acids. The presence of sulfur and nitrogen in these formulas indicates that the problem is related to the release of these elements into the atmosphere. These gaseous products (sulfur dioxide and nitric oxide) react with atmospheric water to form acids (nitric and sulfuric).

In aquatic ecosystems, acid rain causes the death of fish and other aquatic life. Acidification of water in rivers and lakes also seriously affects land animals, since many animals and birds are part of food chains that begin in aquatic ecosystems. Along with the death of lakes, the degradation of forests also becomes apparent. The acids break down the protective waxy coat of the leaves, making plants more vulnerable to insects, fungi and other pathogens. During drought, more moisture evaporates through damaged leaves.

The leaching of nutrients from the soil and the release of toxic elements contributes to slowing down the growth and death of trees. It can be assumed that what happens to wild species of animals when forests die.

If the forest ecosystem is destroyed, then soil erosion begins, clogging of water bodies, flooding and deterioration of water supplies become catastrophic.

As a result of acidification in the soil, the nutrients that are vital for plants are dissolved; these substances are carried by rain to groundwater. At the same time, heavy metals are also leached from the soil, which are then absorbed by plants, causing them serious damage. Using such plants for food, a person also receives an increased dose of heavy metals with them.

When the soil fauna degrades, yields decrease, the quality of agricultural products deteriorates, and this entails a deterioration in the health of the population.

Under the action of acids from rocks and minerals, aluminum is released, as well as mercury and lead, which then enter surface and groundwater. Aluminum can cause Alzheimer's disease, a type of premature aging. Heavy metals found in natural waters adversely affect the kidneys, liver, central nervous system, causing various oncological diseases. The genetic consequences of heavy metal poisoning can appear after 20 years or more, not only in those who consume dirty water, but also in their descendants.

Acid rain corrodes metals, paints, synthetic compounds, and destroys architectural monuments.

To combat acid rain, efforts must be made to reduce emissions of acidic substances from coal-fired power plants. And for this you need:

Use of low-sulfur coal or its desulfurization

Installation of filters for purification of gaseous products

Application of alternative energy sources

Hydrosphere pollution

There are many hydrosphere pollutants and they are not much different from atmospheric pollutants.

On a global scale, the main pollutant of the hydrosphere is oil and oil products that enter the aquatic environment as a result of oil production, its transportation, processing and use as fuel and industrial raw materials.

Among other industrial products, detergents, highly toxic synthetic detergents, occupy a special place in terms of their negative impact on the aquatic environment. They are difficult to clean, and meanwhile, at least half of the initial amount gets into the water bodies. Detergents often form layers of foam in reservoirs, the thickness of which on locks and rapids reaches 1 m or more.

Industrial waste polluting water are heavy metals: mercury, lead, zinc, copper, chromium, tin, radioactive elements. Mercury (methylmercury fractions) is of particular danger to the aquatic environment.

Agriculture is becoming one of the most significant sources of water pollution. This is manifested, first of all, in the washout of fertilizers and their entry into water bodies.

Increasingly, water resources are being polluted with herbicides and pesticides. At the same time, the degree of their accumulation and manifestation of toxicity largely depends on the hydrodynamic and thermal characteristics of the water body.

The pollution of the oceans is growing. Every year, up to 100 million tons of various wastes from the coast, from the bottom, from rivers and the atmosphere enter the ocean. The movement of waters in the ocean leads to the spread of pollution over long distances;

Among the most polluted rivers are many rivers - Rhine, Danube, Dnieper, Volga, Don, Dniester, Mississippi, Nile, Ganges, Seine, etc. Pollution of internal and marginal seas - the Mediterranean, North, Baltic, Black, Azov, Japanese and etc. (See Fig. No. 7)

TERRORISM

Terrorism today is the most powerful weapon, a tool used not only in the fight against the Power, but very often - by the Power itself to achieve its goals. (See Fig. No. 11)

Modern terrorism takes the form of: international terrorism (terrorist acts of an international scale); domestic political terrorism (terrorist actions directed against the government, any political groups within countries, or aimed at destabilizing the internal situation); criminal terrorism, pursuing purely selfish goals.

