Introduction
In the twenty-first century, many new problems and challenges emerged globally. There were major environmental issues faced by the world. Environmental issues are one of the most critical issues that are currently faced by the world. Due to the vast industrial development and economic activities, humans destroyed the environment. Due to substantial industrial growth in the twenty-first century, the economy occupies a critical position in international politics. The world scenario changed, and economic supremacy became a deciding factor of power. The world changed from geopolitics to geoeconomics in this era. Due to massive developments in the field of technology, especially in communication technology, media got more attention and played an essential role in national as well as international politics. Now, media is considered the fifth element of change. In this era, a war was fought on the economic and media front.
Environmental Issues:
The Industrial Revolution started in the nineteenth century and plays a significant role in the development. The industrial development of the twentieth century plays an essential role in modern development and plays a crucial role in development. Due to industrial development, all industries can use all the possible resources that are needed for their industrial development. In these industries, fossil fuels (coal and oil) are used as the primary source of energy (Harper and Snowden, 2017). Due to the use of fossil fuels in these industries as the primary source of energy, they release high levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that are very dangerous for the planet. Due to the massive use of fossil fuels in industries, they have badly affected the atmosphere and increased the concentration of carbon dioxide.
Due to a massive increase in the volume of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, many climatic changes occurred that directly or indirectly affected human life on this planet. Due to human activities, we now face many environmental problems that we cannot deny.
Pollution:
Due to massive industrial development, now, the most challenging environmental problem is pollution. This pollution includes contamination of air, land, and water. Due to this polluted environment, humans face many issues. Due to considerable developments in the industrial sector, we destroy our air, and due to this, we face many health issues (Harper and Snowden, 2017). Air pollution is caused by toxic materials from industry that are released into the air. Due to that, there is a threat of acid rain and other serious health issues. Industrial development can also contribute to water pollution. WHO and UNICEF estimated that 2.1 billion people—about one in four people worldwide—lacked safely managed drinking water in 2024, rather than 90 percent of the global population. Unsafe water can cause numerous health problems. We also face pollution of land due to the massive industrial development. Industrial development has badly affected life on Earth.
Global Warming:
The second crucial environmental problem that is faced by the globe is global warming. Our industries release a tremendous amount of greenhouse gases; as a result, we now confront global warming. During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, there was a massive increase in the volume of carbon dioxide in the environment (Hackmann, Moser and Clair, 2014). It was the century when there was an enormous development in the field of industries. Due to the massive use of fossil fuels such as coal and petroleum, they have a great share of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases that are the primary factors of global warming. During this period of the nineteen and twenty centuries, annually, 4.3*10810 of carbon dioxide was added to the atmosphere. Due to this massive addition of carbon dioxide, global warming intensified (Harper and Snowden, 2017). From 1850 to 1950, over ten decades, there was an enormous increase in CFC gases in the atmosphere.
In different parts of the world, seasons can change; in one region, people may face drought, while in another, people may face floods. Due to global warming, the temperature of the earth is increasing and threatening life (Hackmann, Moser and Clair, 2014). Due to high temperatures, glaciers and icebergs are melting, causing a rise in sea level. Due to the increase in sea level, people who live in coastal areas are under threat (Hansen et al. 2016). More than fifteen percent of the population lives in coastal regions. Due to that, many states and cities may disappear from the map of the world, such as Maldives, Dhaka, Bombay, etc.
Depletion Of Natural Resources:
Another main environmental problem we face is the depletion of natural resources. Due to the massive use of fossil fuels in industries, we now face a scarcity of oil and gas (Hackmann, Moser and Clair, 2014). Due to the shortage of oil and gas, people move towards renewable sources of energy such as hydroelectric, wind energy and solar energy. We also face the lack of forests due to the heavy use of wood in the industrial sector and due to urbanization.
Disposal Of Waste Material:
Another problem that is faced by the globe is the disposal of solid waste. Due to the creation of plastic materials, waste disposal is now emerging as a global crisis. Many countries dump waste material in the oceans. Nuclear waste, plastic and other cheap resources are hazardous to human health. Disposal of waste material is a dangerous issue for both the developing and developed world and is currently faced globally.
Bio-Diversity:
Due to human activities, another problem we face is biodiversity loss. Human activities destroy the ecosystem. Due to air and water pollution, many species lose their existence, and some face considerable threats to their survival.
Deforestation:
Due to the urbanization and use of wood in industries, we destroy our forests. Due to the destruction of the forest, we also threaten the species that live in the forest. Many species have struggled to survive due to human activities.
Depletion Of The Ozone Layer:
There is an invisible layer around the Earth that protects the Earth from the harmful rays of the sun. Due to human activities and the large-scale production of CFCs, we have depleted the ozone layer, which is very dangerous for the Earth (Harper and Snowden, 2017). Due to the depletion of the ozone layer, we face many serious issues like skin cancer. The ozone layer prevents UV radiation from reaching the Earth.
Economic Issues Faced By The Globe:
In the current world, economic development is the top agenda of any state. Every state tries to achieve economic supremacy without considering means and only focusing on its goals. In the current world, there are many financial issues faced by the world. Economics is a vast field. In the late twenties, the world is changing from geopolitics to geoeconomics. This increases the importance of economic development, and as a result, we face many economic issues.
