Global issues of our time. Global problems of our time A4
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The peculiarities of integration processes, covering various spheres of people’s lives, manifest themselves most deeply and acutely in the so-called global problems of our time.
Global problems:
Environmental problem
Save the world
Space and ocean exploration
Food problem
Population problem
The problem of overcoming backwardness
Raw material problem
Features of global problems.
1) They have a planetary, global character, affecting the interests of all peoples of the world.
2) They threaten degradation and death of all humanity.
3) Need urgent and effective solutions.
4) They require the collective efforts of all states, joint actions of peoples.
Most of the problems that today we associate with the global problems of our time have accompanied humanity throughout its history. These include, first of all, the problems of ecology, preserving peace, overcoming poverty, hunger, and illiteracy.
But after the Second World War, thanks to the unprecedented scale of human transformative activity, all these problems turned into global ones, expressing the contradictions of the integral modern world and indicating with unprecedented force the need for cooperation and unity of all people on Earth.
Nowadays, global problems:
On the one hand, they demonstrate the close interconnection of states;
On the other hand, they reveal the deep contradictions of this unity.
The development of human society has always been contradictory. It was constantly accompanied not only by the establishment of a harmonious connection with nature, but also by a destructive impact on it.
Apparently, noticeable damage to nature was already caused by synanthropes (about 400 thousand years ago), which began to use fire. As a result of the fires that arose in this regard, significant areas of vegetation were destroyed.
Scientists believe that the intensive hunting of mammoths by ancient people was one of the most important reasons for the extinction of this species of animal.
The transition from the appropriating nature of the economy to the producing one, which began about 12 thousand years ago, associated primarily with the development of agriculture, also led to very significant negative impacts on the surrounding nature.
The farming technology in those days was as follows: a forest was burned in a certain area, then basic tillage was carried out and plant seeds were sown. Such a field could produce a harvest for only 2-3 years, after which the soil was depleted and it was necessary to move to a new plot.
In addition, environmental problems in ancient times were often caused by mining.
So, in the 7th – 4th centuries BC. intensive development of silver and lead mines in Ancient Greece, which required large volumes of strong timber, actually led to the destruction of forests on the Antique Peninsula.
Significant changes in natural landscapes were caused by the construction of cities, which began in the Middle East about 5 thousand years ago, and of course, the development of industry accompanied a significant burden on nature.
But although these human impacts on the environment were becoming increasingly widespread, nevertheless, until the second half of the 20th century, they were of a local nature.
Humanity, developing along the path of progress, gradually accumulated material and spiritual resources to satisfy its needs, but it never managed to completely get rid of hunger, poverty and illiteracy. The severity of these problems was felt by each nation in its own way, and the ways to solve them had never before gone beyond the borders of individual states.
Meanwhile, it is known from history that the steadily growing interactions between peoples, the exchange of industrial and agricultural products, and spiritual values were constantly accompanied by acute military clashes. For the period from 3500 BC. 14,530 wars occurred. And only 292 years people lived without wars.
Killed in wars (million people)
XVIII century 5.5
About 70 million people lost their lives in the First and Second World Wars. These were the first world wars in the entire history of mankind, in which a significant majority of the countries of the world participated. They marked the beginning of the transformation of the problem of war and peace into a global one.
What gave rise to global problems? The answer to this question is, in essence, quite simple. Global problems resulted from:
WITH one side of the enormous scale of human activity, radically changing nature, society, and people’s way of life.
WITH the other side is man’s inability to rationally manage this powerful force.
GLOBAL ISSUES OF MODERN TIMEI. Read the text and complete tasks C1 – C4.
It seems to me that today, when humanity has come close to an ecological catastrophe, when all the terrible consequences of utopian claims for total control of social processes are extremely clear, the fate of the humanistic ideal is connected with the rejection of the idea of mastery, suppression and domination. The new understanding of the relationship between nature and man corresponds not to the ideal of anthropocentrism, but to that developed by a number of modern thinkers, in particular, the famous scientist N.I. Moiseev’s idea of co-evolution, the joint evolution of nature and humanity, which can be interpreted as the relationship of equal partners, if you will, interlocutors in an unplanned dialogue...
