5 Current Problems in Society

0
928

The new Millennium society faces many challenges and people are starting to feel the effects of some issues that have always been there but now demand a solution. Here are 5 current problems in society you should be aware of:

1. Alcohol and drug abuse
The cinematic industry portrays actors and actresses smoking in popular movie, thus making this habit seem attractive to other people, especially teenagers. Although many social awareness campaigns try do warn about the danger of smoking, the “cool” image still prevails. This is also the case with drugs and alcohol, vices present in everyday media. Almost 25% of high school senior use drugs and 41% consume alcohol. This behavior result in poor grades and absenteeism, drunk driving and anti-social behavior.

2. Obesity
Until the 20th century, obesity wasn’t one of the problems in society people faced. In 1997 it became so common that the World Health Organization (WHO) recognized obesity as a global epidemic related to high blood pressure, diabetics and other diseases. A study from 2005 revealed that 400 million adults (9.8%) are obese and as of 2008 the number increased to 1.5 billion. Obesity rates are growing worldwide, especially in urban settings.

3. Global Warming
Global warming is the rise of the average temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere and oceans since the late 19th century, with catastrophic effects on the environment. The emissions of greenhouse gases trapped in the atmosphere are a product of the modern way of life. The warming of the climate system leads to climate changes that cause coastal flooding, increased malnutrition and a reduction in water supplies.

4. Hunger and poverty
The growth rate of the population of 79,000,000 people per year leads to problems in society such as hunger and poverty. UNICEF estimated that in 2006 one out of four children under the age of five, a total of 146 million children in developing countries are underweight. As a result, approximately 5.6 deaths occur every year. The federal poverty level is $22,050 for a family of four, meaning that 21% or 15 million children are living in poverty.

5. Water crisis
Because of the large amount of toxic waste released into rivers and lakes, and the depletion of underground aquifers, water is becoming a scarce resource. The population continues to grow, requiring more and more useable water. The World Bank and World Health Organization informs that 2 billion people lack access to clean sources of water and 1 bi lion people don’t have the daily required quantity.