The globe faces many economic issues.
Energy Crisis:
There is a very close link between energy and economics. The current economic development is based on industrial development, and the production of the industry is highly based on energy. That may be oil, gas and electricity. There was a very close relationship between economic activities and oil prices. The oil price has made a massive contribution to the great economic recession of 2008 and 2009. Due to an enormous increase in prices during this period, the economic growth rate slowed. There was a gap in the demand and supply of oil due to the newly emerging economies of India and China (Rivoli, 2014). The consumption and demand for oil rose while production remained the same, resulting in this gap between demand and supply. This caused a slower rate of growth, and many countries were in real trouble due to the global economic recession of 2008 and 2009. In this economic recession, oil prices play a vital role.
Due to this highly influential role of energy in economic development, most states move towards new sources of energy that are available and cheaper than oil and gas (Rivoli, 2014). Due to this, most countries are moving towards alternative sources of energy that are more abundant and continuously available. The energy crisis is one of the leading economic issues faced by the globe.
Poverty:
The second most important economic issue that is faced by the globe is poverty or poverty-related issues. An average of 21000 people die per day due to poverty and its related effects. The poverty rate is higher in Asia, Africa and Latin America, but the situation in central Africa is much worse (Rivoli, 2014). That high poverty rate causes many other problems like conflicts between the states and societies. There are many international organisations that work to reduce poverty but have not achieved their targets.
Competition In A New Era Of Globalisation:
Another economic issue faced by the globe is competition in the modern era of globalization. Globalization increases competition between the players of the world, which causes many financial problems. Many global actors are desperate for a small regional player to compete with them.
The Gap Between North And South:
Another important economic issue faced by the globe is the increasing gap between the North and South. Due to high industrial development in industries and technology, the North has become richer, and the South is impoverished. The increasing difference between the two parts of the world is very dangerous for the globe, and it is one of the emerging economic issues.
The Rise Of New Power:
The rise of new powers such as (BRICS) is another economic issue for the West. These emerging blocks challenge the hegemony of the West. Most members of BRICS belong to the South, and it is a threat to sustainable economic development.
Global Corporations Or Mncs:
The most critical economic problem that is currently faced by the globe is the increasing role of Multinational Corporations (MNCs) (Rivoli, 2014). The current economic structure of MNCs is more potent than many republics. That is an alarming situation for the globe, and that has a monopoly in the global financial market.
Global Media Issues:
Due to substantial technological development, especially in communication technology, media has emerged as one of the most critical elements of global power. This is the era of media. The states that have active media rule over the world in the twenty-first century; media is considered a fifth element of the states (Coombs and Holladay, 2018). In the current world, media plays a dominant role in world politics. Countries that have a strong media network can maintain their supremacy over the world. It is the era of media warfare in which media is the best tool of propaganda. Media helps to control the minds of the people. Due to that, the world faces many global media issues.
Media is an essential element of current society that allows significant powers to rule the world. The current media structure cannot highlight the genuine problems of the world (Coombs and Holladay, 2018). Media outlets only serve the interests of powerful states and people. In the current world scenario, media power is mostly used for individual interests rather than the collective interest.
Current media highlights negativity rather than real issues. Due to the media, secrets are not safe, which causes many problems. Due to the media, the globe faces many threats, including threats to world peace (Coombs and Holladay, 2018). Media causes many psychological issues. In the current world, the use of media as a primary tool of propaganda causes many severe problems. Due to mass media, current peace is threatened; media are used for spying and propaganda that threaten world peace. The current media present only one perspective that they support (Coombs and Holladay, 2018). Media set their values and norms that are against the social rules and values. There is no international authority that regulates media laws and responsibilities.
Conclusion:
In the current world, many problems faced around the globe are environmental, economic, and media-related. Due to massive industrial development in the past, we face many issues related to the environment. Due to the extensive production of greenhouse gases during the last century, we have destroyed the planet’s atmosphere. Now, humans face many threats due to this industrial development, like climate change, global warming, pollution and many other serious issues that are threatening life on Earth. Other major economic problems include poverty, the increasing role of MNCs, and the growing gap between South and North, which are among the most challenging issues for the globe.
Newly emerging media power is also an issue for the globe that has created more tension in the twenty-first century. Media is a threat to global peace and security if this is not regulated. Currently, no international media regulatory authority regulates and minimizes their role and draws certain limits. We need to do proper planning to protect the globe from these burning issues.
References
Coombs, W.T. and Holladay, S.J., 2018. Social issue qua wicked problems: the role of strategic communication in social issues management. Journal of Communication Management, 22(1), pp. 79-95.
Harper, C., Harper, C.L. and Snowden, M., 2017. Environment and society: Human perspectives on environmental issues. Routledge.
Hackmann, H., Moser, S.C. and Clair, A.L.S., 2014. The social heart of global environmental change. Nature Climate Change, 4(8), p. 653.
Rivoli, P., 2014. The travels of a t-shirt in the global economy: An economist examines the markets, power, and politics of world trade. New preface and epilogue with updates on economic issues and main characters. John Wiley & Sons.
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