This can and should be understood in a broader sense. Freedom as an integral characteristic of the humanistic ideal is conceived not as mastery and control, but as the establishment of equal partnerships with what is outside of man: with natural processes, with another person, with the values of a different culture, with social processes, even with unreflected and “ opaque” processes of my own psyche.
C5 (1). Name the 3 main global problems of our time.
C 6. Illustrate with three examples the relationship between the problems associated with the widening gap between developed countries and third world countries with the problem of preventing a new world war.
C6 (1). Give three examples of the interconnection of global problems of our time.
C7 (1). Today, due to the existence of global problems of our time, there are quite loud calls for the abandonment of scientific and technological progress and the cessation of research in the field of new technologies. Do you share this point of view? Are these calls consistent with the concept of sustainable development? Give three reasons to support your opinion.
C7 (2). Speaking at a scientific conference, an environmental scientist said: “It’s time to realize that humanity is coming to its end. We do not have the strength and ability to save ourselves. We are doomed". Do you agree with this opinion? Give three arguments to support your position.
C8. You are instructed to prepare a detailed answer on the topic “The environmental crisis as a global problem of our time.” Make a plan according to which you will cover this topic. The plan must contain at least three points, of which two or more are detailed in subparagraphs.
Answers to tasks in the topic " Global problems of our time"
Part 1
1 - 1
3 – 3
5 – 2
7 – 4
9 – 1
Part 3
C1 – C4
1) realities modern society:
- “humanity has come close to an environmental catastrophe”;
- “all the terrible consequences of utopian claims for total control of social processes are extremely clear”;
2) essence of new understanding humanistic ideal:
“the idea of co-evolution, the joint evolution of nature and humanity, which can be interpreted as a relationship of equal partners, if you like, interlocutors in an unprogrammed dialogue.”
“Freedom as an integral characteristic of the humanistic ideal is conceived ... as the establishment of equal partnership relations with what is outside of man: with natural processes, with another person, with the values of another culture, with social processes, even with unreflective and “opaque” processes of my own psyche";
“freedom is understood as such a relationship when I accept another, and the other accepts me”;
“free acceptance based on understanding resulting from communication.”
the establishment of human dominance over nature led to irreversible changes in the external environment;
irreversible changes in the external environment negatively affect human health and the functioning of society;
the amount of resources that a rapidly growing population of humanity can use for its development has been significantly reduced;
the attitude of dominance extended to man’s relationship to his own kind and to public interests.
“relations with natural processes”: human use of nature-saving and resource-saving technologies, limiting consumption;
“relationships with another person”: recognition of the unconditional value of the personality of another person, respect for his freedom;
“relations with the values of another culture”: a tolerant attitude towards the values of another culture and the bearers of these values;
“relations with social processes”: rejection of personal and group egoism, consumerism, desire for social peace;
“relationships with unreflective and “opaque” processes of my own psyche”: attentive attitude to one’s own psychological state, its gentle adjustment in necessary cases, maximum use of one’s own mental capabilities and states in activities.
C1 – C4
Limited resources;
North-South problem;
Demographic;
Consequences of scientific and technological revolution.
C2. Assumptions:
Availability of scientific knowledge and technical means for global transformative activities (and means of destroying life on the planet);
Formation of a consumer society in which speed and comfort are among the dominant values.
C3. Examples confirming the author's statement:
Communist ideologies;
Ideology of Enlightenment;
The illusion of the omnipotence of science and the possibility of its victory over hunger and disease.
C4. Overcoming the contrasts between “rich” and “poor” countries is hardly possible in the near future, since this is hampered by the following:
The situation of uncontrolled fertility in conditions of limited resources and unfavorable living conditions;
Small share of participation in the global division of labor;
The growth of military and other expenses of developed countries, preventing the redistribution of funds in favor of “poor” countries.