Terrorism appears when a society is going through a deep crisis, primarily a crisis of ideology and the state-legal system. In such a society, various opposition groups appear - political, social, national, religious - for which the legitimacy of the existing government becomes doubtful. People in most countries are unaccustomed to political violence and fear it. Today, the most popular and effective methods of terror are violence not against government officials, but against peaceful, defenseless people who are not related to the "addressee" of terror, with the obligatory demonstration of the catastrophic results of terror. So it was in America during the explosion of the buildings of the shopping center in September 2001 or the terrorist attack in Budenovsk. The object of the attack is a hospital, a maternity hospital. Or the events that took place in Kizlyar, Pervomaisky, as well as the explosion in Moscow, etc.

The task of terrorism is to involve a large mass of people for whom either the goals of terror are so lofty that they justify any means, or they are so indiscriminate in means that they are ready to realize any abomination.

Through "lofty motives" they usually involve young people, who, due to mental and moral immaturity, easily "bite" on radical national, social or religious ideas. It is most often involved through totalitarian, religious or ideological sects. The most famous example is the Aum Shinrikyo sect.

Terrorism of any kind, no matter what motives it is caused by, no matter how politicized, should be considered as a criminal phenomenon, subject to detailed criminological analysis.

After analyzing the results of the surveys, I considered such problems, which in our time can also be classified as global. These are alcoholism, smoking and drug addiction. I would also like to tell you more about them.

Alcoholism

Alcoholism is a disease, a kind of substance abuse, characterized by a painful addiction to alcohol (ethyl alcohol), with mental and physical dependence on it. The negative consequences of alcoholism can be expressed in mental and physical disorders, as well as violations of the social relations of a person suffering from this disease. (See Fig. No. 9)

It is known that Prince Vladimir, ruling in Kievan Rus of the 10th century, decided to introduce a new religion to replace, as it seemed to him, obsolete pagan gods. It is not known why he did not like Judaism, but he did not accept Islam only because, according to him, "joy in Russia is drinking." Thus, it was not entirely correct to believe that along with the introduction of Christianity, allegedly, Vladimir the Red Sun also introduced drunkenness in Russia, although it is already clear from his words that wine was drunk in Russia before.

In that era, our ancestors drank mainly wine and mash, and wine was most often imported. Since these intoxicants were weak, they did not cause any problems for a long time.

The use and production of vodka in Russia was first used starting from the 14th century, and a hundred years later, i.e. in the time of Ivan the Terrible, the so-called "tsar's taverns" first appeared, in which the tsar's close associates and his guardsmen "came off" for the most part.

Drunkenness became widespread in Russia with the organization of a large number of taverns for the common people during the reign of Peter I, who drank heavily himself and encouraged his nobles to do so. Starting from the XIV century, the production and distribution of all alcoholic beverages was taken under the strict control of the state, clandestine moonshining gained wide popularity. As a result, since the 19th century,alcoholism in Russiabecame a national tradition...

In 1985, an absolutely ill-conceived law was introduced, sharply restricting the consumption of alcohol in our country. They did not drink less, as the illegal production of alcohol increased sharply. Drunkards, unable to get high-quality vodka, resorted to the use of its surrogates, as a result of which the number of poisonings, alcoholic psychoses and alcoholism itself in our country increased sharply. Unable to find and consume alcohol, some began to look for alcohol substitutes - such “products” as toothpaste, liquids for defrosting locks in cars, and various kinds of medicines went into business. As a result, the number of cases of substance abuse and drug addiction has risen sharply, especially among young people.

Currently, alcohol abuse is the main reason that life expectancy among men in our country is much lower than even in the most underdeveloped countries such as Mauritania, Honduras, Yemen, Tajikistan and Bolivia. According to UN forecasts, poor quality food, excessive alcohol consumption and high levels of crime could reduce the population of Russia by 2025 from the current 142 million to 131 million.

How do countries fight alcoholism? There are 41 countries in the world wherealcohol problem completely solved, there operates " no alcohol law » and 40 countries where production and sales alcohol is so squeezed by the state that they are also fighting very effectively with this problem. And it turns out that there are 81 (2/3 of the world's population) countries in the world where the problemalcoholism and drunkenness somehow solved. But the remaining 1/3 of the world's population " drunk ", these are precisely the countries wheretheory of cultural, moderate alcohol consumption. And for the last half century, our country has been included in this 1/3. Meanwhile, Russia 100 years ago was the legislator of the theory of sobriety, there is a science of a sober lifestyle " sobreology ". Such scientists as Bekhterev, Pavlov, Vvedensky and others worked on this theory.

