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Nine world issues that are still going on, but we forgot to care about

AS THE world turns its attention to Islamic State and the ongoing threat of terrorism, it seems we’ve left behind other world problems. Here’s a refresher.

Kelce arrives in Sydney for Eras show

Kelce arrives in Sydney for Eras show

Why ‘powerful’ Holocaust movie scored 5 stars

Why ‘powerful’ Holocaust movie scored 5 stars

Major twist as Taylor’s jet takes off

Major twist as Taylor’s jet takes off

WE ARE perpetually inundated with information in this day and age.

With the combination of smart phones, social media and the 24/7 news cycle, it swirls around us constantly.

This instant gratification has debilitated our attention span and capacity for critical thinking.

Most issues or global crises seemingly get about two weeks of consideration before we lose interest. If an issue or crisis hasn’t been solved, and we don’t perceive it as impacting our daily lives, we move on to the next big thing.

Recently, we have granted much of our attention to ISIS, the spread of Ebola, Ferguson and now the protests in Hong Kong, among other issues. All of these topics certainly merit attention. However, there are many issues that were at one point the centre of our attention, but have now been pushed to the edges of our consciousnesses.

It’s true that there are still people actively addressing many of these problems, but the majority of us typically grant our attention to whatever is directly in front of us. If it’s not in our yard, or if it’s not on our newsfeed, we probably forgot about it or aren’t aware at all. Don’t be fooled into thinking that something isn’t important because it’s not trending on Facebook or Twitter.

These are just a few ongoing problems that we have largely forgot about over the past year or so, in no particular order:

ISIS and Ebola might seem like the most pressing issues in the world at the moment. Yet, for billions of people across the globe, poverty is far more threatening. Indeed, more than 1 billion people live on less than one dollar a day.

RELATED: NAURU’S DOWNFALL FROM RICH NATION TO POVERTY

In 2009, police clashed with protesters who marched through London demanding action on poverty, climate change and jobs ahead of the G20 summit. Picture: Jeff J Mitchell

Likewise, there are around 780 million people without access to clean water, and around 2.5 billion without basic sanitation. In some places, people have to walk a kilometre or more just to get water.

Tragically, a child under 5 will die every 21 seconds from a preventable water-related disease. These are diseases that were eradicated in developed countries over a century ago, but still claim millions of lives in the present-day. What’s more, there are viable solutions to this problem.

In addition to water, more than 800 million people (more than twice the population of the United States) go to bed without food every single day — 300 million are children. Every 3.6 seconds, someone in the world will die from hunger.

2. HIV/AIDS

Today, close to 33.4 million people are living with HIV/AIDs. Since 1981, when the first cases were reported, more than 25 million people have died from HIV/AIDs, and there is still no cure.

RELATED: AIDS CONFERENCE 2014 GOES ON DESPITE LOSSES

This April 12, 2011 electron microscope image made available by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases shows an H9 T cell, blue, infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), yellow.

In 2012 alone, over one million people worldwide died from AIDS-related illnesses.

The vast majority of people living with HIV, close to 97 per cent, live in low and middle-income countries. Most of these people reside in sub-Saharan Africa. Hence, poverty plays a huge role in the spread of this lethal virus.

3. SLAVERY/HUMAN TRAFFICKING

At present, nearly 21 million people are working as modern day slaves as a consequence of human trafficking.

RELATED: AUSTRALIAN FINDS LETTER FROM CHINA PRISON FACTORY

President Barack Obama pauses after a tour of Goree Island, Senegal. Goree Island is the site of the former slave house and embarkation point built by the Dutch in 1776, from which slaves were brought to the Americas. Picture: Evan Vucci

Indeed, human trafficking is one of the most profitable businesses in the world. Global profits per victim per year are around $21,800, coming out to around $150 billion in total profits.

In the United States, it is estimated that around 100,000 children are trafficked for sexual exploitation every year. This is not only a problem in impoverished countries, it’s worldwide.

4. GUANTÁNAMO BAY

The Guantanamo Bay detention centre, also known as Gitmo, will forever stand as a black mark on the history of the United States. Following 9/11, the United States has detained hundreds of individuals at Gitmo without charge or criminal trial.

RELATED: GITMO PRISONER ARRESTED OVER SYRIA TERROR LINKS

A Guantanamo guard keeps watch from a tower overlooking the detention facility at Guantánamo Bay U.S. Naval Base, Cuba, in 2010. Picture: /Brennan Linsley

Since the first detainees were sent to Gitmo in 2002, reports of secret detentions, torture, unfair trials and suicides have surfaced.

Currently, there are still 149 detainees at the detention camp, despite the fact that President Obama promised to shut it down when he came into office.

A number of the remaining detainees are on hunger strike, and are controversially being force-fed, which is arguably a form of torture. There are impending hearings surrounding this issue, which the United States has attempted to keep secret.

5. CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

Sectarian fighting has been ravaging the Central African Republic since 2012. Yet, unlike ISIS, Syria and Iraq, it has received decidedly less attention.

RELATED: WHY ‘LIFE IS CHEAP’ IN AFRICA

A Christian fighter stands on the front of a looted Muslim store in Guen, about 250 kilometres north of Bangui, Central African Republic. Picture: Jerome Delay

Many atrocities have been committed, and the conflict is ongoing. Likewise, due to the complex causes of this war, it doesn’t look as though it will stop anytime soon.

American drone strikes have killed over 2000 people, many of whom were civilians and children.

RELATED: ISLAMABAD CONDEMNS US DRONE STRIKES

Fighters from the Islamic State group gesture as they load a van with parts that they said was a US drone that crashed into a communications tower in Raqqa early on September 23, 2014.

This policy has generated controversy around the world, and animosity towards to the United States. Many worry that it has the potential to perpetuate, rather than end, the War on Terror.

There is very little transparency surrounding the drone program, and we don’t have a clear picture of why targets are selected and whether or not they posed an imminent threat to America. Yet, a majority of Americans still support this policy without really questioning it.

7. CALIFORNIA DROUGHT

California has been experiencing one of the worst droughts in recent memory. Some fear that entire communities could be left without water within two months.

RELATED: 25 MILLION PEOPLE AFFECTED IN CALIFORNIA DROUGHT

Marina owner Mitzi Richards carries her granddaughter as they walk on their boat dock at the dried up lake bed of Huntington Lake, which is at only 30 per cent capacity as a severe drought continues to affect California. Picture: Mark Ralston

The drought has had a detrimental impact on California’s agriculture, which will have consequences both within the United States and around the world. California exports rice to Asia in addition to restaurants within the United States.

Stanford University scientists believe that greenhouse gases might be the cause of this drought. Accordingly, this is yet another instance of negative impact human activities have had on the environment, and the way in which climate change affects us all.

8. IRAN’S NUCLEAR PROGRAM

The situation with ISIS has led some to believe that the United States should team up with Iran. However, there are still many around the world who are concerned about Iran’s nuclear ambitions, particularly Israel.

An Iranian coal miner smokes a cigarette during a break on a mountain in Mazandaran province, near the city of Zirab, 212 kilometres northeast of the capital Tehran, Iran. Picture: Ebrahim Noroozi

Indeed, Iran could pose a significant threat to both the Middle East and much of the world if it developed nuclear weapons. As the fight against ISIS rages on, this issue cannot be forgot.

9. WAR ON DRUGS

The War on Drugs has been one of the most expensive failures in history. Right now, much of the focus on this issue surrounds the debate over the legalisation of marijuana.

RELATED: ‘WAR ON DRUGS’ FUELLING HIV EPIDEMIC

Members of HMAS Toowoomba with 5.6 tonnes of cannabis resin, worth an estimated $280 million, intercepted during a boarding in support of Operation Manitou on September 19, 2014.

However, people should also consider the way in which keeping other drugs illegal fosters violence both within the United States and around the world.

Recently, global leaders met and called for the decriminalisation of drugs, in order to make this a health issue, rather than a criminal one. When one thinks about it, this is a logical approach, and one which has worked very well for Portugal.

This article is an edited version of the original which appeared in Elite Daily .

NFL star Travis Kelce has landed in Sydney ahead of Taylor Swift’s first show in the city.

The Zone of Interest is destined to be regarded as one of the most powerful, provocative and lastingly eloquent statements on the Holocaust to ever grace a cinema, writes Leigh Paatsch.

Fans were hoping they would get a glimpse of the superstar couple at the Sydney shows, however, that has been thrown into doubt.

Human Rights Careers

Top 20 Current Global Issues We Must Address

What are the most pressing issues in the world today? What will demand the most attention in the next 5, 10, and 20+ years? In this article, which frequently refers to the World Economic Forum’s 17th Edition of the Global Risks Report, we’ll highlight 20 current global issues we must address, including issues related to climate change, COVID-19, social rights, and more. While it’s hardly a comprehensive discussion, it’s a solid introduction to the kinds of concerns facing our world today.

#1. Poverty

In fall 2022, the World Bank will update the International Poverty Line from $1.90 to $2.15. This means anyone living on less than $2.15 is in “extreme poverty.” Why the change? Increases in the costs of food, clothing, and shelter between 2011-2017 make the “real value of $2.15 in 2017 prices equal to $1.90 in 2011 prices. As for the World Bank’s goal to reduce extreme poverty to 3% or less by 2030, the pandemic has made it even harder. Extreme poverty isn’t the only poverty we have to contend with. 62% of the global population lives on less than $10/day. While there’s been progress over the years, the end of poverty is still far off.

Learn more about tackling poverty with an online course: Poverty & Population: How Demographics Shape Policy (Columbia University)

#2. Climate change

The IPCC released its sixth report in 2022. In its summary for policy-makers, the report’s authors outlined a series of near-term, mid-term, and long-term risks. If global warming reaches 1.5°C in the near term (2021-2040), it would cause “unavoidable increases in multiple climate hazards,” as well as “multiple risks to ecosystems and humans.” In the long term, climate change will present major health issues, premature deaths, risks to cities and settlements , and other dangers. Mitigation is desperately needed – and fast. Because of climate change ’s connection to other issues on this list, it’s one of the most serious challenges facing humanity.

Learn more about climate change with an online course: Science and Engineering of Climate Change (EDHEC Business School)

#3. Food insecurity

According to the 2022 Global Report on Food Crises , which is produced by the Global Network against Food Crises, the number of people in crisis or worse is the highest it’s been in the six years since the report has existed. Close to 193 million people were experiencing acute food insecurity in 2021, which is an increase of almost 40 million since 2020. This represents a staggering 80% increase since 2016. Causes include “economic shocks,” like an increase in global food prices. Domestic food price inflation in low-income countries also rose a lot. “Weather-related disasters” are also a big driver. For 15.7 million people in 15 countries, it was the primary driver of acute food insecurity.

Learn more about food insecurity with an online course: Feeding the World (University of Pennsylvania)

#4. Refugee rights

According to UNHCR, the war in Ukraine sparked the fastest-growing refugee crisis since WWII. Almost 6 million (as of May 10, 2022) people have fled. The UNCHR’s Refugee Brief , which compiles the week’s biggest refugee stories, has recently described situations in places like Somalia, where thousands of people were displaced due to severe drought. Between January and mid-April, more than 36,000 refugees from Nigeria, Mali, and Burkina Faso arrived in Niger. These are only a few examples of the refugee crises, which endangers already marginalized groups – like women and children – and puts them at an increased risk of trafficking , violence, and death.

Learn more about refugee rights with an online course: Refugees in the 21st Century (University of London)

#5. COVID-19

The WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic in March 2022. It will continue to be a major issue for the world. The WEF’s Global Risks Report 2022 discusses COVID’s effects at length , including major economic recovery disparities and social erosion. According to a January 2022 article from NPR , there are also issues with vaccinations as many countries continue to have trouble getting doses. Distribution, vaccine hesitancy, healthcare systems, and other problems also factor into low vaccination rates. While we may never know the exact impact, the WHO estimates that between 1 January 2020 and 31 December 2021, there were around 14.9 million excess deaths linked to COVID-19.

Learn more about the impact of COVID-19 with an online course: Life After COVID-19: Get Ready for our Post-Pandemic Future (Institute for the Future)

#6. Future pandemic preparation and response

COVID-19 taught the world the importance of prepardeness. In a Harvard blog , Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the WHO, outlined the lessons the world should take to heart. The first: science has to guide policy. The politicization of the pandemic led to a lot of unnecessary damage. Another lesson is that science must pair with equity or it can actually make inequalities worse. This is obvious when looking at how low-income countries struggled to get the vaccines while wealthier countries stocked up. More resilient healthcare systems are also a must, as well as more coherent, global plans on how to respond. The world must also invest in research on contagious diseases, zoonotic diseases, the effectiveness of outbreak responses, and more.

Learn more about future pandemic response with an online course: Pandemic preparedness, prevention, and response (Politecnico di Milano)

#7. Healthcare

The healthcare industry has experienced major shifts due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the World Economic Forum, there’s been new investments and innovations, especially from the technology and telehealth sectors. In 2021, $44 billion was spent on health innovation. The world will be seeing the effects of these innovations for years to come, though equity will no doubt be a major issue. In places like the United States, the pandemic also reaffirmed how broken healthcare systems can be. In an MIT News blog , Andrea Campbell, a professor of political science, says the pandemic revealed a “dire need” for investments in public-health infrastructure, as well as a need to expand healthcare access and insurance coverage.