C5 (1). The main global problems of our time:
Ecological;
Demographic;
The North-South problem.
C6 (1). Examples of the relationship between global problems of our time:
The threat of an environmental crisis forces economically developed countries to transfer harmful, environmentally hazardous industries to third world countries, which aggravates the North-South problem;
The threat of international terrorism in modern conditions is closely related to the problem of preventing nuclear war and maintaining peace (terrorists are trying to gain access to technologies for the production of weapons of mass destruction);
The demographic problem in the modern world appears primarily as a problem of rapid demographic growth in third world countries, which increases the gap with economically developed countries.
C6 (2). Examples that reveal the global nature of environmental problems in the modern world:
Climate warming leads to the melting of polar ice and an increase in the level of the world's oceans, which in the future may change the contours of continents and swallow islands and archipelagos, i.e. the environment for human existence is endangered;
The population of all countries of the continents suffers from pollution of the soil, atmosphere and oceans by industrial and household waste;
The disappearance of certain animal species affects not only local ecosystems, but in its long-term consequences disrupts the balance of the global ecosystem.
Global problems of humanity affect our planet as a whole. Therefore, all peoples and states are engaged in solving them. This term appeared in the late 60s of the XX century. Currently, there is a special scientific branch that studies and solves global problems of humanity. It is called global studies.
Scientific specialists from various fields work in this area: biologists, soil scientists, chemists, physicists, and geologists. And this is no coincidence, because the global problems of humanity are complex in nature and their emergence does not depend on any one factor. On the contrary, it is very important to take into account the economic, political, and social changes taking place in the world. Life on the planet in the future depends on how correctly the modern global problems of humanity are solved.
You need to know: some of them have existed for a long time, others, quite “young”, are associated with the fact that people began to negatively impact the world around them. Because of this, for example, environmental problems of mankind have arisen. They can be called the main difficulties of modern society. Although the problem of environmental pollution itself has appeared a long time ago. All varieties interact with each other. Often one problem provokes another.
Sometimes it happens that global problems of humanity can be solved and completely gotten rid of them. First of all, this concerns epidemics that threatened the lives of people all over the planet and led to their mass death, but then they were stopped, for example, with the help of an invented vaccine. At the same time, completely new problems appear that were previously unknown to society, or existing ones grow to a global level, for example, depletion of the ozone layer. The cause of their occurrence is human activity. The problem of environmental pollution allows us to see this very clearly. But in other cases, the tendency of people to influence the misfortunes that happen to them and threaten their existence is clearly visible. So, what problems of humanity that have planetary significance exist?
Environmental disaster
It is caused by daily environmental pollution and depletion of earth and water reserves. All these factors together can accelerate the onset of environmental disaster. Man considers himself the king of nature, but at the same time does not strive to preserve it in its original form. This is also hampered by industrialization, which is proceeding at a rapid pace. Negatively affecting its habitat, humanity destroys it and does not think about it. It is not for nothing that pollution standards have been developed and are regularly exceeded. As a result, humanity's environmental problems may become irreversible. To avoid this, we must pay attention to the preservation of flora and fauna, and try to preserve the biosphere of our planet. And for this it is necessary to make production and other human activities more environmentally friendly so that the impact on the environment is less aggressive.
Demographic problem
The world's population is growing rapidly. And although the “population explosion” has already subsided, the problem still remains. The situation with food and natural resources is deteriorating. Their stocks are decreasing. At the same time, the negative impact on the environment is increasing, and it is impossible to cope with unemployment and poverty. Difficulties arise with education and healthcare. The UN has taken upon itself the solution to global problems of this nature. The organization created a special plan. One of its points is the family planning program.
Disarmament
After the creation of a nuclear bomb, the population tries to avoid the consequences of its use. For this purpose, non-aggression and disarmament treaties are signed between countries. Laws are being adopted to ban nuclear arsenals and stop the arms trade. The presidents of leading states hope in this way to avoid the outbreak of the Third World War, as a result of which, as they suspect, all life on Earth could be destroyed.
