Issue 1- Food

Importance of Issue

The first issue I would like to mention in the term paper is related to food as it is becoming one

of the significant issues in today’s era is due to the ever-increasing population. This issue is

important for our planet because in the twenty-first century the daily calories requirement of

individuals is increasing from 1900-2700 and the growth rate of crops in the present situation is

unable to meet the hunger of the world’s total population. This issue is also said to have a

negative impact on the planet because the food shortage is unable to meet and it has been directly

affecting the population as people are undernourished because they are unable to access the food

sources. It is also having a negative effect on the development of nations because the statistics

showed in the chapter represent that during the year 2003-2008, almost 30 percent of the children

died due to hunger and food shortage. Also when the children do not have appropriate food, they

have a clear deficiency of vitamin A and it has resulted in the increased blindness of children all

across the world. The food shortage has also resulted in the increased wars because nations

fight for adequate food resources and to meet the requirements of food for their people. In my

opinion, this issue is also important because at present the world is facing an issue of the global

pandemic and it shows that it has affected all the businesses and also affected the world’s

economy while negatively impacting the buying power of people. There is a great threat that if

such a situation continues for a year or two it will result in a significant hunger rate among

people and there will be a big food disaster. The countries across the globe would experience a

decline in their GDP due to pandemics and it will contribute to the issue of hunger and poverty.

This issue is also important for me because the highest number of affected people includes

children and women and they need to be provided with adequate food resources.
Also, it is important to understand that poverty is the main reason behind increasing hunger and

millions of people in the world do not have adequate resources to buy food.

Discussion of Issue in 10 years

In the next ten years, the global food crisis will become worse as the statistics show that the

agricultural commodity price index will remain high as of 2021, and the prices of maize, wheat,

and rice will increase by 43%, 12%, and 10% respectively. This increase in prices shows that

demand is increasing for food products, due to supply disruptions because of covid 19, weather,

and economic uncertainties and although the food production is good, it is unable to meet the

increasing demand for food. As the economic conditions across the globe are declining the risk

of food security at the country level is high. It shows that when people have limited income and

the prices of food items are increasing, they have to compromise on the quality and quantity of

food. Due to covid 19, the food prices are rising and this has a strong negative impact on the

middle income and low-income countries, and in next ten years, a significant number of people

would run out of food resources.

It is also an important point to consider that farmers are also one of the classes facing food

shortage and they prefer to consume seeds instead of planting them and which would result in the

increased shortage of food. Also, the trends of customers are changing because of low income

they are shifting towards cheaper staples, hence causing loss to the producers on nutritious and

perishable products. The current food insecurity is driven by weak economic conditions, and

inflation rates including the prices of the agricultural inputs such as increased prices of seeds and

fertilizers, and prolonged shortage of labor. It is also estimated that the existence of covid 19

would also increase the number of people facing acute hunger and currently 272 million people
are at risk of food shortage specifically in the low-income countries, which are also facing covid

challenges and they will also face a challenge of food insecurity in the upcoming years.

Issue 2: Climate Change

Importance of Issue

The world’s climate is drastically changing due to certain human activities which are causing

several side effects to the climate. It may include the burning of natural coal and gas and fossil

fuels which emit carbon dioxide in the environment and cause various diseases and several

climatic changes. The major drivers of greenhouse gas emission and environmental pollution are

economic growth and increased population, as these drivers are increasing pollution and also

they result in global warming. This issue is deemed so important to me because it is not affecting

a single country but also impacting the whole world, and it would also impact our future

generations as they have to cope with different diseases due to increased pollution and climatic

changes. Global warming has strongly impacted the arctic region because such global warming

has been observed due to increased industrialization, which has resulted in increased heat waves

and also increases the water and air pollution across the globe. Heatwaves are about to increase

and getting more severe due to increased pollution. The mountain glaciers have retreated and it

has resulted in the downfall of water supplies, as well as the increased temperatures have