Learn more about health inequity issues with an online course: Addressing Racial Health Inequity in Healthcare (University of Michigan)

#8. Mental health

Globally, almost 1 billion people have some form of mental disorder. The pandemic made the world’s mental health worse. According to a scientific brief from the WHO , there’s been a 25% increase in anxiety and depression worldwide. Causes include social isolation, fear of sickness, grief, and financial anxieties. Health workers were also severely impacted, as well as young women and girls. The brief also highlights how the pandemic disrupted many mental health services, including services for substance abuse. Countries need to ensure access to mental health services as part of their COVID-19 recovery plans and beyond. It’s an economic decision, as well. The Lancet states that anxiety and depression alone cost the global economy around $1 trillion a year.

Learn more about mental health with an online course: The Science of Well-Being (Yale University)

#9. Disability rights

According to the WHO , over 1 billion people have some form of disability. Half can’t afford healthcare. They’re also more likely to live in poverty than those without a disability, have poorer health outcomes, and have less access to work and education opportunities. Human Rights Watch lists other discriminations disabled people face, such as an increased risk of violence. There’s been progress regarding disability rights, but many countries lack strong protections. The world still has a long way to go to ensure equality for those with disabilities.

Learn more about disability rights with an online courses: Disability Awareness and Support (University of Pittsburgh)

#10. LGBTQ+ rights

Members of the LGBTQ+ community face discrimination in many forms. According to Amnesty International , discrimination can target sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and sex characteristics. Even in more progressive countries like the United States, people face violence and discrimination. According to the Human Rights Campaign, more than 300 anti-LGBTQ+ bills were proposed in 2022. At least a dozen states are considering legislation that forbids schools from discussing or using a curriculum that covers sexual orientation and gender identity. Considering the United States’ influence in the world, this attack on LGBTQ+ rights will likely have consequences that need to be addressed.

Learn more about LGBTQ+ issues with an online courses .

#11. Reproductive justice

Reproductive justice – which encompasses more than just abortion rights – is threatened by legislation, lack of funding, lack of education, and restricted healthcare access. In most places, wealth is a big determinant of whether a person can access reproductive services. It’s better in some places than others, but as we’ve seen with other issues on this list, even “progressive” countries like the United States are experiencing major shifts. In June 2022, the Supreme Court is expected to overrule Roe v. Wade , a milestone court case that protected a pregnant woman’s right to abortion. The impact would be immediate and will likely influence other countries.

Learn more about reproductive justice and women’s rights: International Women’s Health and Human Rights (Stanford University)

#12. Children’s rights

Children are a very vulnerable group. In 2019, around 5.2 million children under five from mostly preventable and treatable causes. 2.4 million were newborns under 28 days old. Leading causes include preterm birth complications, pneumonia, and malaria. According to UNICEF, the climate crisis also represents a severe threat to kids. Around 1 billion kids live in “extremely high-risk countries” that are hit by the worst effects of climate change. 920 kids have trouble accessing clean water and 600 million are exposed to vector-borne diseases like malaria. Child labor also remains an issue. At the beginning of 2020, around 160 million were forced into labor while COVID-19 put 9 million more kids at risk. That’s almost 1 in 10 children globally. Almost half are in dangerous environments. As is often the case, the other issues on this list – climate change, poverty, COVID, gender equality, etc – factor into children’s rights.

Learn more about children’s rights: Children’s Human Rights – An Interdisciplinary Introduction (University of Geneva)

#13. Gender equality

Global gender equality has gradually improved over the years, but data from the 2021 Global Gender Report shows that the end of the global gender gap is still 135 years away. The pandemic played a huge role in reversing positive trends as women were hit harder financially. According to Oxfam , women experienced a 5% job loss while men experienced 3.9%. That means women lost about $800 million in 2020. This is a low estimate since it doesn’t count the informal economy, which includes millions of women. Women are also more likely to live in poverty, more affected by gender-based violence, and more affected by climate change.

Learn more about gender equality: Gender Analytics: Gender Equity through Inclusive Design (University of Toronto)

#14. Cybersecurity

The WEF’s Global Risks Report 2022 (page 9) listed cybersecurity vulnerabilities as a concern. The reason is rapid digitalization, which was triggered in part by COVID-19. Many “advanced economies” are now at a higher risk for cyberattacks. GRPS respondents identified cybersecurity failure as a critical short-term risk. In 2020, malware and ransomware attacks went up by 358% and 435%. There are a few reasons for this, including better (and easier) attack methods and poor governance. Cyberattacks have a swath of serious consequences and erode public trust. As countries become more dependent on digitalization, their cybersecurity needs to keep up.

Learn more about cybersecurity: IBM Cybersecurity Analyst Professional Certificate (IBM)

#15. Disinformation

Rapid digitalization comes with many issues, including the lightning-fast spread of disinformation. The WEF report describes deepfakes, an accessible AI technology, and its potential to sway elections and other political outcomes. Disinformation doesn’t need to be sophisticated to be successful, however. Through social media posts and videos, twelve anti-vax activists were responsible for almost ⅔ of all anti-vaccine content on platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Their content flooded the internet with the type of harmful, fear-mongering disinformation that played a significant role in vaccine hesitancy and political radicalization. Because disinformation travels faster online than the truth, it’s a global issue that should be addressed.

Learn more about tackling disinformation: Communicating Trustworthy Information in the Digital World (University of Rotterdam)

#16. Freedom of the press

According to the Varieties of Democracy Institute (as reported in The Economist ), about 85% of people live in a country where press freedom has gone down in the past 5 years. After peaking at .65 in the early 2000s and 2011, the global average dropped to .49 in 2021. Major countries like China, India, Russia, Brazil, and Turkey saw significant declines. Journalists and news organizations face threats like violence, imprisonment, lack of funding, and coordinated online attacks and harassment. A free press is essential to a functioning democracy. Without press freedom, all human rights are at risk.

Learn more about freedom of expression: Human Rights for Open Societies (Utrecht University)

#17. Debt crises

In the WEF Global Risks Report (page 7), respondents named debt crises as one of the most pressing issues over the next decade, though respondents believe they will become most serious in just 3-5 years. COVID-19 is a big reason why. Government stimulus was necessary, but many countries are now left with debt burdens. For corporate and public finances in large economies, debt burdens can lead to defaults, bankruptcies, insolvency, and more. This is a far-reaching issue as it affects budgets for areas like healthcare and green energy.

Learn more about the debt: Finance for everyone – Debt (McMaster University)

#18. Corruption

Corruption encompasses a host of actions such as bribery, election manipulation, fraud, and state capture. The World Bank Group names corruption as a barrier to ending extreme poverty and “boosting shared prosperity” for the poorest populations. When it comes to addressing poverty, climate change, healthcare, gender equality, and more, corruption gets in the way. Because corruption is a global problem, global solutions are necessary. Reform, better accountability systems, and open processes will all help.

Learn more about tackling corruption: What is Corruption: Anti-Corruption and Compliance (University of Pennsylvania)

#19. Authoritarianism

According to Freedom House, global democracy is eroding. That includes countries with long-established democracies. In their 2022 report, the organization reveals that global freedom has been declining for the past 16 years. 60 countries faced declines in the last year. Only 25 saw improvements. Only 20% of the global population lives in Free countries. China, Russia, and other authoritarian countries have gained more power in the international system, while countries with established democracies – like the United States – are losing their freedoms. What can be done? Freedom House says success “requires a bold, sustained response that establishes support for democracy and countering authoritarianism.” Governments and citizens engage and stand for democracy.

Learn more about tackling authoritarianism: Citizenship and the Rule of Law (University of London)

#20. Global cooperation

Addressing the issues in this article is not an easy task. True progress is only possible through global cooperation, a fact which is woven through the WEF report. Everything from addressing cybersecurity threats to humanitarian emergencies to protecting democracy depends on strong cooperation between countries. As the report says in its preface: “Restoring trust and fostering cooperation within and between countries will be crucial to addressing these challenges and preventing the world from drifting further apart.” The challenges threatening global cooperation are just as clear as the need, however, which makes it one of the most serious issues of the day.

Learn more about global cooperation: Global Diplomacy: the United Nations in the World

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About the author, emmaline soken-huberty.

Emmaline Soken-Huberty is a freelance writer based in Portland, Oregon. She started to become interested in human rights while attending college, eventually getting a concentration in human rights and humanitarianism. LGBTQ+ rights, women’s rights, and climate change are of special concern to her. In her spare time, she can be found reading or enjoying Oregon’s natural beauty with her husband and dog.

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Top 10 world problems and their solutions

Top 10 world problems and their solutions

The last decade has been marked by significant progress in various fields such as science, medicine, and technology but, at the same time, the number of problems in today’s society has steadily grown. In 2020 and 2021, undoubtedly some of the most uncertain and difficult years of the last decade, the biggest problems in the world were the COVID-19 pandemic and poverty. However, the years that followed continued to be somewhat complex and certainly no less easy.

In 2022 – 2023, the war in Ukraine, the Israel – Hamas conflict , the energy crisis and hyperinflation caused multiple economic shocks and stagnation across the continents.

As a platform to address global issues that cannot be resolved by any single country, the United Nations organization is spearheading humanity’s struggle to survive. Its most visible efforts concern resolving conflicts and undertaking peacekeeping activities. Below is a list of the world’s greatest according to the UN.

Climate Change

There is no economy or individual that is unaffected by climate change. By 2050, this problem could force 216 million people to relocate within their own nations. The changes in weather may worsen water stress and reduce crop output, particularly in the most food-insecure areas of the world.

One of the major problems on our planet is linked to global temperatures that are continually rising. By 2100, studies show that there is a 50% likelihood of facing global warming that is higher than 3.5 degrees Celsius and a 10% probability of witnessing warming higher than 4.7 degrees Celsius relative to temperatures registered between 1850 and 1900. This would result in more severe shifts in weather patterns, food and resource shortages, and the more rapid spread of diseases.

At COP28 in Dubai, held at the end of 2023, the World Bank unveiled ambitious plans to boost climate funding, improve initiatives for carbon markets, and much more.

Possible solutions:

A reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and increased awareness of the necessity to turn green are among the solutions that can make a significant difference. In addition, strategies to cut carbon emissions and opting for replanting are among the effective ways to address climate change.

Wars and military conflicts

Maintaining peace and security is crucial to preventing poverty and high numbers of refugees and asylum seekers. With an increasing number of territories becoming conflict zones, the number of poor and displaced women and children is on rise, causing the spread of diseases and a halt to economic progress.

Preventative diplomacy and demilitarization are the two key tactics for avoiding conflicts. Preventive diplomacy is defined as those actions undertaken to avoid conflicts from forming or worsening. It can also help to limit the spread of existing hostilities. Mediation, conciliation, or negotiation are all options to tackle this world issue.

Today, among the greatest world issues, wars and conflicts are at the top of the list. 2022 and 2023 were marked by a number of conflicts that led to many casualties and displaced people. The conflicts in Ukraine and Palestine in particular have led to a massive number of people fleeing or attempting to flee their countries in search of shelter.

Individuals with disabilities and the elderly are the most vulnerable because they may not be able to escape high-risk regions.

As of May 2023, there were around 5.1 million internally displaced persons in Ukraine and the number of documented refugees from Ukraine was over 6.2 million worldwide. Around 90% of those escaping the crisis were women and children.

In Gaza, there are approximately 1.4 million internally displaced people with around 690,000 being housed in 150 shelters run by the UN agency for Palestine refugees.

Refugee statistics:

  • In mid-2023, according to the UN , there were 110 million forcibly displaced people in the world
  • 43.3 million (around 40%) of these were children
  • 1.9 million children were born as refugees
  • 36.4 million (over 30%) of all displaced people were refugees
  • 6.1 million were asylum-seekers
  • 4.4 million stateless people reside in 97 countries although it has been estimated that the true figure is much higher
  • Over 50% of refugees come from just three countries: the Syrian Arab Republic, Afghanistan, and Ukraine.

Water contamination

There is no life without water – apparently a simple truth but one that people seem to overlook. Poor management and irrational use forces communities to migrate in search of drinking water. Industries are polluting underground water and this issue is growing massively.

  • Due to pollution, poverty, and inadequate resource management, around 2.1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water
  • Agriculture is responsible for 70% of global water loss
  • Annually, 297,000 children under the age of five die from diarrheal infections caused by poor sanitation, hygiene, or contaminated drinking water
  • 80% of wastewater is discharged into the environment without being processed or reused

Possible solutions to the water pollution issue:

The most efficient technique to reduce water pollution is to treat water (filtration, disinfection, etc.) before it reaches the waterway system. Clearing wastewater of pollutants can be performed via biological, physical, and chemical operations.

Human rights violation

Human rights are universal, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, religion, or any other status but what if this only happens on paper?

Indeed, the problems in today’s society are linked with the constant violation of human rights – gender inequality, human trafficking, the lack of freedom of speech – all of these can be witnessed in the 21st century in every country, even in developed nations.

Gender Equality

50% of the world’s population are women and girls. Gender equality is not only a crucial human right , it is also necessary for a peaceful society, the full development of human potential, and long-term evolution.

