World's Biggest Problems (not a comprehensive list)

Last week, I examined some things that are bothersome or tedious in my personal life.  This week, I have been asked to tackle a larger task: 10 of the world's biggest problems.  These are not in any particular order, and they are by no means a complete list of all the pain and suffering in the world.  However, I do believe they are all significant issues,

"Most Amazing High Definition Picture of Earth" by NASA Goddard Space Flight
https://flic.kr/p/binsBK

1. Hunger.  According to the WFP, one in every nine people on earth do not have enough food to live a healthy lifestyle.  Nearly half of deaths of children under the age of 5 is caused by a lack of food.  This is a problem that I believe could be greatly reduced if people were willing to give more.  Small donations can feed a child for a year.  For more information on the problem and how to be a part of this solution, click the links below.

https://www.wfp.org/hunger/stats

http://www.worldvision.org/sponsor-a-child

2. Dirty water.  This is a similar problem to the first.  The statistics on just how prevalent this is will blow your mind.  According to the CDC, more than 35% of the world's population lacks steady access to sanitary water.  Again, I have included links on statistics and a way to help.

http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/global/wash_statistics.html

https://thewaterproject.org/

3. War.  There are many specific cases I could delve into, but the first one to come to mind is the violence in Syria.  This one is atrocious in many ways.  One of the worst, is what part the Syrian government plays in the conflict.  According to the NY Times, as of Fall 2015, the Syrian government had killed over 28,000 of its own civilians in mass shootings.  That regime is corrupt beyond imagination, and short of being eliminated or winning, they will not stop.  

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/09/14/world/middleeast/syria-war-deaths.html?_r=0

4.  Economic crisis.  In 2008, we got a glimpse of what kind of damage the stock market can do.  We could be on the precipice of a similar situation.  The short version is: China is able to manipulate their currency value to cause a rise and fall in stocks.  Recently, this triggered a crash of the market.  You can read more about this here.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/china-business/12080075/china-government-stock-market-manipulation.html

5.  Political instability.  In addition to war, there is a huge threat by some governments just being unstable.  Instability can lead to a myriad of issues.  At the highest level is war.  But there are many other things that can occur as well.  Some examples of this includes violence, bribery, and unemployment.

6.  Nuclear proliferation.  Nuclear proliferation can be defined as: Nuclear weapons or materials spreading to countries that are not officially recognized as "Nuclear Weapon States."  I trust that you can come to the conclusion on your own of why this could be a huge issue.  In addition to the typical nuclear missiles we think about, nuclear material can also be used in the creation of "dirty bombs."  This is just any explosive that also has nuclear material.  Any of these could cause mass destruction, loss of life, and chaos.

7.  AIDS.  This is a problem that is tied into a few of the earlier ones I mentioned.  It is most prevalent in poorer countries, but any no country is immune to it.  Africa contains the majority of the worldwide AIDS cases.  While research is continuing, no cure has been discovered yet.

https://www.aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/hiv-aids-101/global-statistics/

8.  Disease.  AIDS gets all of the attention, but globally, just as many people die from diarrhea each year as from AIDS.  The number one cause of death is heart disease.  It doesn't get nearly as much of the media attention, but it is still a huge issue.  Here are some statistics about causes of death.

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs310/en/

9.  Slavery.  You might be shocked to find out just how many people live in slavery today.  It is estimated that nearly 30 millions people around the world are still slaves.  This issue isn't in the spotlight nearly enough.  No one deserves that kind of life, yet more people are subjected to it each day.  Here are some statistics and ways to help.

http://borgenproject.org/10-statistics-on-slavery-today/

http://www.endslaverynow.org/

10.  Human rights.  "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."  Those words from the Declaration of Independence are very true.  Unfortunately, many people don't have access to even the most basic of human rights.  People are taken from their homes and beaten, denied freedom of speech, and have no rights to fair trials.  Here is some more information and some ways you can help.

http://www.humanrights.com/what-are-human-rights/violations-of-human-rights/article-3.html

http://www.humanrights.com/take-action/get-active.html

As I mentioned previously, this is by no means a complete list of the troubles around us.  That would be impossible, as that list is constantly growing and changing.  I hope this has opened your eyes to some of the pain in the world and a few ways you can make a difference.