What global problems need to be solved. Global problems of mankind and ways to solve them

Solving global problems is a task of extraordinary importance and complexity, and so far it cannot be said with certainty that ways to overcome them have been found. According to many social scientists, no matter what individual problem we take from the global system, it cannot be solved without first overcoming the spontaneity in the development of earthly civilization, without a transition to coordinated and planned actions on a global scale. Only such actions can save society, as well as its natural environment.

In the conditions prevailing by the beginning of the 21st century, mankind can no longer function spontaneously without the risk of a catastrophe for each of the countries. The only way out is in the transition from self-regulating to controlled evolution of the world community and its natural environment... It is imperative that human interests - preventing nuclear war, mitigating the ecological crisis, replenishing resources - prevail over private economic and political benefits. individual countries, corporations and parties. In the 1970s. of the last century, various kinds of programs were introduced, local, national and transnational organizations began to work. At present, to achieve this goal, mankind has the necessary economic and financial resources, scientific and technical capabilities and intellectual potential. But to realize this opportunity, new political thinking, goodwill and the international cooperation based on the priority of universal human interests and values.

Scientists-globalists offer various options for solving global problems of our time (Fig. 1):

change in the nature of production activities - the creation of waste-free production, heat and power and resource-saving technologies, the use of alternative energy sources (sun, wind, etc.);

creation of a new world order, development of a new formula for global governance of the world community based on the principles of understanding the modern world as an integral and interconnected community of people;

recognition of universal human values, attitude towards life, man and the world as the highest values of mankind;

rejection of war as a means of resolving controversial issues, finding ways to peacefully resolve international problems and conflicts.

Figure 1 - Ways to solve the global problems of mankind

Only together can humanity solve the problem of overcoming the ecological crisis.

First of all, one should move from a consumer-technocratic approach to nature to a search for harmony with it. For this, in particular, it is necessary whole line targeted measures for the greening of production: nature-saving technologies, mandatory environmental expertise of new projects, the creation of waste-free closed-cycle technologies. Another measure aimed at improving the relationship between man and nature is reasonable self-restraint in the use of natural resources, especially energy sources (oil, coal) that have for the life of mankind critical importance... The calculations of international experts show that if we proceed from the current level of consumption (the end of the 20th century), then coal reserves will last for another 430 years, oil - for 35 years, natural gas - for 50 years. The term, especially in terms of oil reserves, is not so long. In this regard, it is necessary to make reasonable structural changes in the world energy balance in the direction of expanding the use of atomic energy, as well as the search for new, efficient, safe and most environmentally friendly sources of energy, including space.

The planetary society today is taking specific measures to solve environmental problems and reduce their danger: they develop maximum permissible emission standards for the environment, create waste-free or low-waste technologies, use energy, land and water resources more rationally, save minerals, etc. However, all the above and other measures can give a tangible effect only if all countries join efforts to save nature. Back in 1982, the UN adopted a special document - the World Charter for Conservation of Nature, and then created a special commission on environment and development. In addition to the UN, such a non-governmental organization as the Club of Rome plays an important role in the development and provision of environmental safety of mankind. As for the governments of the world's leading powers, they are trying to combat environmental pollution by adopting special environmental legislation.

Global problems require the observance of certain moral norms that allow us to correlate the ever-growing human needs with the planet's capabilities to satisfy them. A number of scientists rightly believe that the transition of the entire earthly community from a dead-end technogenic-consumer to a new spiritual-ecological, or noospheric, type of civilizational existence is necessary. Its essence is that "scientific and technological progress, production of material goods and services, political and financial and economic interests should not be a goal, but only a means of harmonizing relations between society and nature, a help for the establishment of the highest ideals of human existence: endless knowledge , all-round creative development and moral improvement ".

One of the most popular points of view for solving this problem is to instill in people new moral and ethical values. So in one of the reports to the Club of Rome, it is written that the new ethical education should be aimed at:

1) the development of world consciousness, thanks to which a person realizes himself as a member of the world community;

2) the formation of a more frugal attitude towards the use of natural resources;

3) the development of such an attitude towards nature, which would be based on harmony, and not on submission;

4) fostering a sense of belonging to future generations and a willingness to give up part of their own benefits in their favor.