Possible solutions to gender inequality:

  • Speak up for what you believe in
  • Pay attention to what others have to say
  • Defend yourself from discrimination
  • Raise public awareness of a problem
  • Get the media to talk about it
  • Demonstrate to those in positions of power that they are being watched

Global health issues

There is no comprehensive list of the top global health challenges because this field is dynamic and ever-evolving. In addition, new threats and hazards related to global health are constantly emerging as seen by the monkeypox outbreak that occurred in 2023. On the other hand, certain global health problems are long-term and may be on the list forever including cancer, air pollution, and tuberculosis.

Major health problems in the world include:

  • Communicable diseases

Influenza outbreaks and COVID-19 are examples of pandemics that highlight our susceptibility to widespread infections, many of which begin in animals. Anxiety and fear are common reactions to pandemics. Other worrisome infectious diseases worth attention are HIV/AIDS, malaria, and Ebola which have remained deadly for decades.

  • Environmental factors

Air pollution and climate change have a serious impact on our health. Hurricanes, floods and droughts make disease transmission easier among large populations of people.

  • Inequalities and poor healthcare access

Poor access to healthcare, increased infant mortality rates, mainly in low-income nations, and income inequality around the world make it virtually impossible for many families to afford healthcare.

  • Political aspects

People become increasingly exposed to diseases as wars within or between countries damage essential infrastructure. As a result, they look for ways to escape the harmful situations that jeopardize their safety but diseases can spread swiftly when people migrate.

  • Mental health

A major contributor to disability is depression, and among those aged 15 to 29, suicide caused by depression is the main cause of mortality. Individuals suffering from serious mental health issues frequently encounter stigma, discrimination, and infringements of their human rights which can lead to earlier death. In less severe cases, mental health conditions can impact participation in social activities, close interpersonal connections, and academic or professional performance.

  • Noncommunicable diseases (NDCs)

Cancer, heart disease, and diabetes are just a few examples of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). The risk factors for NCDs include the use of tobacco products and alcohol, obesity, a poor or unbalanced diet, and lack of exercise. Although these global health concerns are present everywhere and are responsible for almost 3 out of every 4 deaths worldwide, low- and middle-income nations make up 77% of NCD deaths .

Possible solutions to global health issues:

  • Empower marginalized populations
  • Encourage physicians to work in rural regions
  • Implement policies that eliminate obstacles and improve access to healthcare
  • Promote health breakthroughs (improve research, increase funding)
  • Education can help people recognize and improve lifestyle variables such as poor diets, obesity, cigarette use, and alcohol intake which can lead to NCDs.
  • Veterinary medicine can enhance global health since diseases originating from livestock play an important role in the spreading of diseases.

Global poverty

Although there has been a decline in extreme poverty in middle-income nations, poverty in the world’s poorest nations and those impacted by instability, wars, or violence remains higher than it was before COVID-19.

Currently, about 700 million people worldwide face extreme poverty, meaning that their daily income is less than the $2.15 poverty-line established by the World Bank . The majority of these individuals reside in sub-Saharan Africa. All in all, the places where it is most difficult to tackle extreme poverty are rural areas and regions impacted by conflicts. It’s worth mentioning that 50% of the people who live in extreme poverty are children.

Possible solutions to poverty:

  • End marginalization by ensuring equality and representation for all
  • Provide preventative education and treatment assistance during an epidemic
  • Offer recovery interventions during climate disasters
  • Help refugees and internally displaced people in terms of health, nutrition, and shelter
  • Improve education
  • Increase the level of food security and clean water access
  • Put an end to conflicts

See also: Absolute poverty vs relative poverty, what is the difference?

Children’s poor access to healthcare, education and safety

Every child must benefit from the right to proper healthcare, access to education, and grow in safety, and every society benefits from increasing children’s life prospects. Despite this, millions of children worldwide face serious challenges linked with their birthplace, gender, or circumstances.

Over 72 million children around the world who are old enough to attend elementary school are not enrolled. Marginalization and poverty are two major social issues.

Possible solutions to protect children’s rights:

  • Encourage education for both children and adults in less developed countries
  • Provide clean water
  • Ensure basic healthcare
  • Tackle gender inequality
  • Improve childhood nutrition

Access to food and hunger

By 2030, it is less likely that the world will achieve Sustainable Development Goal 2: Zero Hunger, according to international agencies and media. The situation in countries that have faced food insecurity and where populations suffer from hunger has worsened further as a result of the health and socioeconomic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our planet houses over 8 billion people, and there is enough food to feed them all. Sadly, 828 million face hunger on a daily basis despite the quantity of available food.

According to the World Food Program , more than 40% of these people face severe hunger. At the same time, around 2.3 billion people lack proper access to food. Statistics also show that around 9 million people die each year from hunger-related factors – most of them being children aged 5 or younger.

  • In regions impacted by conflict, humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding initiatives should be rolled out quickly
  • The resilience of those who are more prone to economic hardship should be increased
  • To reduce the cost of nutritious foods, governments should intervene at various points in the food supply chain
  • Deal with poverty by focusing on interventions that help those suffering
  • Food environments should be reinforced. In addition, it is important to influence consumer behavior to encourage eating habits that are good for both people and the environment.
  • Experts believe that the immediate solution to the food crisis linked to the conflict in Ukraine could be monetary, mainly because of the rising food prices. If governments and donors are able to help people to pay for food, fewer will go hungry.

Massive migration movements impact all UN Member States , necessitating greater collaboration and responsibility-sharing.

The United Nations Member States endorsed the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants (A/RES/71/1) wherein they acknowledged that there is a need for a comprehensive strategy for migration. The New York Declaration recognizes the beneficial contributions of migrants to inclusive and sustainable development and pledges to defend their dignity, human rights, and basic freedoms, irrespective of their migration status.

Weapons accessibility

Multilateral disarmament and armaments restriction are the aims that have been important to the United Nations’ attempts to keep international peace since its inception.

The United Nations has placed a high priority on decreasing and ultimately eliminating nuclear weapons, abolishing chemical weapons, and reinforcing the ban on biological weapons, all of which pose the greatest dangers to humanity.

  • A number of multilateral treaties and procedures have been developed as a result of worldwide efforts to regulate, limit, or eliminate specific weapons, including:
  • Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons – one of its goals is to stop nuclear weapons and weapons technology from spreading
  • Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty – its goal is to prohibit nuclear weapons trial explosions, as well as any other nuclear explosions
  • Biological and Chemical Weapons Convention – forbids biological and toxin weapon manufacturing, procurement, transmission, storage, and use
  • Arms Trade Treaty – controls the international conventional armaments trade.

Although the top 10 global issues certainly help to establish what governments and ordinary people around the world should focus on, there are many other problems that everyone should be aware of, including the aging of the population, AIDS, and law and justice. Tackling at least some of these is possible but requires a lot of effort, patience and understanding.

Daniil Filipenco

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14 Problems in the World — And Their Potential Solutions

This article is presented in partnership with project hope.

Project HOPE is a global health and humanitarian organization, working side-by-side with local health workers and communities to save lives and improve the health and well-being of people around the world.

→ Learn more about Project HOPE

An illustration of Earth, surrounded by a ring of symbols: A first aid kit, a water faucet, bread, a flag, a brain, a house, a pencil, a plane, and gender symbols

Chances are, if you’re a human being living in the world as part of this vast, diverse global community, you care about other people.

When crises strike, and you are heartbroken by the news — whether the culprit is climate disasters , health inequalities , or violent conflict — there’s a little spark inside you that desperately wishes things were different.

Then, you might feel frozen. 

These massive issues are indeed massive. They are big, overwhelming, and often the cause of huge systems — like colonialism, racism, sexism, and more — that many of us had no hand in building. But we do have a hand in dismantling them, and many of these large-scale problems are deeply intertwined with that work — and with each other.

The good news? That means we can solve them.

And solving global issues — or at least confronting them more proactively — starts with knowing about them.

Of course, we’re not asking everyone to become a world-class expert in income inequality or water and sanitation, but it helps to know about the issues we face so we can be part of the solution.

Here is a list of some of the major challenges of our time — and what is being done to change things.

Global Challenges & Their Solutions

Poverty is not only a lack of income or resources to live a safe, sustainable life. It intersects with so many other challenges and leads to outcomes like food and water insecurity, health concerns, little to no access to education, and more. 

According to the most recent estimates from the United Nations , as of 2015, 10% of the world’s population was in extreme poverty — living on less than $1.90 a day. 

The largest areas of the world facing extreme poverty are Southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, and the COVID-19 pandemic only made this issue worse, putting millions more below the international poverty line. 

While progress has certainly been made in eliminating extreme poverty, projections still show a major percentage of the world’s population in extreme poverty by 2030. 

Aside from extreme poverty, about 60% of the world’s population lives on less than $10 US per day . Additionally, the UN shares that about four billion people — a little over half of the global population — do not benefit from any form of social protection or support. 

Possible Solutions:

  • Universal basic income
  • Robust social safety nets
  • Ending social marginalization
  • Investments in equitable education
  • Increased access to food and clean water
  • Ending civil wars and armed conflict 

Why We Have Hope:

  • The number of people in extreme poverty, while still too many, has fallen every decade . 
  • Organizations and communities are working together to fight period poverty and hygiene poverty .
  • New opportunities in the green economy open doors to financial security in areas across Africa and South Asia. 

Climate Change

It’s hard to sum up the seriousness of the climate crisis in just a few paragraphs. Scientists and leaders around the globe know that the planet is in grave trouble, giving us specific windows and countdowns to reverse the damage of climate change and save the world.

It’s a big ask. 

Whether climate change comes in the form of biodiversity loss, extreme weather events, resource depletion, greenhouse gas emissions, damages to human health, or any number of scary and persistent realities, repairing and restoring the planet should be our top priority.

Seriously, the United Nations calls climate change “the single biggest health threat facing humanity.” 

But before your climate anxiety rears its angry head (stay angry, just maybe a little less anxious!), it’s important to note that huge progress is being made. 

Whether it’s major corporations beginning to shift their unsustainable practices in alignment with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals , governments investing in renewable energy or wildlife protections , or simply larger and more accessible cultural awareness about how to be better stewards of the Earth, we can face this.

  • Pro-climate policy change
  • Access to clean energy for all
  • Promotion of sustainable economic growth (perhaps through Doughnut Economics )
  • Wildlife conservation
  • Ending reliance on fossil fuels
  • Halt and reverse deforestation and land degradation
  • Landback initiatives
  • Social equality and justice
  • The renewable energy sector is on track to hit net-zero goals by 2030 .
  • Technological developments are working to protect wildlife and monitor human activity at sea .
  • The U.S. has passed the largest and most comprehensive climate bill in the country’s history — and climate activists are just getting started.

→ Read more climate good news

Health Inequality

Regardless of whether it manifests as chronic disease, curable illnesses with vastly expensive treatments, or life-threatening epidemics, health inequality is central to the challenges of the global community.

Shaped by poverty and climate change, as well, health inequality leads to a lack of access to basic essentials, medicine, and economic opportunities, especially in developing countries.

While life expectancy has increased cumulatively in the last century, many countries still face high rates of disease and maternal and child mortality. 

Haiti continues to face cholera outbreaks. In Sierra Leone, one in 20 women die as a result of pregnancy or childbirth . And the World Health Organization calculates that 10 million people across the globe fall ill with Tuberculosis — a preventable and treatable disease — every year.

That being said, there is a lot to celebrate. As technological improvements, distribution of care, and funding dollars increase, there is hope for the future of global health.

  • Clean drinking water and sanitation across the globe
  • Improved nutrition and sustainable agriculture
  • Equitable access to healthcare
  • Equitable resources for healthcare providers to succeed
  • Doctors are using AI to more effectively diagnose and treat tuberculosis. 
  • Namibia is ahead of schedule in goals to eliminate HIV/AIDS .
  • Women in Sierra Leone are getting degrees in neonatal nursing to expand care.

→ Read more health good news

War & Conflict

With violent conflict, wars, and terrorist insurgencies popping up around the globe in places like Sudan , Ukraine , Afghanistan , Somalia , and more, peace feels more and more distant by the day.

Often a result of economic, political, religious, or cultural strife, war is not only detrimental to the soldiers and veterans on the front lines, but also for the civilians, economies, lands, and cultures impacted by violence.

In fact, experts estimate that 90% of wartime casualties are innocent civilians . As of August 2023, at least 940,000 people have been killed by direct war violence in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, and Pakistan. 

The number of people who have been wounded or fallen ill as a result of war is much higher, and these calculations do not include people who have died as a result of destruction, contamination, poverty, or other war-related issues. 

The human cost of war cannot be underestimated, and the need for peace is paramount.

  • Stopping terrorism
  • Strengthening democracy
  • Protecting free speech and access to information
  • Peace negotiations and treaties
  • Economic penalties for aggressors
  • Disarmament
  • This nonprofit turns firearms into gardening tools .
  • An organization in Ukraine is creatively problem-solving to house civilians who have been displaced within the country due to war.
  • A Civil War expert has outlined how to keep America from civil war .

→ Read more good news in response to war and conflict

Displacement

As of the end of 2022, 108.4 million people have been forcibly displaced due to persecution, conflict, violence, or human rights violations, according to the UN Refugee Agency.

Of that number, 35.3 million are refugees, 62.5 million are internally displaced, 5.4 million are asylum seekers, and another 5.2 million are in need of international protection. 