The problem of alcoholism in Russia is very acute, and the chief sanitary doctor G. Onishchenko and the president speak about this. Every year about 700 thousand of our citizens die from drinking alcohol in Russia. Just imagine, during the ten years of the war in Afghanistan, about 14,000 of our children died, and here 700,000 citizens die from alcohol in a year. And many do not take this evil seriously.

Smoking

Smoking is the inhalation of the smoke of preparations, mainly of plant origin, smoldering in the inhaled air stream, in order to saturate the body with the active substances contained in them by sublimation and subsequent absorption in the lungs and respiratory tract. As a rule, it is used for the use of smoking mixtures with narcotic properties (tobacco, hashish, marijuana, opium, etc.) due to the rapid flow of blood saturated with psychoactive substances into the brain. (See Fig. No. 10)

The top ten countries with the most widespread tobacco smoking are Nauru, Guinea, Namibia, Kenya, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mongolia, Yemen, Sao Tome and Principe, Turkey, Romania. Russia in this series of 153 countries ranks 33rd (37% of smokers among the adult population).

Since inhaled smoke burns mucous membranes and contains a large amount of harmful substances (benzpyrene, nitrosamines, carbon monoxide, soot particles, etc.), smoking (regardless of the drug used) increases the risk of lung cancer, mouth and respiratory tract, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease lung disease (COPD), mental, cardiovascular and other diseases. Researchers have noted a correlation between smoking and impotence.

Currently, the most common consequences of long-term smoking are the occurrence of COPD and the development of various tumors of the respiratory system, 90% of cases of lung cancer are associated with smoking. Smoking or passive inhalation of tobacco smoke can cause infertility in women. Atrophy and demyelination (destruction of the white matter of the brain and spinal cord) in multiple sclerosis is more pronounced in patients who have smoked for at least 6 months during their lifetime compared to those who have never smoked. Smoking addiction can be both psychological and physical.

With psychological dependence, a person reaches for a cigarette when he is in a smoking company, or in a state of stress, nervous tension, to stimulate mental activity. A certain habit is developed, a ritual of smoking, without which a person cannot fully live.

In physical addiction, the body's demand for a dose of nicotine is so strong that the entire attention of the smoker is focused on finding a cigarette, the idea of ​​smoking becomes so obsessive that most other needs fade into the background. It becomes impossible to concentrate on anything other than a cigarette, apathy, unwillingness to do anything, may set in.

Addiction

Drug addiction - A morbid attraction or addiction to narcotic substances used in various ways (swallowing, inhaling, intravenous injection) with the aim of inducing an intoxicating state or relieving pain. (See Fig. No. 9)

Drug addiction (from the Greek narke - numbness and mania - madness, enthusiasm) - in medicine, a disease characterized by a pathological craving for drugs, leading to severe impairment of body functions; in psychology, the need to use some drug or chemical to avoid the discomfort that occurs when the use is stopped, i.e. dependence on chemicals; in sociology - a type of deviant behavior.

Drug addiction includes two forms of addiction:

Mental dependence is a state of the body characterized by a pathological need for the use of any drug or chemical substance in order to avoid mental disorders or discomfort that occurs when the use of the substance that caused the dependence is stopped, but without somatic withdrawal phenomena.

Physical dependence is a condition characterized by the development of abstinence upon discontinuation of the addictive substance or after the introduction of its antagonists.

Addiction wears inadequate behavior, the state of the drug addict is constantly depressive. In addition, aggressive and unstable behavior is characteristic of drug addiction. People who are dependent on taking drugs are potentially dangerous both for the individual and for the whole society. For the sake of another dose of drugs, they are ready to turn the world upside down, commit the most terrible crime, and at the same time not experience any feelings of guilt, confusion or shame. Drug addicts are degrading beings who are alien to everything human.

The consequences of drug addiction range from disability to death. Always remember the consequences of drug addiction and talk about them to children, acquaintances, even strangers. Show sympathy and understanding for sick people, because they, as a rule, do not give an account of their actions.