It is possible and necessary to successfully fight for the solution of global problems already now on the basis of constructive and mutually acceptable cooperation of all countries and peoples, regardless of the differences in social systems to which they belong.

The solution to global problems is possible only through the joint efforts of all countries coordinating their actions at the international level. Self-isolation and development features will not allow individual countries to stay away from the economic crisis, nuclear war, the threat of terrorism or the AIDS epidemic. To solve global problems, to overcome the danger that threatens all of humanity, it is necessary to further strengthen the interconnection of the diverse modern world, change the interaction with the environment, abandon the cult of consumption, and develop new values.

Conclusion: Without the appropriate human qualities, without the global responsibility of each person, it is impossible to solve any of the global problems. All the problems are too large and complex for one country to cope with, the leadership of one power cannot provide a stable world order and a solution to global problems. Comprehensive interaction of the entire world community is needed.

Let's hope that the main wealth of all countries in the 21st century will be the preserved resources of nature and the cultural and educational level of people living in harmony with this nature. It is quite possible that the formation of a new - informational - world community with humane goals will become the highway of human development, which will lead it to the solution and elimination of major global problems.

Problems for humanity have existed 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 humanity. The threat of irreversible changes in the ecological properties of the environment, 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" has become widely known 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 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 materials problem;

demographic problem;

food problem;

the problem of overcoming the backwardness of developing countries;

the problem of using the World Ocean;

the problem of peaceful space exploration.

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

1. The problem of preserving peace

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 on the territory of industrialized countries even a war with the use of conventional weapons can lead to such consequences.

This problem has long been the No. 1 problem in the world. At present, 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 across the planet;

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

the constant increase in military spending;

the constant growth in the scale of the arms trade;

increasing inequality in the level of social economic development between developing and developed countries, aggravation 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 (involving a larger number of 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 figures:

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

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

US military spending in 2004 - $ 400 billion;

the arms trade now reaches $ 25-30 billion a year;

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

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

Global problems(French g1оba1 - universal, from Latin g1оbus (terrae) - the globe) represent a set of problems of mankind, on the solution of which social progress and the preservation of civilization depend: prevention of a world thermonuclear war and ensuring peaceful conditions for the development of all peoples; prevention of catastrophic pollution of the environment, including the atmosphere, the world's oceans, etc .; bridging the growing gap in the economic level and per capita income between developed and developing countries by eliminating the backwardness of the latter, as well as eliminating hunger, poverty and illiteracy in the world; ensuring the further economic development of mankind with the necessary natural resources, both renewable and non-renewable, including food, industrial raw materials and energy sources; ending the rapid population growth ("demographic explosion" in developing countries) and eliminating the danger of "depopulation" in developed countries; prevention of negative consequences of the scientific and technological revolution. The twenty-first century, having just begun, has already added its own problems: international terrorism, the continuing spread of drug addiction and AIDS.

The criteria for identifying global problems are as follows:

their widespread distribution affects humanity as a whole;
failure to resolve these problems can lead to the death of all of humanity;
they can be resolved only by the joint efforts of mankind, i.e. they cannot be fully resolved within a particular state or region.

These problems, which existed before as local and regional, have acquired a planetary character in the modern era. Thus, the time of the emergence of global problems coincides with the achievement of the industrial civilization's apogee in its development. This happened around the middle of the 20th century.
At the same time, there is a difference between truly global and universal problems. Failure to resolve global problems leads humanity to inevitable death, and universal problems are those that are ubiquitous and can develop into global ones. The problems of health care, education, social protection, etc. can be classified as general ones. For example, most people in the world today are dying not at the hands of terrorists and not from AIDS and drug addiction, but from cardiovascular diseases.

Summarizing what is known about the global problems of our time, they can be reduced to three main ones:

the possibility of destroying humanity in a world thermonuclear war;
the possibility of a worldwide ecological catastrophe;
spiritual and moral crisis of mankind.

Interestingly, when solving the third problem, the first two are almost automatically solved. After all, a spiritually and morally developed person will never accept violence either in relation to another person, or in relation to nature. Even just cultured man does not offend others and will never throw garbage on the sidewalk. From trifles, from the wrong individual behavior of a person, global problems grow. It is better to say that global problems are rooted in the consciousness of a person, and until he transforms it, they will not disappear in the outside world. It is the most difficult to solve the third global problem, which in fact is the first one. This cannot be done mechanically, as one could do with the first two. Its solution is associated with the upbringing and formation of a spiritual and moral personality.

