What are the greatest challenges facing planet Earth in the 21st Century?

Throughout the 21st century it is easy to see that more and more challenges confront the Planet. It would be difficult to say which is the most important or serious as each concerns a different part of the world. It is clear that the planet is changing and it is happening at alarming rate. People around the world are suffering from Poverty and malnutrition while others fear about the demand for natural resources and how much time we have before they run out. Population growth is a huge matter in countries such as China and India where as in Australia depletion of the ozone layer is a big worry. However, we have been aware of the most of these problems for a while and for me the biggest challenge to face the earth yet is climate change. A big cause of climate change is global warming from greenhouse gases and carbon emissions. Human impact is causing more greenhouse gases to be produced by burning fossil fuels and deforestation and this is causing them to get trapped in the Earths atmosphere making the temperature rise. It is now a fact that the world is getting hotter and Earth is the hottest it has been in at least 400 years, and possibly even the last 2,000 years. Studies show that the global surface temperature has increased by approximately 0.3-0.6à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C over the last century. This may seem like a small difference but it has big consequences. These temperatures will continue to increase and by the end of the 21st century average global temperatures may increase by 1.4-5.8à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C. Besides resulting in more hot days, many scientists believe an increase in temperatures may lead to changes in precipitation and weather patterns. Ocean waters will become warmer and this may result in more intense and frequent tropical storms and hurricanes. The number of Category 4 and 5 hurricanes has almost doubled in the last 30 years and will continue to increase with global warming this will not only cause catastrophe for human population but also to the unchangeable fragile environment. Sea levels are also expected to increase by 0.09 – 0.88 m in the next century, mainly from melting glaciers and rising seawaters. You can read also Waves Most of the world's population lives on or near the coasts. Global sea levels could rise by more than 20 feet with the loss of shelf ice in Greenland and Antarctica, devastating coastal areas worldwide. If the polar ice cap were to melt then sea levels world wide would increase by 20ft, Shanghai home to 40 million people would be underwater, the Bay of Bengal, Calcutta, India home to 60 million people would be completely gone. Think of the impact of a few hundred refugees and then imagine 100 million the planet will be destroyed if something is not done. Global warming may also affect wildlife and species that cannot survive in warmer environments and these may become extinct. At least 279 species of plants and animals are already responding to global warming, moving closer to the poles. Coral Reefs are suffering from coral bleaching the process caused by loss of algae that colour and nourish them. Also, human health is also at stake, as global warming may result in the spreading of certain diseases such as malaria, the flooding of major cities, a greater risk of heat stroke for individuals, and poor air quality. India's worst heat wave in 50 years killed more than 2,500 people in May 1998. Britain in 2006 suffered from major heat waves throughout the summer, 1 year later floods have swept all over the country. All challenges that face the planet interlink with each other and relate to one another. Rapid population growth is not only a challenge to other humans but also to the environment. As the population increases there is more demand for food and this is also a problem with global warming. There will be more droughts making it hard to grow crops and importing from other countries will start to become more expensive. Some policies have been introduced in the past to try and control the population such as Chinas one child policy. However, such policies have not been accepted by other nations as they seem to breech human rights. Other nations such as Singapore now suffering from an ageing population are trying to increase their population which is not helping the population crisis. Cities are growing larger and larger the natural land around them is being turned into homes and office buildings. Cities are becoming more and more overcrowded and job opportunities are harder to find with a rising number of the population becoming unemployed. The Economic trend from 1975 to 2003 showed that from 1979 to 1989 the average Unemployment rate was 4.7%; 1990 to 2000 the average unemployment rate was 5.1% reaching 5.5% between the period 2000 and 2007 therefore the rate of unemployment is increasing gradually, this will continue increase will the population growing and will cause many problems. With urbanisation occurring it is using more and more lumber and other natural resources for the buildings. The environment is being scarred and this is also increasing global warming. Deforestation is not the only problem but as the population increasing the demand for energy is rising. Natural Resources are quickly disappearing. All over the world we are digging up to try and find Coal, oil and gas and we are using our resources at alarming rates. The burning of fossil fuels in factories to make products and power, and the fuels used by trucks, automobiles and jet planes have caused acid rain and a great increase in carbon dioxide and pollution in the atmosphere. However, with natural resources running out there could be a positive outcome. Scientist are trying hard to develop new ways to use clean energy sources which come renewable energy sources that are better for the environment such a solar and hydroelectric. About 25,000 people die every day of hunger or hunger-related causes, according to the United Nations. This is one person every three and a half seconds or a 2004 Asian Tsunami occurring almost every week. Yet there is plenty of food in the world for everyone. The problem is that hungry people are trapped in severe poverty. Part of poverty is caused by lack of social services. Education and heath services are nearly non existent in poverty stricken nations which causes much of the problem. This leads to diseases such as Phenomena, Malaria or Tuberculosis, 2 of these diseases are highly contagious and with help could be put under control but instead have millions of people die each year. Poverty however, it is not the individuals fault. They are not lazy or have made poor decisions but instead there country is most likely been exploited by MEDCs or TNCs or they have a corrupt government. Transnational corporations are globalizing mainly in poorer countries as it is better for them. The laws on the environment and labor are less stringent meaning they are able to bypass certain rules, however this leads to labor exploitation. Countries that suffer from poverty is also because they have a lack of natural resources they have nothing to offer companies to locate to there country. The don't have oil like the America or farmland like Australia. The physical environment could be very much a desert like Mali or Sudan; it could be land locked like Laos which means that it is hard for things such as trading to take place. In Australia one of their biggest concerns is the depeletion of the ozone layer. It is caused by a build up of man-made chemicals in the atmosphere. One of the main chemicals is generally known as CFC or chloroflurocarbon. We use CFC's as refrigerants, aerosol spray propellants, as solvents in electronic chemistry, and in the expansion of polystyrene foam. This CFC's drift into the atmosphere and release chlorine. Through these reactions the ozone is broken down. This affects both the humans and the eco systems. Even minor problems of ozone depletion can have major effects. Every time even a small amount of the ozone layer is lost, more ultraviolet light from the sun can reach the Earth. This leads to damage of the cornea and other aspects of the eye and is a big cause of skin cancer. It also, inhibits growth of certain plants such as rye and wheat and stresses marine ecosystems as high levels of UV kill plankton. In Conclusion, it has been shown that the Planet does not face just one issue but has a number that concern the planet. Global Warming is the challenge that associate with other concerns like ozone depletion and rapid population growth but poverty is a matter that we have been facing to decades now. People are now becoming more and more aware of the issues facing the planet are trying to do something about however a lot more will need to happen if we want to reverse the damage we have done.