resulted in the melting of glaciers, which destroys fields due to shortage of water supply, and the

prices of wheat crops and other food items increase because of this environmental effect. Rapid

climate change should be considered by higher authorities because it results in extreme weather

conditions such as storms, hurricanes, thunderstorms, and wind storms. The most considerable

point is that due to increased temperature and warm climates, the sea level is rising as the

glaciers are melting and it increases the level of water in oceans and seas. The issue of climate
change is of utmost importance because it is also resulting in some of the issues which are

unavoidable by the future generations and they would also have to face consequences of the

climate change. For instance, it threatens the cultures and ecosystems, and many species will

extinct from the earth due to increased temperatures. It will also increase the risk of extreme

weather conditions such as extreme precipitation and heat waves etc. Also, infectious diseases

are spread due to the changing weather conditions, and these diseases such as malaria, and

measles, etc. are spread due to lack of rainfall and changing temperatures.

Discussion of Issue in 10 years

If the pollution is not controlled and the climate change will keep on going in the same pattern,

there is a clear prediction that the temperature of the earth wit increase and it will get 3 percent

warmer in the next decade. The world is getting hotter and in the next 5 to 10 years, it will

become inevitable for humans to survive on earth. As the sea surface level is rising and the

moisture in the atmosphere is increasing it shows that there will be an increase in tropical storms

and hurricanes (time.com, 2021). The coastal cities in the United States, Mexico, and

Bangladesh will face extreme flooding and killing millions of people. There will be increased

diseases in the world due to changing weather conditions and also due to an increase in extreme

weather conditions. In addition, the water level is increasing and it must evacuate some parts of

the world to higher ground. It will cause new diseases most specifically for the children and

also besides these rising oceans, the heat waves and droughts will cause more trouble and

challenges for the survival of the people. Vast regions are rapidly converting to deserts and it

has also negatively affected the wildlife. And if the climate pattern is not controlled in the

upcoming years it will extinct the wildlife and also a number of species would be eradicated
from the earth. The rising temperatures will also have a strong negative impact on agriculture

and growing crops will become increasingly different and it will result in famine and hunger.

Issue 3: The Environment- part I

Importance of Issue

This is the most important issue which needs to be considered at the national and international

levels. As the world is witnessing huge development and growth, it is also paying a hefty price

for such development because these developments are causing major environmental problems

while damaging ozone and also causing air pollution as well as water pollution and changing the

lifestyle and living pattern of the individuals. Although the companies are looking for sustainable

development, the consumption patterns and increasing population are also affecting the

environment. These companies which are responsible for development are using natural

resources, for increasing production and for maximizing their sales and bringing latest innovative

technologies, and the consumption of such resources would result in increased pollution as well

as the extinction of several crops and animals from the earth. It is also important to consider the

environment before going for further developments because it will have so many consequences

that our future generations would not be able to tackle such issues and survive in a healthy

environment. The industrialization has also resulted in air pollution and the harmful toxic fumes

have negatively affected the quality of air, resulting in increased smog. Due to smog, several

chest infections take place and people get breathing problems. Air pollution has caused

premature deaths and also causes several diseases which are not curable. Similarly, coal power

plants are one of the major sources of air pollution, although these plants are used for producing

energy, and in developing countries, they cause indoor pollution. The destruction of the

environment due to pollution has resulted in the depletion of ozone due to which direct infra-red
rays of the sun reach the earth and cause several skin diseases, as well as these, have become the

reason for cancer in humans. The water quantity and quality are badly affected by the pollution

drained through industries and it shows that if the industries do not take appropriate measures for

controlling pollution, it would be difficult for humans to access water clean water resources.

Also, marine life is at stake due to the polluted water and it may result in the extinction of many

water species.

