Challenges of Contemporary Society

Analyze each of the above phase in terms: Housing / settlement, Gender roles, Education, Health, Ownership of resources, Economic activities, Nature of work

What are the hidden costs of coffee as it goes from farm to the cup?

How do we create a safe and just space for humanity?

Now brainstorm the major challenges in global society

KEY CHALLENGES: CLIMATE CHANGE - Rising global temperatures, Warmer oceans, Shrinking icecaps, Retreating glaciers, Sea levels rising, Decreasing snow cover, Ocean acidification, Loss of biodiversity, Extreme weather events, Desertification

KEY CHALLENGES: ECONOMIC INEQUALITY - Gap between rich and poor widening, Rich getting richer and poor getting poorer, Global wealth distribution

KEY CHALLENGES: POVERTY - 712 million people, 1 in 11 people globally, live on less than $2.15 a day. Sub-Saharan Africa: highest rate of children living in extreme poverty - 40% in 2022. Nearly 90% of children living in extreme poverty reside in either sub-Saharan Africa or South Asia. 1.1 billion people, including 566 million children, live in multidimensional poverty, accounting for just over 18% of the world’s population.

KEY CHALLENGES: POLITICAL INSTABILITY - Causes: Economic factors, Corruption, Ethnic and religious tensions, Weak political institutions, External influence

KEY CHALLENGES: HEALTH CRISES - Types of health crises: pandemics, epidemics, natural disasters, man-made disasters. Causes: infectious diseases, climate change, pollution, socio-economic factors, lack of medical facilities and professional services

United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals - Background and Relevance - SDGs adopted formally in 2015 by all UN member states. 17 SDGs with 69 targets – cover wide range of issues – target is 2030. Universal call to end poverty, hunger, protect the planet, and ensure peace and prosperity. Goals are interconnected – achieving gender equality (SDG 5), can help reduce poverty (SDG 1) and improve health outcomes (SDG 3)