Output

For thousands of years, man lived, worked, developed, but he did not even suspect that the day might come when it would become difficult, or maybe impossible, to breathe clean air, drink clean water, grow anything on earth, since the air is polluted, the water is poisoned, the soil contaminated with radiation or other chemicals. But a lot has changed since then. And in our age, this is a very real threat, and not many people realize it. Another Chernobyl, if not worse.

Globalist scientists offer various options for solving the global problems of our time:

1. creation of waste-free production,
2. creation of heat and energy resource saving technologies,
3. use of alternative energy sources (sun, wind, etc.),
4. creation of a new world order,
5. development of a new formula for the global management of the world community based on the principles of understanding the modern world as an integral and interconnected community of people,
6. recognition of universal values,
7. attitude to life, man and the world as the highest values ​​of mankind,
8. rejection of war as a means of resolving controversial issues,
9. search for ways to peacefully resolve international problems.
   

One of the priority actions in solving environmental problems is the elimination of environmental illiteracy. This is a task of the state or even world level. Already from the school bench, the young inhabitants of the planet Earth need to learn to appreciate natural wealth and comprehend the wisdom of their conservation. People need to be able not only to barbarously use all the best that nature can give us, but also to compensate for the damage caused. Human activities must be carried out in harmony with the environment.

Thus, I concluded that my hypothesis is correct. Each person should be aware that Humanity is on the verge of death, and will we survive or not? The merit of each of us.

Literature

1. A. Aseevsky, “Who organizes and directs international terrorism?”, M.: Publishing house of political literature, 1982.

2. Akhatov A. G. Ecology. "Encyclopedic Dictionary", Kazan: Ecopolis, 1995.

3. O.V. Kryshtanovskaya. "Illegal structures of Russia" Sociological research, 1995

4. E.G.Lyakhov A.V. Popov Terrorism: national, regional and international control. Monograph. M.-Rostov-on-Don 1999

5. V.P. Maksakovsky, "Economic and social geography of the world", a textbook for grade 10 - M .: Education, 2004,

6. Odum, Eugene , Fundamentals of ecology. - M., 1975.

7. Encyclopedic dictionary - reference book "ENVIRONMENT", publishing house "Progress", M. 1993

8. http://ru.wikipedia.org

Appendix

Which of the following problems do you consider the most dangerous?

Fig. No. 1

What other problems in your opinion can be classified as global?

Fig. №2

Can you contribute to solving global problems?

Fig. №3

Rice. #4

Fig. No. 5. Ozone hole

Fig. No. 6. Atmospheric pollution

Fig. No. 7. Hydrosphere pollution

Fig. No. 8. The effects of acid rain

Fig. No. 9. Drug addiction and alcoholism

Fig. No. 10. Smoking

Recently, you have been hearing more and more about globalization (from the English global world, worldwide), which means a sharp expansion and deepening of relationships and interdependencies between countries, peoples and individuals. Globalization covers the areas politicians, economy, culture. And at the heart of its activities are political, economic unions, TNCs, the creation of a global information space, global financial capital. However, for the time being, only the “golden billion” can benefit the most from globalization, as residents of the highly developed post-industrial countries of the West, whose total population is approaching 1 billion, are called.

It is this inequality that brought to life the mass anti-globalization movement. The emergence of global problems of mankind, which have become the focus of attention of scientists, politicians and the general public, is closely connected with the process of globalization and is studied by many sciences, including geography. This is because each of them has its own geographical aspects and manifests itself differently in different regions of the world. Recall that even N. N. Baransky called on geographers to "think in terms of continents." However, today this approach is no longer enough. global problems cannot be solved only “globally” and even “regional”. Their solution must begin with countries and regions.

That's why scientists put forward the slogan: "Think globally, act locally!" Considering global problems, you will need to summarize the knowledge gained from studying all the topics of the textbook.

Therefore, it is a more complex, synthesizing material. However, it should not be treated as purely theoretical. After all, in essence, global problems directly concern each of you as a small “particle” of the entire single and many-sided humanity.

The concept of global problems.

The last decades of the twentieth century posed many acute and complex problems before the peoples of the world, which are called global.

Global problems are called those that cover the whole world, all of humanity, pose a threat to its present and future and require joint efforts, joint actions of all states and peoples for their solution.