What’s even more staggering is that over half of those people come from just three countries: Syria, Ukraine, and Afghanistan. As neighboring countries become generous hosts , others impose strict immigration policies , and more complex challenges present themselves.

Aside from the stress of war, conflict or whatever else may have caused someone to flee their home, they are met with barriers like financial and housing issues, language barriers, lack of access to education or healthcare, and even prejudice and racism. 

The trauma of fleeing is often met with the trauma of resettling , which causes further harm and stress for those most in need of safety and stability.

  • Strong resettlement support systems
  • Safe routes to sanctuary
  • The end of trafficking, looting, and violence for refugees seeking asylum
  • The end of racism and xenophobia
  • Improved international relations and diplomacy 
  • This organization is finding creative solutions to housing Ukraine’s internally displaced communities
  • A Somali refugee now leads the clinic she visited as a child
  • Ukrainian refugee psychologists in Poland are providing mental health help to their peers, which provides them with job opportunities

→ Read more refugee good news

Food Insecurity

According to the World Bank, approximately 9.2% of the world’s population faced hunger in 2022 . Moderate or severe food insecurity impacted 29.6% of the global population in 2022. That’s 2.4 billion people.

Hunger has compounding impacts on health, economic well-being, education, and sustainable development. The bottom line? If you can’t nourish your body and mind, you can’t do much else. 

Whether caused by climate change, wealth inequality and poverty, inflation, supply chain issues, war, or all of the above, food insecurity impacts people across the globe at staggering rates. 

In fact, the United Nations currently shares that we are not on track to reach the goal of Zero Hunger , as part of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, by 2030. 

That said, people are working hard to turn things around. 

  • Assistance from initiatives like the World Food Program  
  • Sustainable agriculture
  • Climate resilience
  • Gender equality — especially focusing on the women who make up 45% of the global agricultural workforce
  • Decreased food waste
  • Wealth redistribution
  • Tech startups are doing their part to help feed families and connecting hungry folks to resources with ease
  • A teen is fighting food insecurity with hydroponic gardens in communities in Israel and the U.S. 
  • Government involvement works! Governments and nonprofits likely kept millions of Americans from food insecurity during COVID-19

→ Read more food good news

Water & Sanitation Insecurity

WASH — or water, sanitation, and hygiene systems — are crucial to the health and development of a country. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control , 2 billion people lack access to safely managed drinking water at home, 3.6 billion people lack access to safely managed sanitation services, and 2.3 billion lack basic hygiene services, like soap and water, at home — and 670 million have no access to hand-washing facilities at all. 

In addition to the universal detriment to health and safety that comes as a result of WASH insecurity, there is also a large-scale impact on gender equality as well.

A lack of adequate sanitation for girls and women impacts menstrual health and often keeps them from attending school. Additionally, women and girls are more likely to be responsible for collecting water for their families, also making it difficult for them to attend school.

  • Nature-based solutions like wetland restoration, mangrove conservation, and preserving of flood plains
  • Installation of clean water and sanitation systems in areas of need
  • Automation of water treatment and processing
  • Proper disposal of contaminants
  • Cape Town, South Africa solved its water crisis through community collaboration
  • Vending machines in Nairobi provide cheap, clean water in impoverished areas
  • Activists are working to ensure that the Navajo Nation has access to clean water

→ Read more good water news

Mental Health

There has been a 13% rise in mental health conditions and substance use disorders worldwide over the past decade, and the WHO estimates that one in eight people in the world live with a mental health condition . 

While mental disorders include a wide variety of conditions and experiences, most all can have a substantial impact on all areas of life, like school or work performance, relationships, and community. Unequal access to healthcare further exacerbates these challenges, as well.

The WHO estimates that depression and anxiety cost the global economy $1 trillion each year. Despite the widespread nature of mental health struggles, the global median of government health expenditures on mental health is less than 2%. 

  • Investment in the improvement and availability of mental healthcare
  • Widespread access to effective treatment and care
  • De-stigmatization of mental health conditions
  • Improved treatment of mental health conditions through effective research
  • Implementation of prevention programs
  • Improved living conditions on every level
  • Lawmakers are increasing mental health funding
  • Advancements like telemedicine and equitable insurance coverage are making mental healthcare more accessible
  • Passionate advocates are doing their part to fund mental health research  

→ Read more good news about mental health

Gender Inequality

It’s certainly no secret that gender plays a major role in how likely you are to succeed and thrive in the world. Gender inequality encompasses all kinds of compounding issues, like economic opportunity, education, health and survival, and political empowerment, to better understand where women and girls require more support.

About 2.4 billion women of working age are not afforded equal economic opportunity, and 178 countries maintain legal barriers that prevent their full economic participation, according to the World Bank .

Worldwide, 130 million girls are out of school , also according to the World Bank. While enrollment rates and parity with male peers are rising, completion of schooling is still low among girls around the globe. 

As far as health and survival, women’s health actually declined in 2021 , including sobering data from the pandemic, as well as consistently abysmal maternal health statistics worldwide. This is, of course, not to mention, the increasingly dangerous terrain of reproductive justice in the U.S. and beyond. 

Lastly, although women are increasingly present in political conversations, they still pale in comparison to their male peers. As of the beginning of 2023, 11.3% of countries have women Heads of State , and 9.8% have women Heads of Government, according to the UN. 

  • The end of political persecution of women
  • The end of child marriage and sexual harassment
  • Expanded economic opportunities — especially in the green economy
  • Women’s leadership widely supported
  • Protected and expanded access to women’s healthcare
  • Removal of barriers to success, like clean water and menstrual hygiene
  • Equal human rights and freedoms allowed for all, no matter their gender
  • Women are improving their own health outcomes by entering the medical field in countries like Rwanda and Sierra Leone
  • This NGO aims to educate 5 million girls in Africa by 2030
  • More women are becoming entrepreneurs than ever before

→ Read more good news about women

Children’s Rights

Children make up about a third of the total human population, and although their human rights — like the right to speak out and express opinions, and the rights to equality, health, education, clean environment, and a safe place to live — are protected in the 1989 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), many still face harm. 

(By the way, the UNCRC is the most ratified human rights treaty in the world, and only one member of the UN’s 197 member states hasn’t ratified it — the United States.)

These harms include physical, sexual, or emotional violence or neglect; child labor violations; child marriage; genital mutilation; the recruitment into armed conflict; and more. 

In fact, about 1 billion children between the ages of two and 17 are estimated to have experienced physical, sexual, or emotional violence or neglect in 2015, according to the WHO. 152 million children are engaged in child labor , according to World Vision. And, according to UNICEF, 41% of girls in least-developed countries are married before the age of 18 . 

  • End child marriage
  • Enable strict consequences for the violation of child labor laws
  • Invest in and support policies to protect children
  • Ensure access to necessities like clean water, food, and education for all children
  • Eradicate poverty 
  • Reduce violent conflict
  • And if you’re the United States… ratify the UNCRC
  • This startup helps people turn their wedding gifts into educational opportunities for girls in need as a way to end child marriage
  • Ukrainian refugee children are finding normalcy and development through playrooms in Moldova
  • The world has experienced a 59% decline in deaths of children under five since 1990

→ Read more human rights good news

Disability Rights

The WHO estimates that 1.3 billion people in the world — or one in every six people — have a disability .

While having a disability in itself isn’t a bad thing or a moral failing by any means, it significantly impacts one’s quality of life and social status. 

Disabled folks face many health inequities that arise from unfair conditions like stigma, discrimination, poverty, social exclusion, a lack of education and employment opportunities, and barriers in the health system.

Additionally, disabled people have twice the risk of developing other conditions, such as depression, asthma, diabetes, and more. Plus, the world is simply not built with disabled folks in mind. For example, disabled folks might find inaccessible transportation up to 15 times more difficult to navigate than able-bodied people. 

  • Universal and accessible design in cities and buildings
  • Improved access and affordability of healthcare
  • De-stigmatization of disabled people and disabilities in general
  • Policies that ensure equal opportunity in both education and employment
  • Widespread willingness to provide modifications and/or accommodations to disabled folks
  • Removal of social, physical, communication, and attitudinal barriers
  • “Disability doulas” are helping people with newly diagnosed disabilities
  • These popular pharmacy mascot dolls are giving disabled textile workers more career mobility 
  • Disability activists are making social media a more diverse and educational place

LGBTQ+ Rights

As of 2022, 68 countries criminalize homosexuality worldwide . Most of them are located in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, and four countries even have legislation that imposes the death penalty for sexual relations between people of the same sex. 

Of course, this is an egregious violation of human rights, and all LGBTQ+ folks should be free to love who they love, without the fear of persecution, violence, or death.

Even in the United States, where LGBTQ+ folks have many more freedoms than queer folks in other countries, these freedoms are under attack. In 2023, the ACLU tracked nearly 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills in state legislatures across the country, many of which aimed to criminalize transgender people or gender-affirming care. 

While, globally, the average level of acceptance for LGBTQ+ people has increased since 1980 — especially in western Europe, North America, and Australia — 57 countries and locations have still experienced a decline in acceptance during that time, according to the UCLA Williams Institute. 

  • Decriminalization of homosexuality (or any LGBTQ+ identity)
  • Improved social acceptance of LGBTQ+ folks
  • Creation of agencies and initiatives that protect and improve the well-being of LGBTQ+ people
  • Increased nondiscriminatory healthcare services, economic security, and financial stability across the board
  • Creation of safe, inclusive, welcoming, and affirming schools for LGBTQ+ youth
  • Greater access to safe and stable housing for LGBTQ+ folks
  • This nonprofit helps LGBTQ+ people flee persecution  
  • Transgender fiber artists are using quilts to help tell their stories
  • LGBTQ+ legislators in the United States are working hard to protect trans rights

→ Read more good LGBTQ+ news

Education Inequality

A lack of access to education is a large pillar of gender inequality across the globe. According to UNICEF, nearly one in three adolescent girls from the poorest households around the world has never set foot in a classroom. 

And we know it matters! According to the World Bank, one additional school year can increase a woman’s earnings by 10-20% . 

While global literacy rates have exponentially increased in the last century, education is still widely unequal, and primary school attendance remains a challenge, especially among developing countries. 

Another UN Sustainable Development Goal, ‘ Every Child Learns ,’ aims to provide equitable access to learning opportunities, improved learning and skills for all, and improved learning and protection for children in emergencies and crises. 

  • Reduced cost of education
  • Free or reduced meals for students at school
  • Improved resources and pay for teachers
  • Improved access to necessities like water and hygiene
  • Flexible modes of learning through technology and modern teaching models
  • Increased accessibility for disabled students
  • A new program, partly created by Hank Green, is helping to make getting college credits more accessible and affordable
  • This school on wheels provides tutoring to students experiencing homelessness
  • A school in Uganda is fusing Indigenous and financial education in a new, innovative approach

→ Read more good news about education

Homelessness & Housing Insecurity 

While it is difficult to track, the UN estimates that there are approximately 1.6 billion people living in inadequate housing worldwide , with around 15 million being forcibly evicted each year. 

Whether caused by war or conflict, climate disaster, skyrocketing cost of living, or the lack of affordable housing in an area, homelessness touches nearly every region of the world. 

Poverty and homelessness are closely linked , contributing to a cycle of instability that makes it difficult to find and keep work. Homelessness also impacts personal and public health concerns , occasionally leading to the spreading of disease, substance abuse, and poor mental health.

Countries that have successfully confronted homelessness include those like Finland , which have implemented a Housing First approach. 

  • Implementation of Housing First policies
  • Sustainable building models and city planning
  • Improved crisis response
  • Permanent supportive housing for vulnerable populations
  • Increased employment and income opportunities
  • An African startup is using plastic waste to build affordable housing
  • This TikTok-viral Sleep Trailer invention aims to provide affordable and transitional housing
  • Creative housing solutions are bringing affordable housing to cities all around the globe

→ Read more housing good news

The world faces an array of challenges; but we also have the solutions.

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World Vision International

5 Global Crises the world can't ignore in 2021

venezuelan migrants and refugees cross the border into Colombia

In some of the world’s most dangerous and complex places, COVID-19 has reversed decades of progress, with the  aftershocks  of the pandemic threatening more children’s lives than the virus itself .  COVID-19 magnified the effects of poverty - as conflict, political unrest, food insecurity and violence made children and families increasingly vulnerable. These are five crises the world can’t ignore in 2020.  

1. Food Insecurity

Food is more than a meal. it’s survival. .

If hunger does not kill a child, severe acute malnutrition at an early age can cause lifelong physical and mental damage. The world is not on track to achieve the targets it has set itself to improve nutrition by 2030 with 50.5 million children under five acutely malnourished.  

These children are concentrated in some of the most dangerous places in the world, with conflict and war largely contributing to hunger . In 2021, the effects of the global pandemic, ongoing conflict, and climate change are steadily increasing food insecurity for families and children.  

2. Refugees 

In 2021, more children will be on the move than ever before in history.  .

Last year more than 80 million people around the world were forced to flee their homes , around half of whom are under the age of 18. Violence and conflict are the main reasons people flee.

Families risk everything, undertaking long and dangerous journeys in the hope of finding safety and stability. By far the most affected group are children, who are often separated from their parents, lose access to education and healthcare, and become victims of early marriage and child labour.