Food problem
In some countries, the population is experiencing food shortages. Residents of Africa and other third countries of the world suffer especially from hunger. To solve this problem, two options have been created. The first is aimed at ensuring that pastures, fields, and fishing areas gradually increase their area. If you follow the second option, you should not increase the territory, but increase the productivity of existing ones. For this purpose, the latest biotechnologies, methods of land reclamation, and mechanization are being developed. High-yielding plant varieties are being created.
Health
Despite the active development of medicine, the emergence of new vaccines and drugs, humanity continues to get sick. Moreover, many diseases threaten the lives of the population. Therefore, in our time, the development of treatment methods is actively underway. Modern substances are created in laboratories for effective immunization of the population. Unfortunately, the most dangerous diseases of the 21st century - oncology and AIDS - remain incurable.
Ocean problem
Recently, this resource has not only been actively researched, but also used for the needs of humanity. Experience shows that it can provide food, natural resources, and energy. The ocean is a trade route that helps restore communication between countries. At the same time, its reserves are used unevenly, and military operations are ongoing on its surface. In addition, it serves as a base for the disposal of waste, including radioactive waste. Humanity is obliged to preserve the riches of the World Ocean, avoid pollution, and rationally use its gifts.
Space exploration
This space belongs to all humanity, which means that all peoples must use their scientific and technical potential to explore it. For deep space exploration, special programs are created that use all modern achievements in this field.
People know that if these problems do not go away, the planet may die. But why do many people not want to do anything, hoping that everything will disappear and “dissolve” by itself? Although, in truth, such inaction is better than the active destruction of nature, pollution of forests, water bodies, destruction of animals and plants, especially rare species.
It is impossible to understand the behavior of such people. It would not hurt them to think about the fact that their children and grandchildren will have to live, if, of course, it is still possible, on a dying planet. You shouldn’t count on anyone being able to rid the world of difficulties in a short time. Global problems of humanity can only be solved together if all of humanity makes an effort. The threat of destruction in the near future should not be frightening. It is best if it can stimulate the potential inherent in each of us.
Don’t think that it’s difficult to cope with the world’s problems alone. This makes it seem like it is useless to act, and thoughts of powerlessness in the face of difficulties appear. The point is to join forces and help at least your city prosper. Solve small problems of your habitat. And when every person on Earth begins to have such responsibility towards themselves and their country, large-scale, global problems will also be solved.
Part A
1. Global problems of our time 1) are associated only with developed countries; 2) can be solved independently from each other; 3) affect all humanity; 4) arose simultaneously with the emergence of man and society
2. Which of the following illustrates the activities of society to alleviate the severity of global environmental problems? 1) closure of unprofitable enterprises; 2) introduction of a proportional taxation scale; 3) installation of a new generation of treatment facilities at power plants; 4) development of the telecommunications sector, mobile telephony market
3. Which of the following illustrates the global socio-economic problems of the modern world? 1) humanization and humanitarization of the education system; 2) increase in life expectancy of the population; 3) the threat of using weapons of mass destruction; 4) hunger and poverty of the majority of the population of developing countries
4. What are the manifestations of global problems of modern society? 1) scientific achievements in the development of modern drugs; 2) integration of the education system; 3) reduction in the diversity of plants and animals; 4) increasing the speed of information transfer over computer networks
5. Global demographic problems include 1) the threat of food shortages in a number of African countries; 2) the danger of using weapons of mass destruction; 3) growth in energy consumption in leading countries of the world; 4) overpopulation in a number of developing countries
6. Environmental problems include 1) preventing the spread of AIDS; 2) revival of cultural values; 3) global warming trend; 4) stabilization of the demographic situation
7. Environmental problems include 1) the spread of drug addiction; 2) gradual depletion of natural resources; 3) preventing the threat of a new world war; 4) loss of moral values
A3. Tasks to address social realities