In the scientific literature, one can find various lists of global problems, where their number varies from 8-10 to 40-45. This is explained by the fact that along with the main, priority global problems (which will be discussed further in the textbook), there is also a number of more particular, but also very important problems: for example, crime. Drug addiction, separatism, lack of democracy, man-made disasters, natural disasters. As already noted, the problem of international terrorism has recently acquired particular urgency, which in fact has also become one of the highest priorities.

There are also various classifications of global problems. But usually among them are distinguished: 1) problems of the most "universal" nature, 2) problems of a natural and economic nature, 3) problems of a social nature, 4) problems of a mixed nature.

There are also more "old" and more "new" global problems. Their priority may also change over time. So, at the end of the twentieth century. Ecological and demographic problems came to the fore, while the problem of preventing a third world war became less acute.

Ecological problem

"There is only one earth!" Back in the 40s. Academician V.I. Vernadsky (1863-1945), the founder of the doctrine of the noosphere (the sphere of the mind), wrote that the economic activity of people began to have no less strong impact on the geographical environment than the geological processes occurring in nature itself. Since then, the "metabolism" between society and nature has increased many times over and acquired a global scale. However, by "conquering" nature, people have largely undermined the natural foundations of their own life.

The intensive way consists primarily in increasing the biological productivity of existing lands. Of decisive importance for him will be biotechnology, the use of new, high-yielding varieties and new methods of tillage, the further development of mechanization, chemicalization, and melioration, the history of which goes back several millennia, starting with Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt and India.

Example. Only during the twentieth century the area of ​​irrigated land increased from 40 to 270 million hectares. Now these lands occupy about 20% of cultivated land, but provide up to 40% of agricultural products. Irrigated agriculture is used in 135 countries, with 3/5 of the irrigated land in Asia.

A new non-traditional way of food production is also being developed, which consists in the "design" of artificial food products based on protein from natural raw materials. Scientists have calculated that in order to provide the population of the Earth with food, it was necessary in the last quarter of the 20th century. to increase the volume of agricultural production by 2 times, and by the middle of the 21st century by 5 times. Calculations show that if the level of agriculture achieved so far in many developed countries were extended to all countries of the world, it would be possible to fully meet the food needs of 10 billion people and even more. . Consequently , the intensive way is the main way to solve the food problem of mankind. Even now it provides 9/10 of the total increase in agricultural production. (Creative task 4.)

Energy and raw material problems: causes and solutions

First of all, these are the problems of reliable supply of mankind with fuel and raw materials. And earlier it happened that the problem of resource provision acquired a certain acuteness. But usually this applied to certain regions and countries with an “incomplete” composition of natural resources. On a global scale, it first manifested itself, perhaps, in the 70s, which can be explained by several reasons.

Among them, a very rapid growth in production with a relatively limited proven reserves of oil, natural gas and some other types of fuel and raw materials, deterioration of mining and geological conditions for production, an increase in the territorial gap between production and consumption areas, promotion of production to areas of new development with extreme natural conditions, the negative impact the industry for the extraction and processing of mineral raw materials on the ecological situation, etc. Therefore, in our era, more than ever before, it is necessary to rationally use mineral resources, which, as you know, belong to the category of exhaustible and non-renewable.

Enormous opportunities for this are opened up by the achievements of scientific and technological revolution, and at all stages of the technological chain. Thus, a more complete extraction of minerals from the bowels of the Earth is of great importance.

Example. With the existing methods of oil extraction, the coefficient of its extraction ranges from 0.25-0.45, which is clearly not enough and means that most of its geological reserves remain in the bowels of the earth. An increase in the oil recovery factor even by 1% gives a great economic effect.

Large reserves exist in increasing the efficiency of already extracted fuel and raw materials. Indeed, with existing equipment and technology, this coefficient is usually approximately 0.3. Therefore, in the literature one can come across the statement of one English physicist that the efficiency of modern power plants is approximately at the same level as if it were necessary to burn down a whole house in order to fry a pork carcass ... It is not surprising that in recent times especially great attention has been paid not so much to a further increase in production, but to energy and material saving. GDP growth in many countries of the North has long been taking place virtually without an increase in the consumption of fuel and raw materials. In connection with the rise in oil prices, many countries are increasingly using non-traditional renewable energy sources (NRES) wind, solar, geothermal, biomass energy. NRES are inexhaustible and environmentally friendly. Work continues to increase the efficiency and reliability of nuclear power. The use of MHD generators, hydrogen energy and fuel cells has already begun. . And ahead is the mastery of controlled thermonuclear fusion, which is comparable to the invention of a steam engine or a computer. (Creative task 8.)