Discussion of Issue in 10 years

While considering the issue of environmental pollution in the next decade, reports show that

economic growth will be doubled and the overall world population would increase by 6.5 billion

to 8.2 billion people (oecd.org, 2021). For obtaining better living standards, and rising income

levels there will be great pressure on the natural resources. It is also the responsibility of the

government to develop incentives for household and commercial consumers so that they can take

initiatives for reducing pollution and for preventing the future environment. Also, the depletion

of ozone would cause several harmful diseases which will be unavoidable. There is a need to

take preventive measures for protecting the environment and for protecting natural resources

(globalcitizen.org, 2021). The increased globalization promotes competition and provides

opportunities to the companies so that they can bring innovation. The businesses are required to

introduce eco-friendly measures so that the production can be done effectively so that

environment can be protected from any type of pollution. If the environment keeps on getting

polluted the same way, it will damage the environment and our planet. The crops will be

damaged and it will be difficult to manage the food resources for meeting the needs of future

generations. It is needed that the use of fossil fuels for producing energy would be banned

because it produces a massive amount of carbon dioxide in the environment and damages the
planet. Also, there is a need to increase the forests for combating air pollution and managing the

natural resources.

Issue 4: Extreme Weather

Importance of Issue
The issue under consideration is the extreme weather conditions around the world and the role of

global warming. The entire world is facing the issue of global warming and it is giving air to

various other climatic challenges in the world. The temperate of the world is increasing and the

increased world temperature is disturbing the rainfall pattern along with other weather and

seasonal elements. The deserts like the UAE and Saudi Arabia are experiencing intense rainfalls

and floods and the fertile lands are becoming barren (Extreme Weather, n.d.). People around the

world use HVAC systems for maintaining the temperature of the world. For instance, the hot

nations like the Middle Eastern nations are using HVAC systems for cooling purposes because

they cannot survive without air-conditioning systems and the people living in cold areas of the

world like Canada are using HVAC systems for heating purposes. These systems are the major

sources of emissions of greenhouse gases. The greenhouse gases result in ozone depletion and

other such environmental challenges around the world (Extreme Weather, n.d.). The issue is

important because it causes floods, deforestation, ozone depletion, temperature rise, changes in

rainfall patterns, and creates other such challenges around the world. Therefore, various local and

international level organizations are working to deal with the issue. In the same manner,

governments around the globe are struggling hard to cope with the issue (Earth Justice,

2020).  For instance, the National Flood Insurance Program in the USA is helping people

suffering from floods. The authorities need to take this issue seriously to avoid issues for

biodiversity and humans in disaster-prone areas. The issue is becoming worse as the issue is
affecting more nations. Global warming is the major cause of most of these issues and it is

important to take the challenge seriously (Earth Justice, 2020). 

Discussion of the Issue in 10 Years

The section includes my opinion about the issue in the next 10 years. In my opinion, the issue

would become worse in the next 10 years and the major reason behind the fact is that people are

not taking the issue of global warming seriously. It is the case with many governments around

the world. The World Health Organization and Environmental Protection Agencies are providing

awareness regarding the issue but the governments and authorities are not taking the issue

seriously. For instance, urbanization is increasing in all parts of the world (5 natural disasters

that beg for climate action | Oxfam International, 2019). The governments are not addressing

this issue. The agricultural lands are limiting and residential projects are replacing them. In the

same manner, deforestation is a common practice to increase areas of cities and for developing

residential projects. The practice is not only resulting in global warming and other climatic

challenges but it is damaging biodiversity seriously (5 natural disasters that beg for climate

action | Oxfam International, 2019). Moreover, industrialization around the globe is increasing

and many nations such as Saudi Arabia want to become industrialized and modern nations and

they have various plans like the Vision 2030 of Saudi Arabia. Such practices and behaviours

make it evident that the world is not taking the issue of global warming and other factors that

result in extreme weather conditions seriously (5 Ways Climate Change Will Affect You: Wild

Weather, 2015). It is the major reason that I believe that the issue would worsen in the next 10

years. The world is not ready to do things practically. International and local summits and

conferences are going to do nothing unless governments and authorities do something practical. 
Issue 5: The Energy-Climate Crisis
Importance of the Issue
The world is facing a serious energy crisis and the major reason behind the fact is that the

excessive dependence of the world on energy resources is causing resource scarcity.