8. According to experts, in some areas of the Earth, 80% of all diseases are caused by poor quality water, which people are forced to consume. This manifests, first of all, the problem of 1) decreased labor productivity; 2) depletion of natural resources; 3) environmental pollution; 4) global warming
9. Currently, the ozone layer is being destroyed and ozone holes are appearing. What global problems does this fact illustrate? 1) environmental; 2) economic; 3) demographic; 4) political
10. As a result of human economic activity, the release of harmful substances into the atmosphere has increased. All this negatively affects the state of nature and human health. What global problems does this fact illustrate? 1) environmental; 2) demographic; 3) economic; 4) military
A4. Task to analyze two judgments
11. Are the following statements about global problems true? A. Pollution of nature by the products of human activity is an environmental problem. B. Global problems are associated with transformative human activity 1) only A is correct; 2) only B is true; 3) both judgments are correct; 4) both judgments are incorrect
12. Are the following statements about global problems true? A. Global problems threaten the existence of humanity. B. To overcome global problems, it is necessary to unite the efforts of all countries of the world. 1) only A is true; 2) only B is true; 3) both judgments are correct; 4) both judgments are incorrect
13. Are the following judgments about global problems of humanity true? A. Pollution of the natural environment by society is an environmental problem. B. Overpopulation of the modern world increases the severity of environmental problems. 1) only A is true; 2) only B is true; 3) both judgments are correct; 4) both judgments are incorrect
14. Are the following statements about global problems true? A. Global problems are those that are relevant to all regions of the planet. B. Global problems threaten the survival of humanity. 1) only A is true; 2) only B is true; 3) both judgments are correct; 4) both judgments are incorrect
15. Are the following statements about global problems true? A. Global problems are a consequence of humankind’s economic activities. B. Solving global problems requires the joint efforts of all humanity. 1) only A is true; 2) only B is true; 3) both judgments are correct; 4) both judgments are incorrect
One of the characteristic features of the modern world is the exacerbation of global problems, which by their nature go beyond the interests of various classes and social systems, and on the solution of which the future, and indeed the very existence of humanity, depends to a decisive extent.
A characteristic feature of the global problems of our time is that they, having arisen for social reasons, lead to consequences that are more than social, affecting the biological and physical foundations of human existence.
Features of modern global problems.
- 1) They have a planetary, global character, affecting the interests of all peoples of the world.
- 2) They threaten degradation and death of all humanity.
- 3) Need urgent and effective solutions.
- 4) They require the collective efforts of all states, joint actions of peoples.
Global problems of our time are a problem field that reflects the totality of vitally important problems of humanity and contains a generalized description of the most important directions in the development of society and its future. These include the following groups: political, social, economic, environmental, demographic and scientific and technical. There are also such global problems of our time as intersocial, problems of relations between society and man, problems of relations between man, society and nature.
Their solution requires the combined efforts of all countries to overcome the danger of environmental disaster. The global nature of these problems is determined by the fact that they in one way or another concern all of humanity and cannot be solved in isolation from one another. Consistent resolution involves the elimination of social antagonisms, the establishment of harmonious relations between society and nature, and the transition of the entire society to a co-evolutionary path of development. Because of this, the intensification of international activities aimed at developing common approaches to environmental protection, the creation and rapid implementation of environmental quality tests, and the development of legal standards for environmental management is accompanied by a revision of some traditional environmental theoretical positions and ideas.
Most of the problems that today we associate with the global problems of our time have accompanied humanity throughout its history. These, first of all, include the problems of ecology, preserving peace, overcoming poverty, hunger, and illiteracy. But after the Second World War, thanks to the unprecedented scale of human transformative activity, all these problems turned into global ones, expressing the contradictions of the integral modern world and indicating with unprecedented force the need for cooperation and unity of all people on Earth. In our time, global problems: - on the one hand, demonstrate the closest interconnection of states; - and on the other hand, they reveal the deep contradictions of this unity.