Analysis of global problems

The possibility of the destruction of humanity in the third world thermonuclear war is the most threatening problem. And although cold war has become a thing of the past, nuclear arsenals have not been destroyed, and Russia's efforts in the international arena in terms of disarmament do not find a proper response from the politicians of the most developed countries possessing nuclear weapons, primarily the US leadership.

It is known that for the period from 3500 BC, i.e. in fact since its inception ancient civilizations, there were 14530 wars, and only 292 years people lived without them. If in the XIX century. 16 million people died in wars, then in the XX century. - over 70 million! The total explosive power of weapons is now about 18 billion tons in TNT equivalent, i.e. each inhabitant of the planet accounts for 3.6 tons. If at least 1% of these reserves explode, then a "nuclear winter" will come, as a result of which the entire biosphere, and not only man, can be destroyed.

Measures to prevent war and hostilities were already developed by I. Kant at the end of the 18th century, but there is still no political will to approve them. Among the measures he proposed: non-financing of military operations; rejection of hostile relations, respect; the conclusion of relevant international treaties and the creation of an international union striving to implement the policy of peace, etc. However, it seems that the world community in last years more and more moving away from these steps.

Ecological problem can lead to a worldwide environmental disaster. First major environmental crisis threatening continued existence human society, originated in the prehistoric era. Its causes were both climate change and the activity of primitive man, who, as a result of collective hunting, exterminated many large animals inhabiting the middle latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere (mammoth, woolly rhinoceros, steppe bison, cave bear, etc.). Sinanthropes, who lived about 400 thousand years ago, have already inflicted noticeable damage to nature. They started using fire, which led to fires that destroyed entire forests. However, although the impact of man on nature acquired sometimes threatening proportions, right up to the XX century. they were local in nature.

Before our eyes, the era of extensive use of the potential of the biosphere is ending: there is almost no undeveloped land left (except for the territory of Russia), the area of deserts is systematically increasing, the area of forests is decreasing - the lungs of the planet, the climate is changing (global warming, the greenhouse effect), the amount of carbon dioxide is increasing and decreasing - oxygen, the ozone layer is destroyed.

The ecological problem begins with individual human behavior. If it allows the throwing of even small garbage on the streets of the city or even in an open field, then environmental problems arise at the mass level. Such a consciousness creates them inevitably. Pay attention to what the railway platforms in Russia have become, on which smokers throw cigarette butts, and those who consume seeds throw husks, and then a lot will become clear. It is not some bad people, politicians or directors of large factories who are capable of causing an environmental disaster. We arrange it with you by our own behavior. From chaos, garbage in consciousness and moral underdevelopment, garbage is born on the streets, rivers and seas are polluted, the ozone layer is destroyed and forests are barbarously cut down. A person has forgotten that the world around him is an extension of his own body, and if he pollutes, destroys the environment, then first of all he harms himself. This is evidenced by the diseases that modern man has encountered.

Society is still defined as a part of the world isolated from nature, but closely related to it. Only by distinguishing oneself from the other, from nature, man and society can realize their specificity. It was expressed deeply and vividly by N.A. Berdyaev: "Spirit is freedom, not nature."

On the one hand, a person is biological species, and society is a special integrity of such biological individuals, on the other hand, a person is only a person insofar as he distinguishes himself from the surrounding natural, animal world. The difference between human and natural can be recorded in terms such as "culture", "sociality", "spirituality", "labor, intelligent activity", etc.

Man is a fundamentally different being from nature, and at the same time is the most deeply rooted in it. Nature needs a man, she is not self-sufficient without him, and she did not produce him in order for him to destroy himself. Man also needs nature, without it he turns into an automaton. Modern psychologists have established how positively they affect a person, especially children, pets, and a walk in the forest can relieve weekly fatigue and nervous tension.