The problem of human health: a global aspect

Recently, in the world practice, when assessing the quality of life of people, the state of their health has been put forward in the first place. And this is no coincidence: after all, it is it that serves as the basis for the full life and activity of each person, and society as a whole.

In the second half of the twentieth century. great successes were achieved in the fight against many diseases - plague, cholera, smallpox, yellow fever, poliomyelitis, etc.

Example. In the 60-70s. The World Health Organization (WHO) has carried out a wide range of smallpox medical interventions that have covered more than 50 countries with a population of over 2 billion people. As a result, this disease on our planet has been virtually eliminated. .

Nevertheless, many diseases still continue to threaten people's lives, often acquiring a truly global distribution. . Among them are cardiovascular diseases, from which 15 million people die every year in the world, malignant tumors, sexually transmitted diseases, drug addiction, malaria. .

Smoking continues to cause great harm to the health of hundreds of millions of people. . But a very special threat to all mankind is AIDS.

Example. This disease, the appearance of which was noted only in the early 80s, is now called the plague of the twentieth century. According to the WHO, at the end of 2005, the total number of people infected with AIDS had already exceeded 45 million, and millions of people had already died from this disease. At the initiative of the United Nations, World AIDS Day is held annually.

When considering this topic, you should keep in mind that when assessing a person's health, one should not be limited only to his physiological health. This concept also includes moral (spiritual), mental health, with which the situation is also unfavorable, including in Russia. That's why human health continues to be one of the priority global problems(Creative task 6.)

The problem of using the oceans: a new stage

The world ocean, which occupies 71% of the Earth's surface, has always played an important role in the communication of countries and peoples. However, until the middle of the twentieth century. all human activities in the ocean gave only 1-2% of world income. But as the scientific and technological revolution developed, the comprehensive exploration and development of the World Ocean took on completely different scales.

Firstly, the aggravation of global energy and raw materials problems has led to the emergence of marine mining and chemical industries, marine energy. The achievements of scientific and technological revolution open up prospects for further increasing the production of oil and gas, ferromanganese nodules, for extracting the deuterium hydrogen isotope from sea water, for the construction of giant tidal power plants, and for desalination of sea water.

Secondly, the aggravation of the global food problem has increased interest in the biological resources of the ocean, which so far provide only 2% of the food "ration" of mankind (but 12-15% of animal protein). Of course, the production of fish and seafood can and should be increased. The potential for their removal without the threat of disturbing the existing balance is estimated by scientists from different countries from 100 to 150 million tons. An additional reserve is the development mariculture. . No wonder they say that fish, containing little fat and cholesterol, can be "the chicken of the XXI century."

Thirdly, the deepening of the international geographical division of labor, the rapid growth of world trade are accompanied by an increase in maritime transport. This, in turn, caused a shift in production and population to the sea and the rapid development of a number of coastal areas. Thus, many large seaports have turned into industrial port complexes, for which such industries as shipbuilding, oil refining, petrochemistry, metallurgy are most characteristic, and some of the newest industries have recently begun to develop. Coastal urbanization has taken on a huge scale.

The “population” of the Ocean itself has also increased (crews, personnel of drilling platforms, passengers and tourists), which now reaches 2-3 million people. It is possible that in the future it will increase even more in connection with projects for the creation of stationary or floating islands, as in Jules Verne's novel "The Floating Island" - islands. . It must not be forgotten that the Ocean serves as an important means of telegraph and telephone communication; Numerous cable lines are laid along its bottom. .

As a result of all industrial and scientific activities within the oceans of the world and the contact zone of the ocean, a special component of the world economy arose. maritime industry. It includes mining and manufacturing, energy, fisheries, transport, trade, recreation and tourism. Overall, the maritime industry employs at least 100 million people.