3. Climate Change  

The weather on our planet is becoming more extreme, with direct impacts on the poorest and most vulnerable children. Parents struggle to feed their children when rains are late or non-existent. On the other end of this scale are deadly floods and landslides that destroy crops and communities, and become a breeding ground for disease.

Increasingly, severe droughts and floods drive rural families to new towns, cities, and countries which can trigger tension and conflict with host communities. 

Climate change is affecting the future of the most vulnerable children. With millions of families rely on farming for their families and an income, no income means no money for school fees, health, rent or stability.  

4. Child Marriage/Gender Discrimination 

COVID-19 has created a crisis for girls around the world. As vulnerable families lose their incomes, girls are being sold into child marriage just to make ends meet. We believe that as many as 13 million extra child marriages will occur in the years immediately following the pandemic, with at least four million more girls married in the next two years.  

The global pandemic has also created an education disaster for vulnerable girls. COVID-19 lockdowns, meant to keep children and families safe from the pandemic, have seen teen pregnancy rates spike. In sub-Saharan Africa where as many as one million girls may be blocked from returning to school due to becoming pregnant during COVID-19 school closures, 17-year-old Efua's* community in Ghana has seen a 9-fold increase in teen pregnancies. Child marriages and teen pregnancies exacerbate the cycle of poverty for girls growing up in the toughest places to be a child. 

5. Child Labour and Trafficking

The number of children experiencing physical, emotional and sexual violence, both now and in the months and years to come is set to rise.   As COVID-19 puts strain on family incomes, children are being forced to beg in the streets, or sent to work instead of going school just to help their families get by. 

In Asia alone, as many as 8 million children are being forced into begging and child labour  because parents cannot afford to buy enough food. 

Image removed.

At World Vision, we have been walking alongside vulnerable children, their families and communities for more than 70 years. The issues may change overtime, but we remain committed to helping all children experience fullness of life.

The World’s Biggest Problems Are Interconnected. Here’s How We Can Solve Them This Decade

problems in the world that aren't solved

T wo decades ago, people around the world rang in the new millennium with a growing sense of optimism. The threat posed by the Cold War was fading slowly in the rearview mirror. Leading thinkers like Francis Fukuyama touted the benefits of globalization , saying it would bring democracy and prosperity to the developing world. The nascent Internet economy promised to bring us closer together.

The following 20 years took some of the air out of the assumption of steady progress, but when future historians assess the 21st century, the year 2020 is likely to serve as the point at which the optimism bubble burst. The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed a complex web of interlocking problems that have morphed into full-blown crises. The coronavirus laid bare the dangers of endemic poverty not only in the developing world but also in rich countries like the U.S., where millions lack health care and are one paycheck away from living on the street. Around the world, racial and ethnic minorities have demanded justice after centuries of structural discrimination. Woven through it all, the earth’s climate is increasingly unstable, posing an existential threat to human society as we know it. In the next decade, societies will be forced to either confront this snarl of challenges, or be overwhelmed by them. Our response will define the future for decades to come.

The recognition that these challenges are fundamentally linked isn’t new. Activists and academics have for many years pointed to the cascading effects of various social ills. Whether it’s the way racism contributes to poor health outcomes or gender discrimination harms economic growth , the examples are seemingly endless. But this understanding has made its way into the conversation about solutions too.

Notably, for the past five years, the U.N. has touted 17 interrelated sustainable development goals, objectives for building a more viable world, and called for a push to achieve them by 2030. The goals, which cover environmental, social and economic progress, are nonbinding but have become key benchmarks for commitments at a national and corporate level. Countries from China to the Maldives, as well as companies like Amazon , Microsoft and PwC, have committed to rolling out policies over the next decade that will set them on a path to eliminate their carbon footprints.

The understanding that these problems require holistic solutions has only grown amid the pandemic and its fallout. President Joe Biden has referred to four urgent crises—the pandemic, the economic crisis, racial injustice and climate change—and promised a push to tackle them all together. The European Union’s program to propel the bloc out of the COVID-19 crisis targets climate change, while incorporating equity concerns. As stock markets soared last year, institutions with trillions of dollars in assets demanded that their investments deliver not only a good return for their wallets but also a good return for society.

All these developments and many more have created new opportunities for bold ideas . These new ways of thinking will come from government leaders, to be sure, but also from activists, entrepreneurs and academics. Here, our eight inaugural members of the 2030 committee offer their own specific solutions—and in them, perhaps, the seeds of 21st century optimism.

This appears in the February 1, 2021 issue of TIME.

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Write to Justin Worland at [email protected]

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To solve big issues like climate change, we need to reframe our problems

Cliffs, beach and sea scene, hand holding white frame; reframing the scene.

Reframing our problems could help yield new solutions to major issues like climate change and gender inequality. Image:  Unsplash / @pinewatt

.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo{-webkit-transition:all 0.15s ease-out;transition:all 0.15s ease-out;cursor:pointer;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;outline:none;color:inherit;}.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo:hover,.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo[data-hover]{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;}.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo:focus,.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo[data-focus]{box-shadow:0 0 0 3px rgba(168,203,251,0.5);} Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg

Jonathan wichmann.

problems in the world that aren't solved

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Stay up to date:, behavioural sciences.

  • Reframing social and global problems could yield viable solutions to major issues such as climate change and gender inequality.
  • Being able to identify patterns in how people tend to frame problems underpins this approach.
  • Three such patterns include framing problems to avoid change, to blame individuals instead of the system, and to bypass "messy" realities.

Imagine you own an office building and your tenants are complaining that the elevator is way too slow. What do you do?

Faced with this problem, most people instinctively jump into solution mode. How can we make the elevator faster? Can we upgrade the motor? Tweak the algorithm? Do we need to buy a new elevator?

The speed of the elevator might be the wrong problem to focus on, however. Talk to an experienced landlord and they might offer you a more elegant solution: put up mirrors next to the elevator so people don’t notice the wait. Gazing lovingly at your own reflection tends to have that effect.

The mirror doesn’t make the elevator faster. It solves a different problem – that the wait is annoying.

Solve the right problem

The slow elevator story highlights an important truth, in that the way we frame a problem often determines which solutions we come up with. By shifting the way we see a problem, we can sometimes find better solutions.

Problem framing is of paramount importance when it comes to tackling the many hard challenges our societies face. And yet, we’re not terribly good at it. In a survey of 106 corporate leaders, 87% said their people waste significant resources solving the wrong problems. When we go to the doctor, we know very well that identifying the right problem is key. Too often, we fail to apply the same thinking to social and global problems.

Problem framing is of paramount importance when it comes to tackling the many hard challenges our societies face.

Three common patterns

So, how do we get better at it? One starting point is to recognise that there are often patterns in the way we frame problems. Get better at recognising those patterns, and you can dramatically improve your ability to solve the right problems. Here are three typical patterns:

1. We prefer framings that allow us to avoid change

People tend to frame problems so they don’t have to change their own behaviour. When the lack of women leading companies first became a prominent concern decades ago, it was often framed as a pipeline problem. Many corporate leaders simply assumed that, once there were enough women in junior positions, the C-suite would follow.

That framing allowed companies to carry on as usual for about a generation until time eventually proved the pipeline theory wrong , or at best radically incomplete. The gender balance among senior executives would surely be better by now if companies had not spent a few decades ignoring other explanations for the skewed ratio.

People tend to frame problems so they don’t have to change their own behaviour.

2. We blame individuals and ignore the system

Another pattern is that we tend to frame problems at the level of the individual, overlooking systemic factors.

Climate change is an obvious example. Research shows the majority of your carbon footprint is determined by your socioeconomic status and the shared emissions of the area in which you live. There’s only so much you can do to change this, unless you are willing to engage in a very radical lifestyle change such as living off the grid. In popular culture, however, climate change is mostly framed as an individual choice, for example choosing to fly less or at least buy a carbon offset if you do fly.

Framing climate change as an individual responsibility is not a bad thing. If enough people change, it makes a real difference, at least over time. Research has also suggested that individual action can build momentum for systemic change.

But the framing can also distract us from focusing on systemic issues, including what companies do (or don’t do) to address climate change. Some companies may be using this strategically. For example, it's a little-known fact that oil company BP popularised the idea of a “carbon footprint” as part of a mid-2000s advertising campaign .

Framing can distract us from focusing on systemic issues, including what companies do (or don’t do) to address climate change.

3. We want magic bullets, not messy reality

Most of our social and global problems are multi-causal. The problem-solving scholar Russell L. Ackoff memorably used the term “ messes ” to describe real-world problems. But people often dislike complexity, preferring neat stories with a single, easily-identifiable villain.

Take the case of gun deaths in the US. Advocates for gun ownership often use the “mental health” argument that guns don’t kill people, people do. On the other hand, people who dislike guns often see it as an access problem and call for a ban on all guns. Arguably, both of these framings are as simplistic as they are infeasible.

Contrast this with the approach described by the economist Paul Krugman in a recent New York Times column . He uses the car industry to reframe the gun debate. We fight automobile accidents through a broad suite of different interventions, which allows us to keep using our cars but in a safer way.

This approach calls for a portfolio of reasonable regulations that recognises the political fact that many Americans want to keep their guns. This is a far stretch from the binary "access-or-mental-health" framing and, in our opinion, much more likely to create results.

Problem framing is a critical skill and one that can make a big difference to our shared problems.

How to escape a horrible boss

Problem framing is a critical skill and one that can make a big difference to our shared problems. But that’s not the only reason to get better at it - framing can also be useful in our personal lives.

The creativity scholar Robert Sternberg once told the story of an executive who loved his job but hated his boss. The executive’s contempt for his boss was so strong that he decided to contact a headhunter who said that finding a similar job elsewhere should be easy. The same evening, however, the executive spoke to his wife, who happened to be an expert on reframing.

This led to a better approach. In Sternberg’s words: “He returned to the headhunter and gave the headhunter his boss’s name. The headhunter found a new job for the executive’s boss, which the boss—having no idea of what was going on—accepted. The executive then got his boss’s job.”

It seems we could all do with a little bit of reframing.

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11 epic mysteries scientists totally can’t solve

What is the universe made out of? When did the anus evolve? Can humans live to 150 years old? And more!

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To investigate some of the biggest mysteries in science, you have to venture to some pretty far-out places: the bottom of the oceans , inside the human brain , the tops of mountains , and even the end of time .

That’s what we’ve done on Unexplainable , a science podcast that Vox launched in March to explore the most important, interesting, and awe-inspiring unanswered questions in science. We set out to ask big questions that inspire scientists to do their work — questions that fill them with wonder or a sense of purpose, or remind them that the universe is still an enormous place with untapped potential.

In exploring these stories, we’ve learned some of the surprising reasons why major scientific mysteries can go unsolved for years or even decades: Some are due to the limits of technology, others are because of human failings. Regardless, working on Unexplainable has reminded us there’s hope in a question. Why ask one if you don’t believe an answer is possible?

Here, we rounded up 11 questions that astounded us the most.

For more mysteries, subscribe to Unexplainable wherever you listen to podcasts .

What is most of the universe made out of?

It’s a simple question that’s also bafflingly unanswered: What makes up the universe? It turns out all the stars in all the galaxies in all the universe barely even begin to account for all the stuff out there. Most of the matter in the universe is actually unseeable, untouchable, and, to this day, undiscovered. It’s called dark matter, and despite searching for it for decades, scientists still have no idea what it is.

Further reading: Dark Matter, unexplained

What lives in the ocean’s “twilight zone”?

As you dive deeper into the ocean, less and less sunlight shines through, and about 200 meters beneath the surface, you reach an area called the “twilight zone.” Sunlight fades almost completely out of view, and our knowledge about these dark depths fades too.

“It’s almost easier to define it by what we don’t know than what we do know,” Andone Lavery, an acoustician at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, told Vox’s Byrd Pinkerton.

Yet this region of the ocean is extremely important. It’s possible — but not certain — that there are more fish living in the twilight zone than the rest of the ocean combined, and creatures of the dark ocean play a large role in regulating the climate.

Further reading: “It’s deep. It’s dark. It’s elusive.” The ocean’s twilight zone is full of wonders.

What killed Venus?

“Hellscape” is the most appropriate word to describe the surface of Venus, the second planet from the sun. At 900 degrees Fahrenheit, it’s the hottest planet in the solar system, thanks in part to an atmosphere of almost entirely carbon dioxide. Clouds of highly corrosive sulfuric acid are draped over a volcanic landscape of razor-sharp lava flows. Most crushingly, the pressure on the surface of Venus is about 92 times the pressure you’d feel at sea level on Earth.

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Unexplainable  is a weekly science podcast about everything we don’t know. For stories about great scientific mysteries,  follow us wherever you listen to podcasts .

Yet some scientists suspect Venus was once much like Earth, with a liquid water ocean like the ones that support life on our planet. This prompts an existential question for life on Earth. “It really is a question about why are we here,” says Robin George Andrews, volcanologist and author of Super Volcanoes: What They Reveal about Earth and the Worlds Beyond .

“Venus and Earth are planetary siblings,” Andrews says. “They were made at the same time and made of the same stuff, yet Venus is apocalyptic and awful in every possible way. Earth is a paradise. So why do we have a paradise next to a paradise lost?”

There are two leading hypotheses. One is that the sun cooked Venus to death. The other is that volcanoes did.