Man and nature are not merged, for man exists as a Man only thanks to social relations that do not exist in nature, and also the fact that society and nature are indissoluble, for man always remains a biological species, and society is always forced to use the environment and natural resources in its life activity. The problem lies only in the humane attitude of a person to himself (his body) and to nature as his bodily continuation,

Terrorism in our time is also acquiring the character of a global problem. Especially when terrorists have lethal means or weapons capable of destroying huge numbers of innocent people. Terrorism is a phenomenon, a form of crime directed directly against a person, threatening his life and thereby striving to achieve its goals. Terrorism is absolutely unacceptable from the point of view of humanism, and from the point of view of law it is the gravest crime.

Terrorism is extremely difficult to fight, because it endangers the lives of innocent people taken hostage or blackmailed. There is and cannot be any justification for such actions. Terror takes mankind into the era of pre-civilizational development - this is inhuman barbarism, when a person's life is not put into anything. He is a brutal spread of the principle of blood feud, incompatible with any developed religion, especially the world one. All developed religions and all cultures unconditionally condemn terrorism, considering it absolutely unacceptable.

But after the unconditional condemnation of this phenomenon, it is necessary to think about its causes. The fight against the consequences is as ineffective as the treatment of a neglected disease. Only by understanding the causes of terrorism and by eradicating or addressing them can it truly be defeated. In this regard, it is possible to formally distinguish two types of causes of terrorism: subjective and objective.

Subjective reasons coincide with the causes of crime in general - this is the desire to get rich. Only terrorism chooses the most inhuman and unacceptable way for this. Such terrorism must be fought by all by legal means... Moreover, the punishment must be inevitable and harsh.

But there is terrorism that has objective reasons, i.e. one that does not set the goal of personal enrichment, but pursues any political and other goals. To the greatest extent, the supplier of modern terrorism is separatism in the form of a struggle for national independence, but by unacceptable methods.

We have to admit that the growth of national self-awareness almost inevitably tends to formalize the state. This problem can be avoided in a civilized way only by creating favorable conditions for the development of this nation within the framework of the existing, not a national, but a multinational state. It is necessary to make compromises and seek compromises, to strive to solve the problem, not suppress it.

But the possibility of such a solution to the problem of terrorism is aggravated by the fact that there is an international terrorist network that supplies terrorists with both weapons and money, and provides information assistance. And instead of jointly fighting international terrorism, developed countries used it as a bargaining chip in the fight against each other. The fruits of this policy turned against those countries that funded and created this network. Controlled terrorism suddenly became uncontrollable, and after the tragic events in September 2001, the United States realized that terrorists have their own goals, and that terrorism must be fought together.

Another objective source of terrorism, along with national terrorism, is the unevenness of economic and social development in different regions and countries of the world. The continuing policy of neo-colonialism and exploitation in a hidden form is the main source of international terrorism today. The well-fed cannot understand the hungry, but the hungry cannot understand the well-fed; illiterate and ignorant person always strives to solve his problems with violence. A well-fed, but spiritually and morally undeveloped person always strives to live even richer and better, not paying attention to the poverty and disorder of others. Thus, the main source of terrorism is in the socio-economic problems of the modern world, in the unjust redistribution of wealth, in the hopeless ignorance and fanaticism of some and the satisfied complacency of others.

A person driven to despair and not having any legal and legal forms of influence on a certain situation turns to the simplest, violent option, believing that something can be achieved this way. This path is unacceptable, but the lack of sufficient spiritual and moral development leads to fanaticism and violence.

Both terrorism with subjective reasons and terrorism with objective ones are equally unjustifiable. Due to the difference in reasons, the methods of combating this phenomenon should be different and varied. No violence against a person should be unpunished, but it is necessary to follow the path of eliminating the causes that lead to terrorism. The modern international economic order, apparently, is leading humanity to a dead end, and if it wants to survive, it must fight to change it. The politicians of the most developed countries bear a special responsibility here, but they are the ones who do not want to admit the fact that the modern world is interdependent, that it is impossible to save oneself. Their struggle for human rights is dual in nature and expresses rather certain geopolitical rather than universal human interests.

Demographic problem becomes more and more important for humanity. Demographic processes are studied by demography - the science of population, the laws of its reproduction and development in socio-historical condition.