But such activity simultaneously gave rise to the global problem of the oceans. Its essence lies in the extremely uneven development of the resources of the Ocean, in the increasing pollution of the marine environment, in its use as an arena of military activity. As a result, over the past decades, the intensity of life in the World Ocean has decreased by 1/3. That is why the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, adopted in 1982, which is called the "Charter of the Seas", is of great importance. It established economic zones 200 nautical miles from the coast, within which the coastal state can also exercise sovereign rights to exploit biological and mineral resources. The main way to solve the problem of using the World Ocean is rational oceanic nature management, a balanced, integrated approach to its riches, based on the combined efforts of the entire world community. (Creative task 5.)

Peaceful exploration of space: new horizons

Space is a global environment, the common property of mankind. Now that space programs have become much more complex, their implementation requires the concentration of technical, economic, and intellectual efforts of many countries and peoples. Therefore, space exploration has become one of the most important international, global problems.

In the second half of the twentieth century. two main directions in the study and use of outer space were identified: space geography and space production. Both of them from the very beginning became the arena of both bilateral and, in particular, multilateral cooperation.

Example 1 The international organization Intersputnik, headquartered in Moscow, was established in the early 1970s. Nowadays, more than 100 public and private companies in many countries of the world use space communications through the Intersputnik system.

Example 2 The work on the creation of the International Space Station (ISS) "Alte", carried out by the USA, Russia, the European Space Agency, Japan, Canada, has been completed. . In its final form, the ISS consists of 36 block modules. International crews work at the station. And communication with the Earth is carried out with the help of American space shuttles and Russian Soyuz.

The peaceful exploration of outer space, which provides for the abandonment of military programs, is based on the use of the latest achievements in science and technology, production and management. It already provides tremendous space-based information about the Earth and its resources. The features of the future space industry, space technology, the use of space energy resources with the help of giant solar power plants, which will be placed in a heliocentric orbit at an altitude of 36 km, are becoming more and more distinct.

The relationship of global problems. Overcoming the backwardness of developing countries is the biggest global problem

As you have seen, each of the global problems of mankind has its own specific content. But all of them are closely interconnected: energy and raw materials with environmental, environmental with demographic, demographic with food, etc. The problem of peace and disarmament directly affects all other problems. However, now that the transition from an armaments economy to a disarmament economy has begun, the focus of most global problems is increasingly shifting to the countries of the developing world. . The scale of their backwardness is truly enormous (see Table 10).

The main manifestation and at the same time the cause of this backwardness is poverty, misery. More than 1.2 billion people, or 22% of the total population in these regions, live in extreme poverty in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Half of the poor people exist on $1 a day, the other half on $2. Poverty and poverty are especially characteristic of the countries of Tropical Africa, where almost half of the entire population lives on $1-2 a day. Residents of urban slums and rural hinterland are forced to be content with a standard of living that is 5-10% of the standard of living in the richest countries.

Perhaps the food problem has acquired the most dramatic even catastrophic character in the developing countries. Of course, hunger and malnutrition have existed in the world since the very beginning of human development. Already in the XIX - XX centuries. many millions of lives were taken away by outbreaks of famine in China, India, Ireland, many African countries and the Soviet Union. But the existence of famine in the era of scientific and technological revolution and overproduction of food in the economically developed countries of the West is truly one of the paradoxes of our time. It is also generated by the general backwardness and poverty of the developing countries, which have led to a huge backlog of agricultural production from the needs for its products.

Today, the “geography of hunger” in the world is determined primarily by the most backward, not affected by the “green revolution” countries of Africa and Asia, where a significant part of the population lives literally on the verge of starvation. More than 70 developing countries are forced to import food.

Due to diseases associated with malnutrition and hunger, lack of clean water, 40 million people die in developing countries every year (which is comparable to the human losses during the entire Second World War), including 13 million children. It is no coincidence that the African girl depicted on the poster of the UN Children's Fund answered the question: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” answers with only one word: “Alive!”

The demographic problem of developing countries is closely related to food . The population explosion has a contradictory effect on them. On the one hand, it provides a constant influx of fresh forces, the growth of labor resources, and on the other hand, it creates additional difficulties in the struggle to overcome economic backwardness, complicates the solution of many social issues, "eats" a significant part of their achievements, increases the "load" on the territory. In most countries of Asia, Africa, Latin America, the rate of population growth outstrips the rate of food production.