In the book “Human Qualities” A. Peccei noted: “The origins of this almost sinister acquired human power lie in the complex impact of all... changes, and modern technology has become their unique symbol. Just a few decades ago, the human world could be - in a very simplified form, of course - represented by three interconnected, but fairly stable elements. These elements were Nature, myself Human And Society. Now a fourth and potentially uncontrollable element has powerfully entered the human system - science-based Technique... So a person is no longer able not only to control these processes, but even simply to realize and evaluate the consequences of everything that happens.” Peccei A. Human qualities. M., 1985. P.68
Let us consider the reasons for the emergence of global problems of our time. It would be wrong to believe that only in the second half of the twentieth century did humanity encounter the phenomenon of global problems. At one time, epidemics of infectious diseases, invasions, and wars were extremely relevant for the world's population. The eternal problem is the relationship between man and the environment, the development of nature and the mastery of its elemental forces, the problem of establishing lasting peace between peoples, guarantees of socio-economic, political and cultural progress. Many global problems arose initially, others emerged and had been brewing for a long time, but appeared more clearly and at the global level only with the establishment of capitalism, i.e. in the XVIII - XVIIII centuries. The growing internationalization of all social relations as capitalism developed led to the creation of a single interconnected world. The causes of global problems should be sought in the historical process of human development. The history of mankind represents the conjugate development of two types of relationships that determine the entire life activity of people. The first of them is the relationship between man and his environment (the “man - nature” system): the second is the relationship between people in society, that is, social relations. “History can be viewed from two sides - it can be divided into the history of nature and the history of people. However, both these sides are inextricably linked; as long as people exist, the history of nature and the history of people mutually determine each other” “German Ideology” by K. Marx and F. Engels. Both of these lines of development are organically connected, and they can only be separated in abstraction. However, in scientific research they need to be separated, because without this it is not possible to understand the prerequisites and causes of global problems. It is within the framework of the “man - nature” system that the production process is carried out. Developing production, that is, mastering nature, achieving his dominance over it, man gradually increasingly disrupted the natural development of components. Man himself, while remaining a part of nature, has simultaneously become a phenomenon of a fundamentally new type - the embodiment of a set of social relations that have developed in the course of human communication on the basis of production activity, that is, on the basis of fundamentally new relations that have developed between man and the rest of nature. The harmony between man and nature in the early stages of human development remained unshakable. This was, on the one hand, the result of the underdevelopment of man himself, his means of labor, and, on the other hand, a consequence of the low level of development of social relations achieved by that time. Under the conditions of the collective mode of production, there could not be any acute conflicts between man and the nature around him. The social homogeneity of the society of that time did not create conditions for the irrational use of natural resources to the detriment of nature itself and the people living in its environment. Thus, at the first stage of society’s interaction with nature, when its economy was still appropriating, when from a social point of view it was homogeneous, both consistency in the social relations themselves and harmony in the relations between man and the natural environment were preserved. And we are talking here not about a random coincidence of these two components, but about their natural combination. As a result of the development of man himself, society gained the opportunity to obtain the basic means of life through transformative activities and material production. There was a transition from “pre-production” (gathering and hunting) to production in the proper sense of the word and processing through labor of natural objects for consumption needs. Material production has become the main source of people's livelihoods. The level of development of production forces ultimately determines the nature of production relations, and the latter, in turn, have a guiding effect on the type of relations of society to its natural environment. The interrelationship between man and nature, society and nature, and relationships within society that thus emerged was fully confirmed at all subsequent stages of social development. The transition of mankind from the collective mode of production to the agricultural, and then to the industrial, led to a significant complication of the productive forces, to their radical change in essence and form. The place of natural productive forces was taken by social productive forces, which, as they developed, took on an increasingly antagonistic form. Slave-owning, feudal and capitalist socio-economic formations corresponded to forms of socio-economic and political relations between people that were adequate to their essence and, naturally, forms and types of relations between society and nature, man and nature.
The global problems of our time are of a universal nature in the broadest sense of the word, because they affect the interests of all mankind, influence the future of human civilization, and most immediately, without any temporary delays.