It is believed that demography dates back to 1662 - since the publication of the book by J. Graunt "Natural and political observations made on the basis of death certificates." The term "demography" was introduced in 1855 in the book by A. Guillard " The Element of Human Statistics, or Comparative Demography. "

The English economist and priest T. Malthus (1766-1834) in his work "Experience on the Law of Population ..." (1798) wanted to explain the contradictions of social development with the "natural law" formulated by him, according to which the population tends to grow exponentially, and the means existence - in arithmetic. Because of this, "absolute overpopulation" is possible, which must be combated by regulating marriages and regulating the birth rate.

Consider the dynamics of the growth of the population of the Earth: the early Paleolithic - 100-200 thousand people, by the end of the Neolithic (transition to agriculture) - 50 million, the beginning of our era - 230 million, by the beginning of the 19th century. - 1 billion, by 1930 - 2 billion, by 1961 - 3 billion, by the beginning of 1976 - 4 billion, by the beginning. 1980 - 4.4 billion, 1988 - over 4.9 billion. The growth rate of the world's population is constantly increasing, reaching 2% per year, which gave rise to speak of a "population explosion". However, in the future, under the influence of socio-economic factors, population growth should stabilize. This is due to the development of "family planning", the so-called "conscious parenting". In this regard, it is expected that at the end of the XXI century. there will be a stabilization of the population at the level of 11-12 billion people. Thus, in the XX century. the inconsistency of Malthus's calculations was revealed, for the volume of food production increased much faster than the population grew. The mistake of Malthusianism lies in reducing the processes of demography to biological principles, while the development of population is carried out under the decisive influence not of nature, but of social organization and the level of culture of society. However, the fundamentally erroneous point of view of Malthus is still being reproduced and disseminated. Meanwhile, it is erroneous not only from the point of view of science, but also unacceptable from the point of view of humanism.

The birth of a new person is happiness for parents, the meaning of a person's life is largely in children, but in the conditions of modern market economy childbearing has become a "disadvantageous" enterprise. In the modern era, everything is measured in material assets, in money, which carries over to the sphere of meaning. But a person who lives for himself and does not have children for reasons of "economy" commits a crime against his spiritual essence, against life in the long run. And no one from the outside must, has no right to limit fertility, cannot tell parents how many children they should limit. The birth of a child is the greatest thing a person can participate in creating. In a child there is endless joy and satisfaction, and if children are born, then God has not yet left a person, according to one of the great writers. At the same time, it is important not only to give birth to children, but also to educate them, help them get back on their feet, and find their place in society. This should be taken care of by the state, which calls itself social.

The development of fertility in Russia is especially important. It only seems at first glance that population growth leads to economic problems. In fact, he also solves them, because the needs increase, the economic activity of people grows, which ultimately leads to economic growth. We can now observe such processes in countries with a high population density - in Germany, Japan and, especially, in China. Based on this, we can draw a conclusion that is directly opposite to Malthusianism. Population growth can not only create problems, but also solve them.

The demographic problem, meanwhile, exists and it is contradictory, has the opposite character for different countries: in China - overpopulation, in Russia - depopulation. Together with social development, this problem must find its solution in a natural way - stabilization will take place in this respect. However, states that are now facing a demographic problem are forced to take appropriate measures. It is important that they are not violent and do not violate the sovereignty of the individual, family life

Demographic processes at the turn of the XX - XXI centuries. are largely determined by two trends:

demographic "explosion", characterized by a sharp increase in population in Asia, Africa, Latin America since the 60s;
"zero growth" of the population in Western Europe.

The first leads to a sharp exacerbation of socio-economic problems in developing countries, including hunger and illiteracy of tens of millions of people. The second - to a sharp aging of the population in developed countries, including a deterioration in the balance between workers and retirees, etc.

In Russia, according to Goskomstat data as of January 2000, the population was 145 million 600 thousand inhabitants; moreover, only from January 1 to December 1, 1999, the population of the country decreased by 716,900 people. In other words, in 1999 the population of Russia decreased by 0.5% (for comparison: in 1992 - by 0.02%). Every year 60 thousand children die in the country. The death rate is 1.5 times higher than the birth rate; 80% of infant deaths are caused by infectious diseases. A terrible problem is child and adolescent substance abuse and drug addiction. There is a mismatch between the number of divorced women of reproductive age and the number of men willing to remarry. According to experts, by 2020 the working-age population of Russia beyond the Urals will amount to 6-8 million people. For comparison, in the adjacent areas of the border countries of this region in the same year, the number of working-age population is projected at 600 million people. The population of Russia by 2050 as a whole may be only 114 million inhabitants. The emergence of many conflicts in the post-Soviet space again raises the problem of migration. In these conditions, the state and society should make every effort to interest the population of Russia in childbearing.