Further reading: Venus could have been a paradise but turned into a hellscape. Earthlings, pay attention.

What will animals look like in the future?

It’s impossible to completely predict how evolution will play out in the future, but that doesn’t mean we can’t try. Reporter Mandy Nguyen asked biologists and other experts to weigh in: What could animals look like a million years from now?

The experts took the question seriously. “I do think it’s a really useful and important exercise,” Liz Alter, professor of evolutionary biology at California State University Monterey Bay, told Nguyen. In thinking about the forces that will shape the future of life on Earth, we need to think about how humans are changing environments right now.

Further reading: The animals that may exist in a million years, imagined by biologists

What causes Alzheimer’s?

There is no cure for Alzheimer’s, a neurodegenerative disease that causes dementia, and no highly effective treatments, despite decades of research. Why? For one thing, scientists don’t have a complete understanding of what causes the disease.

For years, the prevailing theory has been that Alzheimer’s is caused by pile-ups of proteins called amyloids, which effectively create plaques in the brain. But drugs that help clear amyloids from the brain don’t seem to work very well in combating the disease.

Some scientists think Alzheimer’s researchers have been too focused on this one theory, at the expense of studying other potential causes, like viral infections.

Further reading: The new Alzheimer’s drug that could break Medicare

How is a brainless yellow goo known as “slime mold” so smart?

Slime mold is an extremely simple organism that is also extraordinarily complex.

Technically, they are single-celled organisms. But many individual slime mold cells can fuse themselves together into a huge mass, capable of, well ... thinking.

Slime mold can solve mazes and seems to be able to make risk-benefit decisions. There’s even evidence that slime mold can keep track of time . They do this all without a brain or even a single brain cell. Whatever mechanism allows slime mold to solve these problems, it’s evolved in a manner different from humans. How exactly do they do this? And what can it teach us about the nature of intelligence?

Further reading: Hampshire College promoted a brainless slime mold to its faculty. And it’s working on border policy.

What’s the oldest possible age a human can reach?

Is the first human to live to 150 years old alive today? We don’t know. On average, the human lifespan has risen over the decades in most of the world, but it’s unclear if there’s a ceiling. Could a human live into their second century? The technology and medicine that could make that possible may already be in development. But if it works, there will be unsettling questions for societies to answer.

Further reading: Science reporter Ferris Jabr’s piece “ How Long Can We Live? ” for the New York Times Magazine inspired this episode.

Are long-haul symptoms unique to Covid-19?

Millions of people around the world have dealt with long-term symptoms of Covid-19 for weeks or months after their initial infection has cleared. Some scientists say these “long-haul” symptoms are not unique to Covid. Instead, they argue that many types of viral infections can leave people with long-term symptoms, which often can go under-recognized in medicine. The question is: What connects all of these long-haul symptoms?

“It has always been [and] is the case that patients who get sick experience high levels of symptoms like those described by long-Covid patients,” Megan Hosey, assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, told Vox’s Julia Belluz . “We have just done a terrible job of acknowledging [and] treating them.”

Further reading: The nagging symptoms long-haulers experience reveal a frustrating blind spot in medicine.

Why don’t doctors know more about endometriosis?

In people with endometriosis, tissue similar to what grows inside the uterus grows elsewhere in the body. It’s a chronic condition that can be debilitatingly painful. Yet doctors don’t fully understand what causes it, and treatment options are limited.

Worse, many people with endometriosis find that doctors can be dismissive of their concerns. It can take years to get an accurate diagnosis, and research into the condition has been poorly funded.

Vox reporter Byrd Pinkerton highlighted how frustrating it can be to suffer from an often-ignored, chronic condition. “It’s just so, so, so soul-crushing to just live in this body day in and day out,” one patient told Pinkerton.

Further reading: People with endometriosis experience terrible pain. There’s finally a new treatment.

Why do we have anuses — or butts, for that matter?

This is a question we never even knew we wanted to answer — until we heard the Atlantic’s Katherine Wu explain that “the appearance of the anus was momentous in animal evolution.” Before the appearance of the anus, animals had to eat and excrete through the same hole. The anus allowed for a more efficient system, and allowed animal life on Earth to grow bigger and take on new shapes and forms.

But scientists don’t have a complete picture of the evolutionary history here; they don’t know which creature developed the anus first, and when. “It’s so hard to study something that must be millions and millions of years old and doesn’t fossilize,” Wu says.

And then there’s a whole other question: Why is the human butt so big, compared with other mammals?

Further reading: Katherine Wu’s “ The Body’s Most Embarrassing Organ Is an Evolutionary Marvel ,” at the Atlantic.

What the heck is ball lightning?

For millennia, people have been telling stories about mysterious spheres of light that glow, crackle, and hover eerily during thunderstorms. They’ve been spotted in homes, in rural areas, in cities, on airplanes , and even passing through windows .

They seem out of this world, but scientists believe they are very much of this world. These apparitions are called ball lightning, and they remain one of the most mysterious weather phenomena on Earth.

Ball lightning usually only lasts for a few moments, and it’s impossible to predict where and when it’ll show up. You can’t hunt ball lightning and reliably find it. Ball lightning finds you.

It’s rare, but many people have seen it. Scientists don’t know exactly where it comes from, but that hasn’t stopped them from trying to make it themselves, in their labs.

Further reading: Ball lightning is real, and very rare. This is what it’s like to experience it.

And so many more...

Those are just 11 of the mysteries we’ve explored in Unexplainable . There are so many more ! They include questions like: Can we predict when tornadoes will form? Where does all the plastic go in the ocean? Why do some people think they can talk to the dead? What’s the deal with “Havana syndrome”? How will the universe end? How tall is Mount Everest? Why does the placebo effect work? Find all the episodes here .

If you have ideas for topics for future shows, send us an email at [email protected].

Will you help keep Vox free for all?

At Vox, we believe that clarity is power, and that power shouldn’t only be available to those who can afford to pay. That’s why we keep our work free. Millions rely on Vox’s clear, high-quality journalism to understand the forces shaping today’s world. Support our mission and help keep Vox free for all by making a financial contribution to Vox today.

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December 22, 2023

The Most Important Unsolved Problem in Computer Science

Here’s a look at the $1-million math problem at the heart of computation

By Jack Murtagh

mathematic formulas on a computer display, blue text on black screen

alengo/Getty Images

When the Clay Mathematics Institute put individual $1-million prize bounties on seven unsolved mathematical problems , they may have undervalued one entry—by a lot. If mathematicians were to resolve, in the right way, computer science's “P versus NP” question, the result could be worth worlds more than $1 million. They'd be cracking most online-security systems, revolutionizing science and even, in effect, solving the other six of the so-called Millennium Problems, all of which were chosen in the year 2000. It's hard to overstate the stakes surrounding the most important unsolved problem in computer science .

P versus NP concerns the apparent asymmetry between finding solutions to problems and verifying solutions to problems. For example, imagine you're planning a world tour to promote your new book. You pull up Priceline and start testing routes, but each one you try blows your total trip budget. Unfortunately, as the number of cities grows on your worldwide tour, the number of possible routes to check skyrockets exponentially, making it infeasible even for computers to exhaustively search through every case. But when you complain, your book agent writes back with a solution sequence of flights. You can easily verify whether their route stays in budget by simply checking that it hits every city and summing the fares to compare against the budget limit. Notice the asymmetry here: finding a solution is hard, but verifying a solution is easy.

The P versus NP question asks whether this asymmetry is real or an illusion. If you can efficiently verify a solution to a problem, does that mean you can also efficiently find a solution? It might seem obvious that finding a solution should be harder than verifying one. But researchers have been surprised before. Problems can look similarly difficult—but when you dig deeper you find shortcuts to some and hit brick walls on others. Perhaps a clever shortcut can circumvent searching through zillions of potential routes in the book tour problem. For example, if you instead wanted to find a sequence of flights between two specific remote airports while abiding by the budget, you might also throw up your hands at the immense number of possible routes to check. In fact, this problem contains enough structure that computer scientists have developed a fast procedure (or algorithm) for it that bypasses the need for an exhaustive search.

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The P versus NP question rears its head everywhere we look in the computational world well beyond the specifics of our travel scenario—so much so that it has come to symbolize a holy grail in our understanding of computation. Yet every attempt to resolve it only further exposes how monumentally difficult it is to prove one way or another.

In the subfield of theoretical computer science called complexity theory, researchers try to pin down how easily computers can solve various types of problems. P represents the class of problems they can solve efficiently, such as sorting a column of numbers in a spreadsheet or finding the shortest path between two addresses on a map. In contrast, NP represents the class of problems for which computers can verify solutions efficiently. Our book tour problem, which academics call the Traveling Salesperson Problem , lives in NP because we have an efficient procedure for verifying that the agent's solution worked.

Notice that NP actually contains P as a subset because solving a problem outright is one way to verify a solution to it. For example, how would you verify that 27 × 89 = 2,403? You would solve the multiplication problem yourself and check that your answer matches the claimed one. We typically depict the relation between P and NP with a simple Venn diagram:

Venn diagram shows one large circle labeled “NP” encompassing a smaller one labeled “P.” The entire circle is labeled “Problems with solutions that computers can verify easily.” The area inside of P is labeled “Problems with solutions that computers can find easily.” The area in NP but outside of P is labeled “Problems with solutions that computers can verify but not find easily.”

The region inside of NP but not inside of P contains problems that can't be solved with any known efficient algorithm. (Theoretical computer scientists use a technical definition for “efficient” that can be debated, but it serves as a useful proxy for the colloquial concept.) But we don't know whether that's because such algorithms don't exist or we just haven't mustered the ingenuity to discover them. This representation provides another way to phrase the P versus NP question: Are these classes actually distinct? Or does the Venn diagram collapse into one circle? Can all NP problems be solved efficiently?

Here are some examples of problems in NP that are not currently known to be in P:

  • Given a social network, is there a group of a specified size in which all of the people in it are friends with one another?
  • Given a varied collection of boxes to be shipped, can all of them be fit into a specified number of trucks?
  • Given a sudoku (generalized to n × n puzzle grids), does it have a solution?
  • Given a map, can the countries be colored with only three colors such that no two neighboring countries are the same color?

Ask yourself how you would verify proposed solutions to some of the problems listed and then how you would find a solution. Note that approximating a solution or solving a small instance (most of us can solve a 9 × 9 sudoku ) doesn't suffice. To qualify as solving a problem, an algorithm needs to find an exact solution for all instances, including very large ones.

Each of the problems can be solved via brute-force search (for example, try every possible coloring of the map and see whether any of them work), but the number of cases to try grows exponentially with the size of the problem. This means that if we call the size of the problem n (for example, the number of countries on the map or the number of boxes to pack into trucks), then the number of cases to check looks something like 2 n . The world's fastest supercomputers have no hope against exponential growth. Even when n equals 300, a tiny input size by modern data standards, 2 300 exceeds the number of atoms in the observable universe. After hitting “go” on such an algorithm, your computer would display a spinning pinwheel that would outlive you and your descendants.

Thousands of other problems belong on our list. From cell biology to game theory, the P versus NP question reaches into far corners of science and industry. If P = NP (that is, our Venn diagram dissolves into a single circle, and we obtain fast algorithms for these seemingly hard problems), then the entire digital economy would become vulnerable to collapse. This is because much of the cryptography that secures such things as your credit card number and passwords works by shrouding private information behind computationally difficult problems that can become easy to solve only if you know the secret key. Online security as we know it rests on unproven mathematical assumptions that crumble if P = NP.

Amazingly, we can even cast mathematics itself as an NP problem because we can program computers to efficiently verify proofs. In fact, legendary mathematician Kurt Gödel first posed the P versus NP problem in a letter to his colleague John von Neumann in 1956. Gödel observed that P = NP “would have consequences of the greatest importance. Namely, it would obviously mean that ... the mental work of a mathematician concerning yes-or-no questions could be completely replaced by a machine.”

If you're a mathematician worried for your job, rest assured that most experts believe that P does not equal NP. Aside from the intuition that sometimes solutions should be harder to find than to verify, thousands of the hardest NP problems that are not known to be in P have sat unsolved across disparate fields, glowing with incentives of fame and fortune, and yet not one person has designed an efficient algorithm for a single one of them.

Of course, gut feeling and a lack of counterexamples don't constitute a proof. To prove that P is different from NP, you somehow have to rule out all potential algorithms for all of the hardest NP problems, a task that appears out of reach for current mathematical techniques. Indeed, the field has coped by proving so-called barrier theorems, which say that entire categories of tempting proof strategies to resolve P versus NP cannot succeed. Not only have we failed to find a proof, but we also have no clue what an eventual proof might look like.

WIForum

100+ global problems worth solving

Of course this list is far from being complete. It’s just a tiny start.

CONTRIBUTE And you can add to this list of “global problems worth solving” on our Google Drive . Feel free to add yourself to the contributor list. Do not spam it – please. We will update this post once in a while.

(1) Building a platform that collects problems, anybody can contribute and be curated by the community.

