Top 5 World Problems

So last week I listed ten of what I considered to be the world's biggest problems, in no particular.  This time I am narrowing it down to the Top 5 and I will be ranking them this time, as well as the solutions to each.  I will re-post my explanations and solutions from last week for those who did not see my previous post:

Top 5 Problems (from most serious to least serious):

1.  Human trafficking of women in prostitution.  I know this is a pretty sensitive topic but I do believe it has become a global issue.  Women are taken away from their loved ones against their wills, some violently, into this awful industry that forces them to become sex slaves, as if they were toys to be played with.  The conditions these women live in are fit for animals.  Their "bosses" sell them to different men for money, not caring at all.  There are times when these women are injected with different drugs and eventually develop an involuntary addiction. Those who try to escape and are unsuccessful are beaten or sometimes even shot dead.  Those who are able to escape sometimes suffer severe mental trauma.  The rate has increased in areas like South America, East Asia and Southeast Asia.  Some ways women can prevent putting themselves in these dangerous situations is to never travel alone, especially at night.  Seems pretty obvious but its the most ignored.  If you travel abroad, take this into even more consideration, because you are completely on your own.  Also, don't act foolishly or put yourself in potentially dangerous situations (ex: going home piss drunk with someone you don't know,  walking dangerous street in the late hours).  Some governments have taken action into trying to locate and rescue these traffickers, but prevention is key.

2.  Refugee and immigrant crisis.  People around the world suffer many different situations.  Mexico has increased violence and a serious issue with drug selling, Venezuela is suffering serious political corruption, Syria is in constant danger and political instability, etc.  People decide to move leave their home countries because conditions have become unbearable and even unlivable.  Other countries around the world, instead of helping, their solutions is to reject these people and close off their borders.  In reference to the refugees, by all means, I understand that taking in massive amounts of people may be a little difficult, but many people are suffering and wouldn't be fleeing if they didn't think they were in danger.  As for the immigrant crisis, many people see immigrants and low lives who are mooching off a country.  In reality many immigrants are productive members of society who actually help the economy.  These people have a serious reason for leaving their homes in search of better lives.  A solution for everyday people is to get involved in immigration policies going on in your country. By that I mean: vote and support people in your local and nation government who support positive immigration policies.  As for big solutions,  national leaders have the power in their hands, so having elected officials who can execute plans to solve these problems without harming those refugees and immigrants is crucial.

3.  Climate Change and pollution.  As people, we are depleting our natural resources at a dramatic rate, it is almost scary.  The amounts of fossil fuels used is massive, the amount of forests and natural land keeps being torn down and destroyed, and the amount of water that we waste has created a crisis.  Now you see more power plants than you do nature.  Also, all these factories create so much air and water pollution, that we are slowly destroying the planet.  China's air pollution has reached deadly standards, Africa has a serious water crisis, and global warming is causing climate changes that have very significant impacts.  Solutions would be to recycle more, don't waste so much water, lead a more green life.  Corporations are now trying to become more green become a social concern.  A small act can create impact.

4.  The huge gap of the upper class with the middle and lower class.  Slowly the gap between upper class and middle has become so big it is ridiculous.  As the upper class gains more wealth, the middle class seems to lose ground. This financial gap leads to a social gap.  In reference to the U.S. the upper class loses to lower classes in terms of number of people, but they seem to hold the most power and influence in the country.  The gap has led to social instability because the largest portion of the population, with the most needs, is getting pushed to the side for the needs of the few wealthy.  This gap eventually leads to political unrest among the people.  Only solutions I can really think of for the immediate future, is to become successful middle class citizens in order to gain some strength; sounds cliche but it is true.  Future solutions would require more intervention in income inequality and social policies.

5.  Racism.  Judging people by the color of their skin or where they come from is ongoing, and I am not sure where it will end.  It has some similarity to my earlier reference to religious intolerance.  As access to travel has become so accessible, people from one country immigrate to another, and over time their roots change the population structure of a region.  There are people who refuse to accept change.  I've seen many people I care about lose job opportunities because they were Black or Latino.  I and several other friends have been harassed by people for being Latinos.  In Asia, some people refuse to accept anyone that is not Asian.  If we reject people purely on the fact that they are from somewhere else or have a different skin color, we lose the opportunity to grow.  Solutions for the common individual are to look at people based on their character, try to get to know them.  Another cliche, but people are more than a physical attribute.



Reasoning: The reason I chose trafficking as the the number one problem and  the refugee/immigrant  crisis as number two is because it has to do with human life and how people today are put in danger.  Women today are in constant danger; some are being raped, attacked, and even kidnapped.  As for the refugees and immigrants, they are fleeing from their homes that are unsafe and they themselves under threat of death, and when they are not given help, they end up in refugee camps or taken in by police force.  Majority of the problems the world has is because of us: people.  If we don't start working at the root of the problem (namely us), then nothing will ever get solved.  The fact that people can treat other people in these ways shows that humans have a long way to go.


Solutions to each problem ranked (from most possible to implement to least possible to implement):
*** solutions are given in each description above***

1. Trafficking of women for prostitution
2. Racism
3. Climate change and pollution
4. Refugee and immigrant crisis
5. Gap between upper and middle class

Reasoning:  My number one solution is also for the human trafficking of women.  A lot of organizations have popped up to help rescue women in these situations, as well as to offer help in moving forward from those dark times.  However, the best way to prevent these problems is by women taking matters into their own hands and being careful.  If some women were more careful when in certain situations, we could prevent the number of women who are kidnapped. I also listed racism as a top solution because the solution has to start with people.  Our society is slowly becoming one of acceptance, but we still have a long way, so by having individuals move past it, that is the only way we can get through it.  Both of the top solutions have to deal with people as the solutions.  They are matters, I think, people have the most power to solve, therefore the most possible to implement.  The others require more power and strategy, maybe even money.