Food problem also sometimes ranked as global: today over 500 million people suffer from malnutrition, and several million die from malnutrition a year. However, the roots of this problem lie not in the shortage of food as such and not in the limitedness of modern natural resources, but in their unfair redistribution and exploitation both within individual countries and on a global scale. The fact that in the modern world people can be malnourished, and even more so - die of hunger, is a completely immoral, criminal and unacceptable phenomenon. This is a shame for mankind, and above all for the most developed countries. This is where the real field of protection of human rights is, when his fundamental right to life is violated. However, double standards prevail in international politics and economics, and so much money is spent on armaments that it would be possible to solve food, housing and educational problems on a planetary scale. Modern "developed" mankind spends colossal funds on the development of weapons of mass destruction instead of helping the needy get on their feet, feeding the hungry; instead of defeating ignorance and fanaticism through the development of the world education system, etc.

AIDS, drug addiction and bad habits more and more spread in society. AIDS is called the plague of the 20th century, and it can also be called the scourge of the 20th century. The disease, discovered in the United States in 1981, began to spread rapidly across the planet. First of all, this was due to the sexual promiscuity of the modern "civilized" person and drug addiction. By the beginning of 2001, there were 40 million AIDS patients in the world, and more than 16 million have already died. The AIDS epidemic is also spreading in Russia: now, according to unofficial data, about 500 thousand people are infected in the country. Moreover, it mainly covers people aged 15 to 30, which can aggravate the problem of depopulation.

Drug addiction is spreading even faster in Russia. The problem stems from the absence in the 90s public policy in this area and the underfunding of the fight against drug addiction. At that time, due to the criminal inaction of the state and society, the young people of Russia were left alone with their problems and were not ready to confront them.

AIDS and drug addiction in Russia can now be called a national disaster that has befallen its peoples. We can talk about genocide, because as a result of diseases and addictions, the nation is deprived of its most active and youngest part. Someday statistics will calculate what killed more people in Russia - from Stalin's repressions or from AIDS and drug addiction. And then the turn of the millennium in Russia will go down in history not only thanks to an attempt to implement reforms ...

Along with such obvious diseases and vices as AIDS and drug addiction, there are more "harmless" ones that simply destroy a person more slowly, but, nevertheless, just as inevitably. The similarity here is only in the fact that the state did not fight with either the former or the latter. The latter include drunkenness, which is deeply rooted in Russia, as well as tobacco smoking, foul language, etc.

Alcoholism has not only internal spiritual reasons, when a person experiences an ideological crisis, faces insurmountable circumstances in life, trying to relieve stress through a blackout, but also social ones. Under the conditions of the command-administrative system and a single forcibly imposed ideology, all initiative and creativity in a person was suppressed, he could not self-actualize. Realizing all the hopelessness and meaninglessness of existence, he indulged in drunkenness. In the 90s of the XX century, during the market, oligarchic bacchanalia, and today in the conditions of the bureaucratization of the state apparatus and its corruption, a person also had and has few opportunities to improve his living conditions. Thus, the social prerequisites for the prosperity of both alcoholism and drug addiction, along with crime, were preserved. A particularly difficult situation, as throughout the entire XX century, has developed in the countryside, where there is a widespread drunkenness. And in cities where there is more money and entertainment, drug addiction dominates. To combat these diseases and vices, the whole society and the state, from schools to law enforcement agencies, must unite.

Tobacco smoking is the most widespread in Russia now. It imperceptibly penetrated all the pores of society. Advertising on the streets of Russian cities continues to seduce and seduce young people, while in civilized countries there is a serious struggle between the state and the education system against this vice. It is necessary to develop special educational and educational programs aimed at educating the younger generation. Every effort should also be made to make tobacco smoking unattractive, disgusting, which it really is. It is necessary to help a person to get rid of this extremely bad habit, to develop anti-advertising of tobacco smoking, consumption of beer and alcoholic beverages. The state should increase taxes on tobacco products, using the funds received for these measures. A person should be aware that he also spends money for the destruction of his own health.

