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Contemporary Global Issues: Reading Essentials and Study Guide: Lesson 2
Reading Essentials and Study Guide
Contemporary Global Issues
Lesson 2 Social Challenges in the Modern World
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
What influences global political and economic relationships?
How do social and environmental issues affect countries differently?
Reading HELPDESK
Content Vocabulary
pandemic a widespread outbreak of a disease
nongovernmental organization an organization that has no government ties and works to
address world problems
Academic Vocabulary
projection an estimate or a calculation
migration the movement of people from one country, place, or locality to another
TAKING NOTES: Organizing Information
1. ACTIVITY As you read, use the a chart below to identify factors that can cause world hunger.
IT MATTERS BECAUSE
More and more people realize that many of our current problems are global problems. These
problems include world hunger and the sudden spread of diseases. They also include issues such
as human rights and equality for women. Population growth and movements of population are
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Contemporary Global Issues: Reading Essentials and Study Guide: Lesson 2
other issues. At the same time, new transnational social movements have arisen to try and
address the problems.
Global Poverty
GUIDING QUESTION What is the social impact of poverty, hunger, and health pandemics in
developing nations?
Developing nations face many serious problems, including extreme poverty. About 1 billion people in
developing nations live on less than 1 dollar a day. This level of poverty often leads to illness and
even death. About 18 million people worldwide die each year from poverty-related causes. Poverty
is a complex problem that creates many other challenges for developing nations. Poverty often
keeps children from attending school. It can limit access to clean water and sanitation. It can lead
to housing that is not safe. Poverty is one of the important causes of worldwide hunger.
World Hunger
Many developing countries find it difficult to grow or buy food for more and more people. An
estimated 1 billion people around the world suffer from hunger. About 75 percent of these people
live in rural areas of developing countries, and 25 percent of them are children.
The effects of hunger and malnutrition, or not having enough healthful food, are devastating.
Every year, more than 10 million people die of starvation and hunger-related diseases. The long-
term health problems caused by malnutrition are severe. Undernourished infants and children—
those that are given too little food to support health and growth—often suffer from blindness and
mental retardation. They are also more likely to get diseases.
Poverty and economic factors are by far the major causes of worldwide hunger. The poor do not
have enough money to grow or buy enough food to keep themselves healthy. Food costs a great
deal of money for those living in poverty. Food prices increased 45 percent from the end of 2006 to
2008. Prices for corn, wheat, and rice reached record highs. This price increase is due in part to an
increase in demand from developing economies. Another reason is rising production of biofuel. Other
factors are drought conditions and higher costs to produce these foods.
Natural disasters can also bring about hunger. Droughts, earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, and
tsunamis (huge, destructive ocean waves) cause many to go without food, at least for a short
period of time. Poor farming practices, deforestation (cutting down the trees in a forest and not
replacing them), and overgrazing can also lead to hunger. These actions deplete land, or weaken
its ability to grow plants. As a result, the land can no longer produce as much food.
Food shortages can also result from war. War disrupts normal farming. Also, warring groups often
try to limit their enemies’ access to food. For example, the warring sides in the Sudanese civil war
during the 1980s interrupted the food supply. As a result, 1.3 million people there starved.
Global Health Pandemics
In 2009 the possibility of a global swine flu pandemic, or the widespread outbreak of a disease,
frightened people. People realized just how easily infectious diseases can spread in the modern
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Contemporary Global Issues: Reading Essentials and Study Guide: Lesson 2
world in which international travel is common. Global infectious diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, have
raised concerns in recent decades. In 2009 nearly 1.8 million people died of AIDS. Another 2.6
million were newly infected with HIV. Africa has been especially devastated. According to the UN,
more than two-thirds of the 33.3 million people living with HIV are in Africa south of the Sahara.
Many children in Africa have lost one or both parents to AIDS. Often, other relatives are too poor
to care for these children. Many young children who have lost both parents become responsible for
their younger brothers and sisters.
There has been some progress over the past 30 years. Global AIDS deaths have declined. Also, the
percentage of the world’s population living with HIV has stabilized. Organizations such as UNAIDS
continue to work to educate the public, prevent HIV infection, provide AIDS treatment, and search
for a cure for the disease.
PROGRESS CHECK
2. Making Connections How are problems of poverty and world hunger related?
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Human Rights and Equality for Women
GUIDING QUESTION How have problems involving human rights and gender inequality been
addressed in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries?
The United Nations (UN) supports the basic human rights of all people. On December 10, 1948, the
UN General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It was a set of standards
for government. Almost every country in the world has agreed to them. The declaration affirmed
everyone’s right to life, liberty, and security of person, or personal safety. It also declared the
right to freedom of movement and the freedom of opinion and expression.
Since the adoption of the UN declaration, the human rights movement has succeeded in freeing
political prisoners. It has also helped bring about economic and political change around the world.
Even so, human rights are still violated worldwide.
