Explain How Global Issues Are Resolved with the Scopes of Many Disciplines
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Global challenges within the modern world cannot be assessed and fixed without the use of numerous disciplines. (Smith 1993) The world has become extremely populated, with major issues becoming more and more prevalent than in previous centuries (Williams 2012). Due to the increasing number of people, Earth and its people have suffered more over the past hundred years than in its entire history. This has created pressures economically, geographically, and politically the world over; leading to a number of issues that are merely continuing to grow. The problems that are apparent in the present day cover many disciplines that interrelate each other, to achieve solutions to the growing problems. The complications that are affecting the world order are issues such as climate change, monetary shortages, scarcity of food and furthermore lack of water and sanitation needs, which can often be from a combination of these concerns.
In 2006, John Reid, Britains then Defence Secretary named climate change as one of the major threats to global security (Reid 2009). Climate change is a problem that faces every region, nation and person on planet Earth. It is an issue that is being tackled head on by every major leader of nations and organizations concerning climate change. This pressing topic has been addressed through the scopes of many disciplines such as history, geography, economics and politics. Climate change has been a burning issue since the mid to late 1980s (Moser 2010). Geography is the principal and underlying discipline in the challenges we face towards climate change. Looking at the ecological, spatial and climatological aspects of geography, climate change can be confronted (Bhaskar et al., pp.116).
If it were not for Economics, climate change could not be fixed; it takes billions of dollars each year to ensure initiatives created to combat climate change are well funded and achievable. Beaton and Maser (2012) claim that there are three pillars of sustainability towards earths resources. The three pillars Beaton and Maser (2012, pp. 114) cite are ecological integrity, social equity and economic stability. Economic stability is a principal support of action towards fixing climate change. Without funding, the many established projects such as the UN REDD program would not be able to operate. The UN REDD program is a non-governmental initiative from the United Nations to safeguard developing nations from the effects of forest degradation and deforestation in an attempt to save Earth from emitting too many greenhouse gases. However many sceptics believe climate change is a hoax (Booker, 2010).
If it were not for political assistance, climate change would not be backed up with funding, science and action towards reducing its effects. Anthony Giddens (2009) claims that the actions for combating climate change are not entirely finalised, as many aspects of the debate are controversial. Political powers are the leaders in tackling the Earths environmental problems on a world-scale. If it were not for governments and politics, no action would be taken on this cause. In conjunction with economics, politics is a major aspect of the fight for easing the consequences of climate change. Another event that has changed the climate of economics in recent years has done more damage in one day, than in history.
The Global Financial Crisis (GFC) is a term synonymous with one of the greatest economic problems in world history. In 2008, world political and economic powerhouse the United States of America had to suspend all trade on Wall Street due to the bankruptcy of numerous investment providers, brokers, and homeowners. This ricocheted throughout the world and led to the liquidation and loss of homes of millions of people across the globe (Heillener 2011). The problems that caused this crisis have been cited and political leaders and economics spearheads are now working together to mend losses that occurred in the from the GFC and prevent this type of event happening again in the future. The troubles are central to political science and economics studies, with an interdisciplinary approach being taken towards fixing this terrible event that has affected a great deal of people.
Robert Shiller (2008) states that the first step of resolution of this crisis is to reform all institutions directly related to this crisis. To achieve this type of reform, political and governmental intervention must be implemented. As well as politics, economics plays a major role as the whole economy was in disarray. Political institutions will have to change the many aspects of their policies regarding bank and investment lending in regard to the economy of the United States of America (Shiller 2008). Without these two disciplines, solution the Global Financial Crisis would not be feasible. These economic problems the world has faced over the past four years are just a small dent compared to the ongoing poverty in other parts of the world. While many people have lost their homes due to mortgage and credit problems; billions of people across the globe who do not have great houses and flashy cars face the problem of trying to find access adequate and nutritious food.
Article 25 of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights states that every person on Earth should have access to adequate food resources (United Nations, 1948). The United Nations organisation dedicated to world food aid, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) claims that 963 million people, who make up around 14 per cent of the worlds total population do not have access to adequate food (Borger & Jowitt, 2008). The Global Food Crisis (Healey 2011, pp.12) states that over the next 50 years, the challenge to produce enough adequate food to sustain people across the globe is more than it has been in history combined. The estimations for the need for food production from the year 1500 to 2010 was 677 exocals (a measurement of calories), over the next fifty year period from 2010 to 2060, the need is 730 exocals (Healey, 2011, pp. 16).
The World Food Programme (WFP), another United Nations run agency, is one of the foremost aid relief programmes dedicated to alleviating world hunger. Touching on the economics discipline, the WFP raise more money than any other food aid organisation in the world. In 2010, WFP raised 3.8 billion US Dollars from voluntary contributions to feed more than 90 million people in 70 countries (World Food Programme 2010).
On the other end of the spectrum, Anthropology plays a key part in food aid. Zambia, a southern African country has been suffering from food related problems over many years (Cromwell & Chintedza 2005). It has strong links with Europe as it grows maize organically and exports to European nations. This makes up a great part of their annual