One of the problems associated with spiritual underdevelopment is foul language. When a person utters obscene words, he destroys his own personality, its moral structure. An ordinary person does not notice this, considers foul language a harmless phenomenon, but as soon as he takes the path of the cultural, and even more - spiritual development, he realizes all his perniciousness and inadmissibility. Foul language is dirt, and the one who utters it, it turns out, is eating dirt. If a person respects himself and the people around him, then he will not allow foul language, because it humiliates human dignity, first of all, the dignity of the one who allows it. An ecology is needed not only for the environment, but also for the language.

The problems of our time and the future of mankind - these are the questions that concern all modern politicians and scientists. This is understandable. After all, from the decision contemporary problems the future of the Earth and all mankind really depends.

Origin of the term

The term "global problems" began to appear in scientific literature at the end of the 60s of the last century. This is how scientists characterized both the new problems that appeared at the junction of the industrial and information eras, and the old ones that existed in the system "man - nature - society", aggravated and aggravated in modern conditions.

Fig 1. Environmental pollution

Global problems are problems that cannot be solved by the efforts of one country or one people, but, at the same time, the fate of the entire human civilization depends on their solution.

Causes of occurrence

Scientists identify two large groups of reasons that led to the emergence of global problems.

Growth of local problems, conflicts and contradictions into global ones (this is due to the process of globalization, unification and generalization of mankind).
Active transforming human activity, affecting nature, political situation and society.

Types of global problems

The global problems facing humanity include three large groups of problems (modern classification).

table"List of global problems of humanity"

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Group	The essence of the problems (characteristic)	Examples of major global problems included in the group
Intersocial global issues	Problems existing in the "society - society" system related to the preservation of security and peace on the planet	1. The problem of preventing a global nuclear catastrophe. 2. The problem of war and peace. 3. The problem of overcoming the backwardness of developing countries. 4. Creation optimal conditions for the social progress of all peoples.
Ecological problems	Problems existing in the "society - nature" system associated with overcoming various environmental problems	1. Raw material problem. 2. Food problem. 3. Energy problem. 4. Prevention of environmental pollution. 5. Prevention of extinction of various animals and plants.
Social problems	Problems existing in the "man-society" system associated with overcoming complex social problems	1. Demographic problem. 2. The problem of maintaining human health. 3. The problem of the spread of education. 4. Overcoming the negative impacts of scientific and technological revolution (scientific and technological revolution).

All global problems are related to each other and affect each other. It is impossible to solve them separately, an integrated approach is needed. That is why priority global problems were identified, the essence of which is similar, and on the solution of which the near future of the Earth depends.

Let us present the dependence of problems from each other schematically and name the global problems of mankind in the order of their importance.

Fig 2. Connection of global problems with each other

Peace problem (disarmament of countries and prevention of a new world global conflict) is associated with the problem (hereinafter “-”) of overcoming the backwardness of developing countries.
Ecological problem - a demographic problem.
Energy problem - a raw material problem.
Food problem - use of the World Ocean.

It is interesting that the solution to all global problems is possible if we try to solve the most important and urgent problem at the moment - the world space exploration.

Common features (signs) of global problems

Despite the fact that global problems on the present stage There is a lot of development of mankind, they all have common features:

they affect the vital activity of all mankind at once;
they are an objective factor in the development of mankind;
they require urgent action;
they involve international cooperation;
the fate of the entire human civilization depends on their decision.

Figure 3. The problem of hunger in African countries

The main directions for resolving world problems and threats

To solve global problems, the efforts of all mankind are needed, and not only material and physical, but also psychological. In order for the work to be successful, it is necessary

to form a new planetary consciousness, to constantly inform people about threats, to give them only up-to-date information, to teach;
to develop effective system cooperation between countries in solving global problems: studying, monitoring the state, preventing the aggravation of the situation, creating a forecasting system;
concentrate a large number of forces on the solution of global problems.

Social forecasts of the existence of mankind

Based on the fact that at the moment there is an aggravation and expansion of the list of global problems, scientists make social forecasts of the existence of mankind:

pessimistic forecast or environmental pessimism(in short, the essence of the forecast boils down to the fact that humanity will face a large-scale ecological catastrophe and inevitable death);
optimistic forecast or scientific and technical optimism(scientists hope that scientific and technological progress will lead to the fact that global problems are resolved).