Furthermore, the traditional energy resources such as oil and gas are depleting and the costs of

energy resources are increasing around the world due to a shortage of resources. Some nations

like OPEC countries are taking advantage of the situation by doubling the costs of natural

resources but most of the world is experiencing price increase (Hite & Seitz, 2016). For instance,

Iran stopped its oil shipment to the USA in the 1970s and the USA had to move towards the

OPEC nations.

The OPEC nations took advantage of the situation and these nations doubled the price of oil and

made an extra profit. However, the poor and developing nations had to face the consequences of

this action of OPEC. The issue is important because the increased use of traditional sources of

energy is causing energy scarcity. For instance, more than 730 million people in Africa alone are

using conventional energy. It shows that billions of people around the world are using traditional

energy resources (Aktar et al., 2021). The use of conventional energy resources is not only

depleting these resources but is resulting in pollution and global warming along with other

climatic challenges as well. For instance, the burning of extra fossil fuels is resulting in global

warming. Likewise, the burning of excessive fossil fuels results in the production of extra carbon

dioxide. Carbon dioxide is a major greenhouse gas and it causes global warming and ozone

depletion (Denchak, 2018).

Moreover, the burning of fossil fuels for energy purposes cause various skin and eye diseases in

humans and animals as well. Therefore, the world needs to move towards renewable energy

resources or green energy resources.

Discussion of the Issue in 10 Years

The section includes my opinion about the global energy crisis and climate issues in the next 10

years. The energy crisis in the world is increasing due to the depletion of fossil fuels and due to

excessive consumption of natural resources around the world. Energy consumption has a direct

relationship with climate change. For instance, America uses the most energy around the world

for heating and cooling purpose. If the temperature increased by 1.8°F in the country the demand

for energy increases by 5-20% (The world’s energy problem, n.d.).

However, if the temperature reduces the energy demand would reduce by 3-15%. The situation

suggests that the issues like global warming and others would increase energy demand in the

world and the issue would improve. The next important thing in this context is that the world

needs to change the mode of energy use (The world’s energy problem, n.d.). The world needs to

shift towards green energy for preserving natural resources in the next10 years.

I would recommend the use of renewable energies such as solar energy, wind energy, and

geothermal energy to replace the traditional energy modes. The major advantage of using

renewable energy resources is that these energy resources are green energy resources that mean

these energy resources are pollution-free (Energy & Gualberto, 2018). In the same manner, the

cost of energy is less and affordable. The big energy companies around the world like Saudi

Aramco are investing in green energy, as they know that the future is of renewable energies.

However, governments need to take the issue seriously as well because the world would run out

of energy in the next coming years and the use of fossil fuels is hazardous for ecosystems and

biodiversity collectively. And I strongly believe that the governments of both developing and

developed countries should take measures to reduce energy crisis by introducing eco-friendly
technologies and by ensuring that these technologies can play an important role in meeting the

demands of people and also they would not damage our environment and planet.

References

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CO2 emissions, and policy roadmap amid COVID-19. Sustainable Production and

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5 natural disasters that beg for climate action | Oxfam International. (2019, August 23). 5 natural

disasters that beg for climate action | Oxfam International. Oxfam International.

https://www.oxfam.org/en/5-natural-disasters-beg-climate-action

5 Ways Climate Change Will Affect You: Wild Weather. (2015). Nationalgeographic.com.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/climate-change/how-to-live-with-it/weather.html

Denchak, M. (2018, June 29). Fossil Fuels: The Dirty Facts. NRDC;

https://www.nrdc.org/stories/fossil-fuels-dirty-facts

Earth Justice. (2020, August 26). How Climate Change Is Fueling Extreme Weather.

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