ENVIRONMENT

(2) Inventing new material or techniques to replace plastic (3) Inventing new techniques, and materials to replace paper (4)Inventing new techniques and products, recycling any given material (5) Inventing new materials replacing plastic bottles and cups (6) Creating new ways to package food (100’s of varieties of food) environmentally friendly (7) Finding artificial, yet environmentally friendly replacement for wood to reduce deforestation (8) Inventing new motors that neither use electricity nor fuel

(9) Finding ways to augment education in conventional schools and universities with highly relevant education (10) Creating social education programs that can run in parallel to schools, universities or jobs (11) Offering classes for undergrads, how to get successful and rich (12) Providing better base education programs on political know how (13) Providing better education programs on the general concept of economies (14) Providing better education on how wars are started and how peace is achieved and maintained today (15) Creating more tangible lifelong learning concepts (16) Creating more universally applicable career guidance mechanisms or platforms (17) Creating solutions to shift from an “all learn – all work” model to a more balance model

(18) Exploring new ways to generally reduce and safe energy (19) Providing a more transparent and plausible energy consumption prediction for the scenario that most people on earth are out of poverty, living in newly developed countries (20) New ways to harvest energy from bio thermal energy sources (21) New ways to harvest solar energy (22) New ways to harvest hydro energy (23) Finding ways to transmit energy created on the moon, down to earth (24) Identifying new ways to harvest energy from unidentified sources (25) Finding all new ways to store electric energy in bigger volume and less in size and weight (26) Smart energy re-distribution for those who produce excess energy that can be provided to others

PRODUCTS & TECHNOLOGY

(27) Lower cost reliable Internet connections (28) Independent and reliable “News & Information Publishing” organization (29) Better, social media integrated search engines (30) All new and modern operating systems (31) Fully integrated business application tools (32) Meteorology technology provider not only for weather forecasts but for everything agricultural (33) Generally available intelligent traffic lights, connected to a traffic flow system, but autonomous features (34) Low cost mini satellites to explore earth and space, provide data hubs, accessibility and more (35) Omnipresent, inexpensive and easy mobile payment system (36) Building robots for all kinds of dedicated tasks such as cleaning shoes, planting crops, cleaning windows, etc. (37) The whole range of wearable products counting, watching, recording, measuring all kinds of things underway (38) Situation dependent automatically changing materials to turn a lofty t-shirt into a rain covering shirt (39) Smart materials that change their behavior based on environmental conditions i.e, taking the carbon out of carbon dioxide and returning the dioxide back to air (40) Smart Contract development for cryptocurrency agnostic blockchain like media (41) Universal low voltage power connection system that handles everything from a single wall plug to staggering distribution (42) Creating universal ultra small IOT devices that allows any product to be programmed by a smartphone including remote controls, refrigerators, heaters, air conditioner, lights – anything. One interface for any product in the future. (43) New better zipper that do not stuck, break or derail WATER & SANITATION

(44) New ways to get to clean water (45) Better ways to turn salt water into sweet water (46) New ways to manage waste water in rural areas (47) Cheaper ways to produce sanitation products i.e. toilets (48) All new toilette models alleviating paper use (49) More efficient ways for flushing toilets than using precious water (50) New product for cleaning replacing bathtubs and showers or make their use a less used luxury (51) More water consumption sensitive products such as water cranes, showers, garden watering systems

FOOD & DIET 

(52) New ways to offer unified insights into the ingredients of food in any supermarket (53) Ways to eradicate factory farming (mass animal farming) (54) More scientifically proven and generally understood advice to a healthy diet (55) New ways to provide food portions in smaller sizes to stimulate reduction of food consumption and reduction of food waste RESEARCH, DATA & INFORMATION

(56) Finding new ways to research all the facts and sources of climate change (57) Finding new ways to deal with climate change and leverage the development so far (58) Finding ways to predict climate change more precisely for the next 50 years and provide meaningful indications for the agricultural industry (59) Better ways to organize research in general, creating more unbiased data. (60) Catalog of things that could be done with AI and inspires developer (61) An AI development system that could be used by virtually anybody (62) Research for a more rational view of the evolving powers of Artificial Intelligence (63) Creating algorithms that focus on environmental dependencies of new technologies (64) Identify new ways that help certain countries to get off of the data protection hysteria (65) New suggestions for data privacy models that give more power to the individual (66) Developing ways to deal with the general risk of eradicating life through asteroids (67) Developing scenarios to evacuate earth if needed, even though we would probably take 1,000 years to find the technical possibilities. (68) New tools and platforms to interact with governments and communities (69) New apps that cover all of the problems, allow to contribute in all kinds of ways and see reports (70) 3-D printing companies, producing unique products, spare-parts, artificial organs, and more (71) Cyber security improvements to significantly reduce or even alleviate hack attacks (72) Data ownership mechanisms, rules and technology that makes sure that personal data are controllable by its owner

(73) Providing better technology for customer experience management (74) Providing a new value system for corporate balance sheets involving employee contribution (75) Providing new ways to offer equity to highly innovative employees (76) Develop new systems that can track the degree of innovation development (77) Design new systems for customer interaction with corporations (78) Design new corporate employee education systems including lifelong learning (79) Create a fortune 100,000 leader board with indexes addressing environmental, employee and other key aspects (80) Creating all new insurance business models that provide much more contract transparency and easier to deal with (81) Online grocery stores with home delivery like a few in Germany or Switzerland (82) New media business models, disrupting the user unfriendly monopolies (83) Much easier booking systems for public transportation anywhere in the world (84) Creating systems that alleviate waiting (in line, at doctors, at shops, at bus stops….)

(85) More effective ways to deal with birth control in times where we help more people to survive (86) Starting large scale research that can only be done with tens of thousands of supporters (87) Finding better ways to deal with migration, integration and return mechanisms (88) Finding ways to replace prisons with socially effective methods of societal reintegration (89) Finding new policies to deal with people ignoring the generally accepted rules of societal coexistence (90) Finding solutions to get to a broader reach of well being for all humans (91) Developing new political concepts or new varieties of democracy that is more applicable in today’s world (92) Developing new job concepts for people who work on social or macro economic solutions to be financed (93) Developing new concepts for city creation addressing the bigger problems of today’s cities (94) Developing new and holistic ways to reduce traffic congestion in larger cities (95) Developing new logistical concepts to bring the huge amount of products directly to the citizens (96) Developing new techniques to transport the remaining waste to the designated areas without the current waste disposal chain (97) Finding new methods to alleviate corruption in government and other large organizations (98) Finding new mechanisms to make governments more accountable, providing rewards and punishment solutions based on their achievements relative to their promises

(99) New ways to provide a more balanced healthcare for the various developed nations (100) New ways to provide healthcare in the first place for developing nations (101) New ways for mental health care (102) New ways to produce cheaper medicine or secure living without medicine

This list of “global problems worth solving” will sooner or later grow much bigger. We are looking forward to your inputs.

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February 8, 2024

This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

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Population can't be ignored—it has to be part of the policy solution to our world's problems, says researcher

by Jenny Stewart, The Conversation

Population can't be ignored—it has to be part of the policy solution to our world's problems

There is a growing consensus that environmental problems, particularly the effects of climate change, pose a grave challenge to humanity. Pollution, habitat destruction, intractable waste issues and, for many, deteriorating quality of life should be added to the list.

Economic growth is the chief culprit. We forget, though, that environmental impacts are a consequence of per capita consumption multiplied by the number of people doing the consuming. Our own numbers matter.

Population growth threatens environments at global, national and regional scales. Yet the policy agenda either ignores human population, or fosters alarm when perfectly natural trends such as declining fertility and longer lifespans cause growth rates to fall and populations to age.

That there are still too many of us is a problem few want to talk about. Fifty years ago, population was considered to be an issue , not only for the developing world , but for the planet as a whole. Since then, the so-called green revolution in agriculture made it possible to feed many more people. But the costs of these practices, which relied heavily on pesticide and fertilizer use and relatively few crops, are only now beginning to be understood.

The next 30 years will be critical. The most recent United Nations projections point to a global population of 9.7 billion by 2050 and 10.4 billion by 2100. There are 8 billion of us now. Another 2 billion will bring already stressed ecosystems to the point of collapse.

It's the whole world's problem

Many would agree overpopulation is a problem in many developing countries, where large families keep people poor. But there are too many of us in the developed world, too. Per person, people in high-income countries consume 60% more resources than in upper-middle-income countries and more than 13 times as much as people in low-income countries.

From 1995 to 2020, the UK population, for example, grew by 9.1 million. A crowded little island, particularly around London and the south-east, became more crowded still.

Similarly, the Netherlands, one of the most densely populated countries , had just under 10 million inhabitants in 1950 and 17.6 million in 2020. In the 1950s, the government encouraged emigration to reduce population densities . By the 21st century, another 5 million people in a tiny country certainly caused opposition to immigration, but concern was wrongly focused on the ethnic composition of the increase. The principal problem of overpopulation received little attention.

Australia is celebrated as "a land of boundless plains to share". In reality it's a small country that consists of big distances.

As former NSW Premier Bob Carr predicted some years ago, as Australia's population swelled, the extra numbers would be housed in spreading suburbs that would gobble up farmland nearest our cities and threaten coastal and near-coastal habitats. How right he was. The outskirts of Sydney and Melbourne are carpeted in big, ugly houses whose inhabitants will be forever car-dependent.

Doing nothing has a high cost

The longer we do nothing about population growth, the worse it gets. More people now inevitably mean more in the future than there would otherwise have been.

Population can't be ignored—it has to be part of the policy solution to our world's problems

We live very long lives, on average, so once we're born, we tend to stick around. It takes a while for falling birthrates to have any impact.

And when they do, the population boosters respond with cries of alarm. The norm is seen as a young or youngish population, while the elderly are presented as a parasitical drag upon the young.

Falling reproduction rates should not be regarded as a disaster but as a natural occurrence to which we can adapt.

Recently, we have been told Australia must have high population growth, because of workforce shortages. It is rarely stated exactly what these shortages are, and why we cannot train enough people to fill them.

Population and development are connected in subtle ways, at global, national and regional scales. At each level, stabilizing the population holds the key to a more environmentally secure and equitable future.

For those of us who value the natural world for its own sake, the matter is clear—we should make room for other species. For those who do not care about other species, the reality is that without a more thoughtful approach to our own numbers, planetary systems will continue to break down.

Let women choose to have fewer children

So, what to do? If we assume the Earth's population is going to exceed 10 billion, the type of thinking behind this assumption means we are sleepwalking our way into a nightmarish future when a better one is within our grasp.

A radical rethink of the global economy is needed to address climate change. In relation to population growth , if we can move beyond unhelpful ideologies, the solution is already available.

People are not stupid. In particular, women are not stupid. Where women are given the choice, they restrict the number of children they have. This freedom is as basic a human right as you can get.

A much-needed demographic transition could be under way right now, if only the population boosters would let it happen.

Those who urge greater rates of reproduction, whether they realize it or not, are serving only the short-term interests of developers and some religious authorities, for whom big societies mean more power for themselves. It is a masculinist fantasy for which most women, and many men, have long been paying a huge price.

Women will show the way, if only we would let them.

Provided by The Conversation

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problems in the world that aren't solved

When it comes to everyday problems in your life, some are easier to fix than you might think, like not having enough lighting in your kitchen or losing items in your purse. Amazon is a handy site when looking for solutions, as they have tons of products to help solve those pesky common issues.

In this list, you’ll find a bunch of simple life solutions , at home and on the go. In the kitchen, you can improve your dish-drying setup with this silicone drying mat that’s easy to clean. Make it easier to add sugar to your coffee or tea with this glass container that dispenses from the bottom.

Forgetting where to be and when? Keep your appointments and events more organized with this magnetic whiteboard calendar that’s perfect for attaching to your fridge. Is your closet becoming an issue? You can better organize your shoes with this bamboo shoe rack that looks great wherever it’s placed.

Whether your problems are in the kitchen, the closet, or your own purse, you’ll find plenty of solutions that make your life just a little bit easier in this list.

Problem: You Can’t Reach The Candle Wick

RONXS Candle Electric Lighter

After you’ve burned a candle for a while, it can be tricky to light without burning your hand. This electric lighter has a long, bendable neck, so you can adjust it based on the size and depth of your candle. Since it’s electric, the lighter is rechargeable using a USB charging port and doesn’t use lighter fluid.

Problem: Your Half-Eaten Bag Of Chips Went Stale

Shendian Mini Chip Bag Sealer

Keep your snacks fresh with this mini bag sealer . The device uses heat to reseal the packaging of chips, cookies, and other snacks, so they don’t go stale. It heats up in just a few seconds and seals almost instantly. It’s also lightweight, so you can take it to work or while traveling.

Problem: Necklaces Are Getting Tangled

Susmii Layered Necklace Clasp (2-Pieces)

A layered necklace look is always chic — unless, of course, your necklaces get tangled. This clasp allows you to clip three necklaces onto little rings that keep the chains separated. It clasps together with a magnet, so it’s easy to take on and off. It’s also great for bracelets and comes in silver and gold.

Problem: Inside Your Bag Is A Mess

ZTUJO Purse Organizer Insert

Having an organized purse is a rare skill that most of us don’t possess — it doesn’t help that many bags (looking at you totes!) don’t even have any inner pockets or storage. This purse organizer insert has 10 pockets, including a zippered one, so you can keep your wallet, makeup, gum, and other items in their own pockets. The organizer is made from a sturdy felt material and comes in 19 colors and designs, including snakeskin and polka dot.