What have we learned?

The term "global problems" is not new, and it does not mean only those problems that emerged at the end of the 20th century. All global problems have their own characteristics and similarities. They are interrelated and the solution to one problem depends on the timely resolution of the other.

The topic "Global problems of our time" is one of the main topics in social studies lessons at school. On the topic "Global problems, threats and challenges" they make reports and write abstracts, and it is necessary not only to give examples of problems, but also to show their connection, and explain how it is possible to cope with this or that problem.

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In the course of the development of civilization, humanity has repeatedly faced complex problems, sometimes of a planetary nature. But still it was a distant prehistory, a kind of "incubation period" of modern global problems.

They were fully manifested already in the second half and especially in the last quarter of the 20th century. Such problems were caused by a complex of reasons that clearly manifested themselves during this period.

Indeed, never before has humanity itself increased in quantitative terms by 2.5 times during the lifetime of only one generation, thereby increasing the strength of the “demographic press”. Never before has humanity entered, did not reach the post-industrial stage of development, did not open the way into space. Never before has it required such a quantity of natural resources and “waste” to be returned to the environment for its life support. All this starting from the 60s - 70s. XX century. attracted the attention of scientists, politicians, and the general public to global problems.

Global problems are problems that: firstly, concern all mankind, affecting the interests and destinies of all countries, peoples, social strata; secondly, they lead to significant economic and social losses, in case of their aggravation they can threaten the very existence of human civilization;
thirdly, they can only be solved by cooperation in the planetary sphere.

Priority problems of humanity are:

the problem of peace and disarmament;
ecological;
demographic;
energy;
raw;
food;
use of the resources of the World Ocean;
peaceful space exploration;
overcoming the backwardness of developing countries.

The essence of global problems and possible ways to solve them

Peace and disarmament problem- the problem of preventing the third world war remains the most important, the most priority problem of mankind. In the second half of the XX century. nuclear weapons appeared and real threat the destruction of entire countries and even continents, i.e. practically all modern life.

Solution ways:

Establishing strict control over nuclear and chemical weapons;
Reduction of conventional arms and arms trade;
General reduction in military spending and the size of the armed forces.

Environmental- degradation of the global ecological system, as a result of irrational and pollution of it with human waste.

Solution ways:

Optimization of the use of natural resources in the process of social production;
Conservation of nature from negative consequences human activity;
Environmental safety of the population;
Creation of specially protected areas.

Demographic- the continuation of the population explosion, the rapid growth of the world's population and, as a consequence, the overpopulation of the planet.

Solution ways:

Conducting thoughtful.

Fuel and raw materials- the problem of reliable supply of fuel and energy to mankind, as a result of the rapid growth in the consumption of natural mineral resources.

Solution ways:

Increasingly widespread use of energy and heat (solar, wind, tidal, etc.). Development ;

Food- according to FAO (food and beverage organization agriculture) and WHO (World Health Organization) in the world hungry and malnourished from 0.8 to 1.2 billion people.

Solution ways:

An extensive solution is to expand arable land, grazing and fishing grounds.
An intensive path is an increase in production through mechanization, automation of production, through the development of new technologies, breeding of high-yielding, disease-resistant varieties of plants and animal breeds.

Using the resources of the oceans- at all stages of human civilization was one of the critical sources maintaining life on earth. At present, the ocean is not just a single natural space, but also a natural and economic system.

Solution ways:

Creation of a global structure of the marine economy (allocation of oil production, fishing and zones), improvement of the infrastructure of port-industrial complexes.
Protection of the waters of the World Ocean from pollution.
Prohibition of military testing and disposal of nuclear waste.

Peaceful space exploration... Space - global environment, the common heritage of mankind. Testing of various weapons can threaten the entire planet at once. "Littering" and "littering" of outer space.

Solution ways:

"Non-militarization" of outer space.
International cooperation in space exploration.

Overcoming the underdevelopment of developing countries- most of the world's population lives in poverty and misery, which can be considered extreme forms of backwardness. Per capita income in some countries is less than $ 1 a day.