Global Challenges: Technology and Innovation
Today Humankind is facing major global problems that demand global responses. The awareness of the global challenges is relatively new for which neither the scientific community nor the general public is well prepared. These Global Challenges are henceforth transnational in nature and thus these challenges cannot be addressed by any single constitution or organization acting alone. Global challenges require collective responses from governments across seas, international organizations, universities, NGOs, and the engagement of individuals with leaders imparting diverse cultures and experiences. To meet such Global Challenges, technology and innovations play a central role.
Let’s discuss below some of the great challenges our society is facing and how the association of technology with life sciences will accelerate innovation in meeting these Global Challenges.
Corruption: A True Enemy to Development
Corruption is a disease that is spread all over the world and it lies at the heart of the most urgent problems we face. Corruption can weaken a country’s efforts to promote inclusive growth, leading the country towards conditions of poverty and inequality. The youth of a country is an important aspect to consider as it determines the future of a nation. They play a great role in helping a country develop and move towards progress. Thus governments should help youth become more engaged in fighting corruption by promoting a culture of openness and transparency.
Source:https://devpolicy.org/bring-back-our-corruption-and-samuel-huntington-20180827/
Gender Equality & Women Empowerment: Important for the Development of a Society
Guaranteeing the rights of women and giving them opportunities to reach their full potential is critical not only for attaining gender equality but also for meeting a wide range of international development goals. Empowered women and girls contribute to the health and productivity of their families, communities, and countries, creating a ripple effect that benefits everyone.
One of the key factors of today’s global challenges is women’s economic empowerment and equality. Women’s equality is likely to be considered because not only it’s an issue of economic growth but it is also seen as a shared commitment to enhance the overall social development process.
In some areas, economic measures fail to capture the vast amounts of unpaid work done by women. Therefore the need for new technologies is in huge demand that can create avenues for improving women’s economic participation and that could be done by broadening access to education, training, and mobile banking services. The government should give priorities to the policies that enclose gender gaps, which involves more than increasing women’s labor force participation.
Women’s health and safety is another important area. HIV/AIDS is becoming an increasingly impactful issue for women. This can be related to women having fewer opportunities for health education, unequal power in a sexual partnership, or as a result of gender-based violence. Maternal health is also an issue of specific concern. In many countries, women have limited access to prenatal and infant care and are more likely to experience complications during pregnancy and childbirth. This is a critical concern in countries where girls marry and have children before they are ready; often well before the age of 18. Quality maternal health care can provide an important entry point for information and services that empower mothers as informed decision-makers concerning their own health and the health of their children.
Source:http://hwet.org/2018/02/19/women-empowerment/
Population Growth: Resources Be Brought Under Balance
The current world population of 7.6 billion is expected to grow by another 2.2 billion in just 33 years (by 2050). If all are to be fed, then food production will have to increase 50% overproduction in 2012, while urban areas are expected to triple in size by 2030, resulting in a loss of peri-urban farmlands. With improvements in child survival and its synergy with enhanced family planning improvements, this population growth could be lower. Life expectancy at birth increased from 46 years in 1950 to 67 years in 2010 and 71.5 years in 2015. In 2017 there were 962 million people aged 60 or older; the UN projects this to grow to 2.2 billion by 2050.
Thus population growth is recognized as a ‘challenge multiplier’ and programs need to be implemented such as family planning that further reduces demographic vulnerability.
Source:https://www.brsresults.com/blog/how-population-growth-is-becoming-a-game-changer-in-infrastructure/
Hence Global Challenges call for programs that resolve issues of global significance. Climate change, food and water shortages, and population growth and displacement are some of the key factors that define a country’s development. These Global Challenges represent problems that the world is facing today and also provide opportunities for us to consider changes that will bring about a significant positive influence on the quality of life around the world.
More importantly, could these trillion people cooperate on the scale required, or might some groups seek to use a disproportionate fraction of resources? If so, might other groups challenge that inequality, including through the use of violence?