Governments themselves often cause violence. Dictators and military governments punish people
who disagree with their views. In Cuba, Chile, Myanmar, Iraq, Iran, and other countries, people
have been persecuted, or treated cruelly, for opposing repressive governments. In other countries,
such as Bosnia and Rwanda, ethnic, religious, and racial hatred has led to mass murder. Hundreds
of thousands of people have been killed as a result.
Over the years, women in the Western world have gained more rights in society. They have also
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made gains economically. More and more women are joining the workforce. They make up half of
university graduates in Western countries. Many countries have laws that require equal pay for
women and men who do the same work. Some laws prohibit promotions based on gender. Even so,
women in Western countries still do not hold many top positions in business or government.
Women in developing nations face considerable difficulties. These women are often subordinate to
men, and they are tied to their homes. Women in developing nations often are not able to receive
an education. They are often denied the right to own property and to hold decent jobs. In fact,
one the UN Millennium Development Goals is to promote gender equality and give power to women.
Despite these problems, some women have become leaders of their countries. There include Ellen
Johnson Sirleaf, who became president of Liberia in 2006, and Joyce Hilda Banda, who became
Malawi’s first female vice president.
PROGRESS CHECK
3. Evaluating What effect has the Universal Declaration of Human Rights had on the movement for
human rights around the world?
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Population and Migration Trends
GUIDING QUESTION How have population and migration trends affected developed and developing
nations?
The Population Reference Bureau put the 2010 world population at about 6.9 billion. Its
projections estimate that the world population could reach 9.4 billion by 2050. So, it is expected
to increase approximately by one-third over the next forty years.
Almost all population growth is happening in developing nations. Some most populous nations have
taken steps to decrease growth. China has a one-child policy. That is, families are allowed to have
only one child. India promotes a national family welfare program to reduce the birthrate. However,
it has had limited success. By 2050, India will have more inhabitants than China. India will likely
remain the most populous country in the world from that time on.
At the same time, many wealthy regions have declining populations. In fact, by 2050, the United
States is expected to be the only wealthy nation with a growing population. The developed nations
are also “graying,” or growing older. A larger percentage of the population is reaching retirement
age. In more developed regions, over one-fifth of the population is aged 60 or over. By 2050, it is
expected to reach one-third.
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The global population is getting older for a number of reasons. Some are increased life
expectancies, lower birthrates, and lower death rates. The number of people the age of 80 and
over and those who live beyond 100 is rising. This trend places increased demands on the
economies of developed nations.
Developing countries face different problems. Between 2010 and 2050, the population in developing
countries is expected to grow from 6.8 billion to 8.1 billion. Also, cities are expected to continue
expanding. Many cities in developing nations lack the infrastructure, such as power and water
supplies, to support larger populations. As a result, concerns about future international health and
environmental problems are rising.
Global migrations have become more of an issue as a result of population growth. About 214
million people moved from one country to another in 2010. About 60 percent of migrants live in
more developed countries. The remainder moved from one developing country to another.
People migrate for several reasons. Political persecution and brutal civil wars in Asia, Africa, the
Middle East, and Europe have led millions of refugees to seek safety in neighboring countries. Many
people move to new countries for economic reasons. Guest workers from Turkey, North Africa,
India, and Pakistan entered richer European lands. Foreign workers are often unfairly blamed when
countries face economic problems. For example, in the 1990s, French and Norwegian political
parties called for the removal of blacks and Arabs to protect the ethnic purity of their nations.
PROGRESS CHECK
4. Contrasting How do population issues affect developed and developing countries differently?
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Contemporary Global Issues: Reading Essentials and Study Guide: Lesson 2
Transnational Organizations
GUIDING QUESTION What role do transnational and non-governmental organizations play in the
international arena?
Global awareness has led to new social movements that focus on problems that nations share.
These problems include the environment, women’s rights, and child labor. Some movements support
the use of technology and the promotion of peace.
Groups such as the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement get members from
different countries. Other groups have members in one country. Many individuals act at the
grassroots level. That is, they work in their own communities. A favorite slogan of grassroots
groups is “Think globally, act locally.” Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) also address world
problems. NGOs are often represented at the United Nations. They include professional, business,
and cooperative organizations, as well as foundations. Religious, peace, and disarmament NGOs
work to limit the size of military forces and weapons. Other NGOs protect the welfare of women
and children. Other NGOs work to protect the environment or to support human rights.
American educator Elise Boulding promoted NGOs. She believed they can educate people to
consider problems globally. She said that NGOs should consider all people from every part of the
world and their needs. The number of international NGOs increased from 176 in 1910 to nearly
37,000 in 2000.
PROGRESS CHECK
5. Describing How are grassroots organizations related to NGOs?
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Answer Key
1. Poverty; economic factors; rising food prices; natural disasters; civil war; poor farming practices
2. Poverty can cause individuals to be unable to grow or purchase the food they need, causing them to go
hungry.
3. It has achieved some progress such as freeing political prisoners and getting governments to support
human rights.
4. Developed: Aging leads to greater need for services, smaller workforce. Developing: Population growth
and urbanization leads to economic, health, and environmental problems.
5. While some grassroots organizations have global aims, they work at the community level to solve
problems.
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