Rank-Ordering the World's Biggest Problems

Top 5 World Problems

P R O B L E M S

The Treatment of Animals

One year ago I watched a video that o this day makes my blood boil and my skin hurt.  In Eastern Asia a slaughter house was skinning Raccoon Dogs alive.  In the video you can see them hanging on a hook, swinging back and forth, then a person began skinning them.  The screams of pain were haunting and sickening. This is inhumane and a sin.  I have never been so disgusted in my entire life.  This happens throughout the world, improper methods of slaughtering animals.  A life is a life and should be treated as such. 

The Treatment of Women

I’d like to start off with a powerful and impactful quote said by Taina Bien-Aime…

“There is not one single country where women can feel absolutely safe” 

Women in many countries including our own are not treated as equal to men.  We are seen as objects or property, not as a Life and of intelligence.  We face incredible barriers, and those in less developed countries face far worse challenges.  Nightmares for us is a reality for them.  Imagine you live in the fields of Africa and you must go collect water for your family.  As you forage you must constantly be aware of your surrounding because at any moment you could be spotted.  Not by a lion but by dangerous men who seek to rape women. Can you imagine living day to day knowing that at any moment you could face such physical and mental violence just because you are a woman?

Women unfortunately do not always have the ability to take charge of their own destinies.  This is the problem.  Women are forced to rely 100% on their husband.  Some are even forced into marriages early on in life (in Afghanistan many girls are under 16 years old).  They are unable to receive an education or their families do not of sending their daughters out of fear and concern for her well-being.

People Living in Locations that can not Support a Population

Hunger is a terrible thing, I could not imagine living and not knowing when I would have my next meal or a sip of water.  I understand that moving a community from one location to another is not feasible.  Therefor the only way you can survive in a harsh environments is to adapt.  I believe that technology and innovative products can help solve this problem.  If we are unable to move a community to a more suitable location then we must develop a new way of life to help them survive.  For instance in Africa they created a portable irrigation system that allows farmers to grow produce in any season.  This will increase food productivity and supplies along with take away the stress for farmers dealing with the unpredictable weather.  This solution alone has helped over 660,000 people out of poverty.

The Growing Population

 As of 2014 The population of the world is 7.2 Billion people with 4.4 billion from Asia, 740.7 million from Europe, 618.1 million from Latin America/Caribbean,  353.4 million from North America, 38.6 million from Oceania, and 1.1 billion from Africa.  In 2050 the population is predicted to reach 9.7 billion!

Waste

For lunch you ate a peanut butter sandwich minus the crust, a fruit cup, and a bag of chips.  You then throw away the remains before heading to class. A plastic baggy, a bag for your chips, a spoon, a plastic cup, and the slices of crust you didn't eat.  When you look at it this way you realize just how much waste a normal lunch produces.   According to WasteFreeLunches.org an average child can "generate 67 pounds of waste per school year".

Reasoning for the List

I would love to see a difference in the treatment of animals, the video I watched of animals being skinned alive has scarred me for life.  I can still hear their screams and the look of panic on their faces.  What those people did was cruel and inhumane.  It was difficult to decide between the treatment of animals and women.  In the end the reason why I chose animals is because of the video. Both need to be stopped but it came down to which one resonates with me the most. 
I then listed "People Living in Locations that can not Support a Population" third because I cannot imagine going to bed hungry or worrying about people or myself possibly dying from disease or malnutrition.  The last two problems relate to one another.  I listed population first because if we are unable to figure out a way to control or support our population, we are going to have to worry about the waste we produce and its affect on the environment.

S O L U T I O N S

People Living in Locations that can not Support a Population

I believe that technology and innovative products can help solve this problem.  If we are unable to move a community to a more suitable location then we must develop a new way of life to help them survive. 

Waste

Companies could find a way to make more efficient products when it comes to packaging materials. I believe that if people used reusable packaging items then this will help decrease the amount of waste we send to landfills.

The Growing Population

How are we going to support the ever increasing population?  I believe it all comes down to sex education and understanding the effects of their decisions. Along with this, minds need to come together to develop innovative products to support our future generations.

Website to check out!

http://www.prb.org/wpds/2014/

The Treatment of Women

Though there has been improvement in women’s rights we still have a long way to go.  We must have cultural awareness in order to improve.  If anything I would have local ambassadors who understand the communities and encourage change of mindset through education and involvement.

The Treatment of Animals

There needs to be stricter slaughter house regulations/inspections and those that are performing inhumane methods should be shut down and charged immediately.  

Reasoning for the List

I believe that we have the resources and the ability to figure out which agricultural methods are best suited for the environment and produce innovative products that can assist communities in poor locations.  My mind is already filling with ideas, and surprisingly this solution has me the most excited.  The solution for waste is also possible, just figuring out new ways for efficient packaging, but I feel that it would bump up the price for products.  The last three would involve a social and cultural movement in order to solve the problem.  I do not believe that this will be possible to implement.