You already know that recently the population explosion in developing countries has taken the form of an "urban explosion". But, despite this, the number of rural population in most of them not only does not decrease, but increases. Accordingly, the already huge agrarian overpopulation is increasing, which continues to support a wave of migration both to the “poverty belts” of large cities and abroad, to richer countries. Not surprisingly, the bulk of the refugees are in developing countries. Recently, more and more environmental refugees have joined the stream of economic refugees.

The specific age composition of the population of developing countries, already known to you, is directly related to the population explosion, where there are two dependents for every able-bodied person. [go]. The high proportion of young people exacerbates many social problems to the extreme. The ecological problem also has a direct connection with the food and demographic problems. Back in 1972, Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi called poverty the worst environmental pollution. Indeed, many of the developing countries are so poor, and the terms of international trade are so unfavorable for them, that often they have no choice but to continue to cut down rare forests, allow livestock to trample pastures, allow the transfer of "dirty" industries, etc., without caring. about future. This is the root cause of such processes as desertification, deforestation, soil degradation, reduction in the species composition of fauna and flora, water and air pollution. The special vulnerability of the nature of the tropics only exacerbates their consequences.

The plight of most developing countries has become a major human, global problem. Back in 1974, the UN adopted a program stipulating that in 1984 not a single person in the world would go to bed hungry.

That is why overcoming the backwardness of developing countries remains an extremely urgent task. . (Creative task 8.)

Global problems of mankind in the 21st century and possible solutions

Problems of a planetary scale are related to the global problems of mankind, and the fate of all mankind depends on their balanced solution. These problems are not isolated, they are interconnected and concern all aspects of the life of the people of our planet, regardless of their economic, social and cultural levels.

In modern society, it is necessary to clearly separate well-known problems from global ones in order to understand their cause and the whole world to begin to eliminate it.

After all, if we consider the problem of overpopulation, then humanity needs to understand that it can be easily dealt with if you do not spend a lot of money on wars and advertising, but provide access to the necessary resources, and throw all your efforts into the formation of material and cultural wealth.

Here the question arises, what are the true global problems that concern humanity in the twenty-first century?

The world society stepped into the 21st century with the same problems and threats to life on earth as before. Let's take a closer look at some of the problems of our time. Threats to humanity in the 21st century include:

Environmental problems

Much has already been said about such a negative phenomenon for life on Earth as global warming. Scientists to this day find it difficult to give an accurate answer about the future of the climate, and what may follow the increase in temperature on the planet. After all, the consequences can be such that the temperature will rise until the winters disappear altogether, or it can be the other way around, and global cooling will come.

And since the point of no return in this matter has already been passed, and it is impossible to stop it, it is necessary to look for ways to control and adapt to this problem.

Such catastrophic consequences were caused by the rash activities of people who, for the sake of profit, were engaged in the robbery of natural resources, lived one day and did not think about what this could lead to.

Of course, the international community is trying to start solving this problem, but so far somehow not as actively as we would like. And in the future, the climate will definitely continue to change, but in which direction, it is still difficult to predict.

The threat of war

Also, one of the main global problems is the threat of various kinds of military conflicts. And, unfortunately, the trend towards its disappearance is not yet foreseen, but on the contrary, it only sharpens.

At all times, there have been confrontations between central and peripheral countries, where the former tried to make the latter dependent and, naturally, the latter tried to get away from it, also with the help of wars.

The main ways and means of solving global problems

Unfortunately, the ways to overcome all the global problems of mankind have not yet been found. But in order for a positive shift to occur in their solution, it is necessary that mankind direct its activities towards the preservation of the natural environment, peaceful existence and the creation of favorable living conditions for future generations.

Therefore, the main methods for solving global problems remain, first of all, the formation of consciousness and a sense of responsibility of all citizens of the planet without exception for their actions.

It is necessary to continue a comprehensive study of the causes of various internal and international conflicts and the search for ways to resolve them.

It will not be superfluous to constantly inform citizens about global problems, involving the public in their control and further forecasting.

Ultimately, each person must take responsibility for the future of our planet and take care of it. To do this, it is necessary to look for ways to interact with the outside world, develop new technologies, conserve resources, look for alternative energy sources, etc.

Maksakovskiy V.P., Geography. Economic and social geography of the world 10 cells. : studies. for general education institutions