10 immediate threats to our world sustainability

The world even before the pandemic started, was constricted with issues that when beyond what we could see on a day to day basis. Things like rising water levels, rising pollution, rising threat to the forests and rising non-recyclable waste. The world on a whole was aware of them. With counties uniting in ambitious treaties through the United Nations, there were many goals set and targets planned. But with the sudden curtain-raiser on COVID-19 pandemic, these have been mostly put on a back burner.

So if we were to discuss the most burning and urgent sustainability issues, then what would they be? Let’s find out.

1. E-waste

Literally the need to the hour. With landfills getting saturated with humungous quantities every day the question remains: how will the world get rid of this first world problem? With new tech available every week, for home appliances, computers and smartphones, consumers get tempted into a never-ending capitalist system of buy and discard.

2. Oil Spills

Where does all our waste go? Into the ocean of-course. Cargo ships are a reliable mode of transport. However, acres and acres of marine eco-system suffers death daily due to oil mitigating oxygen, trapping fishes and bird, suffocating whale and more.

3. Groundwater Depletion

It is our primary source of freshwater for consumption. Many large cities in the world like Johannesburg and Bangalore face severe drought-like problems every summer.

4. Deforestation

With recent forest fires in Amazonian and Australia, along with chopping of green covers for more real estate, soon there won’t be any dense tropical/natural habitats left. 

5. Education

It takes a long time for children to recalibrate and focus. Most of the children this year have lost or have reduced contacts with their uncertain education systems. Jeopardizing their learning at a tender age.

6. Terrorism

Iran, Yemen, Middle Africa and a lot of other regions in the world still have civil wars, factionalism and dictatorships. They aren’t just taking away the freedom from people, they are endangering their health and potential.

7. Food Security

Agriculture is considered as a risky profession by the younger generations. With increasing soil salinity and population, it is getting more and more difficult to meet the growing demands.

8. Unemployment

With the pandemic, the world was hit was a recession almost as severe as the Wall Street Crash of 1929. Millions of youth in various industries like education, F&B, hospitality etc. are sitting idle at home.

9. Women & Children Healthcare

It is almost funny that it’s 2020, yet there are issues like menstruation, childbirth, miscarriage, menopause etc. that are considered taboo. And ignoring the health of 50% of the world’s population equal losing half of our growth potential.

10. Plastic

It has always been the most harmful carbon by-product ever made. There has been awareness of-course but the course of action has been slow. Moreover, the recent rise of one-time-use products has left no dearth of mounting plastic waste that no one wants to recycle.