Problem: Burning Your Fingers & Forearms

POPCO Professional Silicone Oven Mitts

When it comes to kitchen tools, oven mitts are not somewhere you want to skimp, since they protect you from burning yourself. These silicone oven mitts have an extra thick padded lining, so they keep your hands and arms safe, but they also have a silicone layer on the outside which makes them heat resistant up to 450 degrees. Aside from the brilliant red shade featured, you can also buy them in aqua, gray, and black.

Problem: Charging Cables Everywhere

Poweroni 3-in-1 Wireless Charger Station

Keep all your devices at 100% with this 3-in-1 charging station. With a spot for your phone, smartwatch, and earbuds, this charging station is perfect for keeping in your home or office. It uses wireless charging, so it also means you won’t have a huge mess of cords. It’s compatible with most smart devices, including Apple, Android, and Samsung.

Problem: Poorly Lit Cabinets & Closets

Brilliant Evolution Under Cabinet Lights (2-Pack)

Add more light to your closets, cabinets — or anywhere that needs a little extra light — without having to install a whole light fixture. These under the cabinet lights come with adhesive tape, so they’re easy to install. A remote is included, so the brightness can be easily adjusted.

Problem: Bugs Getting In The House

Flux Phenom Magnetic Screen Door

When the weather’s nice out, it’s the perfect time to leave your door open to let the warm breeze in. Of course, the open air comes with bugs — unless you have one of these magnetic screen doors . Made from a fine mesh, the screen lets air in but keeps bugs and debris out. It also has a magnetic closure so you can enter and exit even if your hands are full.

Problem: Running Out Of Paper Towels

Swedish Wholesale Swedish Dish Cloths (10-Pack)

Paper towels are handy, but they eventually run out. These Swedish dishcloths , on the other hand, are machine washable and reusable up to 100 times. Plus they come in a pack of 10, so they can take the place of several paper towel rolls. The cloths are stiff when dry but become soft and pliable when wet.

Problem: Overbooking Your Schedule

Home & Me Magnetic Dry Erase Whiteboard and Calendar

If you have a hard time keeping track of your schedule, then this magnetic whiteboard calendar will come in handy. The calendar is ideal for attaching to the fridge, or any other magnetic surface. It can be filled in and erased each month to keep track of appointments and events. You can use it immediately, as it comes with six dry erase markers.

Problem: Having Noisy Housemates

MAXTID Door Draft Stopper

Keep your room quiet with this door draft stopper that blocks out noise and insulates. This stopper has a velcro strip that makes it more adjustable. It also helps keep cold air out and keep heat in. For those with noisy roommates, this can offer a bit more peace at a low price.

Problem: Losing Your Luggage

Highwind Luggage Initial Bag Tag

It can be hard to keep track of your luggage when so many suitcases look alike. Set yours apart with this luggage tag that has a big colorful letter on it to match your initial on your first or last name. The tag is made of rubber, so it won’t be easily damaged, and includes a card for writing down your contact information in the chance your luggage gets misplaced.

Problem: Not Being Able To Properly Clean Your Reusable Straws (Or Not Having Them At All)

Flathead Reusable Silicone Drinking Straws (10-Pack)

Reusable straws are great for reducing single-use plastic, but they can be a pain to clean. These silicone straws come with their own cleaning brush that gets into the narrow cavity of the straws. They can be used for hot and cold drinks and are safe to throw in the dishwasher. They also come in a 2-pack, with 20 straws total.

Problem: Breaking Dishes Because You Don’t Have A Proper Place To Dry Them

HOTPOP Sturdy Silicone Dish Drying Mat

If you’re playing Jenga with your dishes when you’re setting them on your counter to dry then chances are you’ve broken more than a few. But that is where this silicone dish drying mat comes in: It’s soft but non-slip so you can set your wet dishes on it without them slipping around, cracking, and shattering. It is easy to clean, so it won’t build up dirt and grime like a cloth drying mat. It’s dishwasher safe and heat-resistant, so you can also use it to support hot plates.

Problem: Getting Syrup Or Honey All Over Your Hands

Hunnibi Glass Honey & Syrup Container Dispenser

When it gets on your hands, syrup seems to multiply — making everything you touch sticky for the rest of the day. But with this syrup/honey dispenser , you can keep your hands clean. The dispenser has a lever you can pull that releases syrup from the bottom of the bottle. Dispensing from the bottom also means you’ll be able to get every last drop of the sticky sweet liquid sugar without having to shake the bottle or awkwardly balance it on its head while it slowly drips towards the opening at the top. This dispenser comes with a stand with a reservoir to catch any syrup drips.

Problem: Running Out Of Aluminum Foil

Bee's Wrap Reusable Beeswax Food Wraps (3-Pack)

Never worry about running out of foil or plastic wrap again with this reusable food wrap made from beeswax. These wraps are moldable to your needs, so they can cover a large bowl of salad or wrap around a leftover piece of fruit. They’re washable and reusable, plus biodegradable, so they’re better for the environment.

Problem: Your Rugs Are Sliding Around

iPrimio Non Slip Area Rug Pad

Keep your rugs from slipping around the floor with this rug pad that can be cut to fit any size you need. The pad is made from a non-slip foam that can be used on wood floors, tile, and other materials. It automatically sticks to the rug and the floor, so there’s no special installation required.

Problem: There’s Not Enough Storage Space In The Living Room

Greenco Faux Leather Ottoman Stool

Use this storage ottoman to hold blankets, books, pillows, and other items that don’t necessarily have a good home in your living room. The ottoman has a faux leather cushioned top, which is perfect for resting your feet on. The lid is removable with a collapsible base.

Problem: Figuring Out Where To Put Your Phone During Workouts

SATINA High-Waisted Leggings

Workout clothes don’t always have pockets for holding your phone the way a pair of jeans does. Luckily, these high-waisted leggings have pockets on the thigh, so your phone will be safe and secure while you’re going on a walk or run. They’re made from a soft, stretchy fabric made from a spandex and polyester blend for maximum comfort.

  • Available sizes: One Size and One Size Plus
  • Available colors: 51

Problem: It’s Too Bright To Nap

Estilo Black Window Shades (6-Pack)

Darken your room without the hassle of professionally installing shades. This set of six window shades comes with sticky adhesive for easy installation. They can also be cut to size, so you can fit them exactly to your window. They also come with clips to help you easily adjust the height.

Problem: You’re Not Able To Find Your Keys After Dropping Them

RAK Magnetic Pickup Tool with 3 LED Lights

Dropping your keys in the dark can be a huge pain, but this magnetic pickup tool will help save the day. The tool has a long arm, bright flashlight, and magnetic surface to pick up whatever you dropped. Use it to safely collect anything metal, or magnetically attach it to a metal surface, like the hood of your car, for better vision.

Problem: There’s No Way To Store Canned Pet Food

DYBEN Pet Can Covers (5-Pack)

I recently started feeding my dog canned wet food, and having can covers makes it so much easier. This set of five covers is made from food-safe silicone and fits three different sizes of cans. They’re dishwasher safe and come in an array of colors. They also have a cute paw tab that makes removal a breeze.

Problem: You Slept In And It’s Too Late To Get Coffee

Bean Envy Milk Frother

We can’t all get up early to make it to the coffee shop before work. Make your own fancy latte at home with this milk frother . The lightweight device is easy to use and turns milk into foam in just a few seconds. It’s portable, so you can even take it with you to work or on vacation. It also comes with its own metal stand.

Problem: There’s Nowhere To Put Your Essentials When Going For A Walk

OlimpiaFit Water Resistant Fanny Pack

Sometimes you want to go on a walk or hike, but don’t want to drag around a heavy backpack. Did you know that fanny packs are back in style? This fanny pack is the perfect option for holding your phone, wallet, keys, and other essentials. The fanny pack is made from durable nylon that is water-resistant. It has six zippered pockets, so your things will be safe and sound.

Problem: Breaking Eggs When Storing Them In The Fridge

Greenco Stackable Egg Trays (2-Pack)

Cardboard egg cartons are flimsy — stack them in your fridge and chances are you’re probably going to end up breaking an egg or two — which is why these plastic egg cartons are so genius. They’re sturdy and stackable, so you can organize your fridge and protect your eggs. The trays come in a pack of two and hold 12 eggs each.

Problem: You’re Dropping Nails & Screws While Working

RAK Magnetic Wristband

If you like to spend time working on DIY projects or doing repairs, then this magnetic wristband will come in handy. The wristband attaches with velcro and is handy for holding screws, nails, or other tools you’re using while working. The wristband is equipped with 10 strong magnets, but it’s still lightweight.

Problem: You’re Spending Too Much On Cold Brew

Willow & Everett Cold Brew Coffee Maker

Save yourself time in the morning and ditch the coffee shop. This cold brew maker has a stainless steel filter and holds up to 12 cups, so you can make cold brew for the whole week. Just put your favorite coffee grounds in the filter, add water, and put it in the fridge to steep. It can also be used for making iced tea. It comes in two sizes — two liters and a gallon.

Problem: You Always Drop Your Soap In The Shower

BBTO Soap Saver Bag (5 Piece)

A bar of soap can be hard to hold onto in the shower, but these soap saver bags are easier to grip. The five-bag set is made from natural sisal plants, which help the soap lather and produce foam. The bags are also ideal for when the bar of soap gets too small, but you’re not ready to throw it out just yet.

Problem: There’s Nowhere To Store Leftover Food

FineDine Glass Food Storage Containers Set (24-Piece)

A good set of food containers serve as one of the most useful tools in any kitchen. These glass storage containers come in a set of 24, with a range of sizes to fit everything from leftover salmon to half a lemon. The containers have an airtight seal that is leakproof, so it’s perfect for storing leftovers to take for lunch.

Problem: The Sheets Keep Coming Off The Bed

Raytour Bed Sheet Holder Straps

It’s a pain when your fitted sheets don’t stay fitted. These sheet holder straps clip onto the corner of your sheets, holding them in place so they don’t slip off. The straps have metal clips and elastic bands, which are easy to install. They’re basically like little suspenders for your sheets.

Problem: You Can’t Find Your Shoes

FILWH Bamboo Stackable Shoe Shelf

If you have a habit of misplacing your shoes around the house, then this shoe shelf will help keep them organized. Made from sturdy bamboo, the shelf holds three or four pairs of shoes on each tier and is perfect for keeping in the entryway or bedroom. If you need three or more tiers, Amazon offers those options as well.

Problem: Misplacing Your Keys

Tile Mate Bluetooth Tracker

Attach this Tile Bluetooth tracker to your keyring and you won’t have to dig through all your purses to find your keys. The small, lightweight tracker connects to the Tile app on your phone, so it can help you find your keys in your home, or if you left them in your bag somewhere while out and about. It’s incredible how much time you’ll save (and how many appointments you’ll be on time for.)

Problem: Uneven Winged Eyeliner

Flick Stick Winged Eyeliner Stamp

Unless you’re a professional makeup artist, getting the perfect winged eyeliner can be tricky. This eyeliner stamp makes it so much easier by literally stamping the shape of the wing on the corner of your eye. Each liner has two ends, one for the stamp and one with a fine point for refining the edges. It’s also waterproof and smudge-proof.

Problem: Forgetting A Good Pillow While Traveling

Wise Owl Outfitters Camping Pillow

One of the worst feelings in the world is needing a pillow, but not having a pillow. Luckily, you can prep ahead of time by storing this compressible memory foam pillow in the trunk of your car. It doesn’t take up a lot of room but will offer a ton of comfort in a pinch. It’s also machine washable.

Problem: Getting Sauce On The Counter

Silicone Utensil Rest with Drip Pad

The problem with most spoon rests is that they only hold one spoon. This silicone utensil rest has four slots, which is perfect if you’re the kind of cook (like me) who cooks with a spatula and two spoons at the same time. The utensil rest has a large drip pad to catch any sauce or liquid that drips off. The best part is that you can easily throw it in the dishwasher to clean.

Problem: Avocados Going Bad Too Quickly

Evriholder Saver Avocado Holder (2-Pack)

Avocados are an odd shape, so they don’t always fit in a typical storage container. This avocado saver is designed to preserve the fruit with an indent designed to fit around the pit (leaving the pit in helps it from going brown) The container also has an adjustable strap to keep the avocado in place, like a little seatbelt.

Problem: Having Too Much Produce You Didn’t Finish

Food Huggers Reusable Silicone Food Savers (5-Pack)

These silicone food huggers are a versatile kitchen accessory and can be used to preserve half an apple, a partially used onion, or as a replacement lid on a jar. They come in a set of five of varying sizes, and are a great solution for replacing plastic wrap or foil, and help reduce single-use plastic in your home.

Problem: You Can’t Get All The Toothpaste Out

LOVEINUSA Toothpaste Tube Squeezer (4-Pack)

Get the most out of your toothpaste with these tube squeezers . Just like the name implies, these handy tools squeeze out every last drop from the tube, and can also be used for makeup, lotion, or anything else that comes in a tube. They come in a pack of four, so you’ll have plenty at hand.

Problem: You Can’t Find Your Earrings

BB Brotrade Hanging Jewelry Organizer

Make it easier to find the pair of earrings or that necklace you want to wear with this jewelry organizer . With 80 clear vinyl pockets, this organizer makes it easy to find the piece you’re looking for while also keeping them from getting tangled with each other. The organizer also has a hook at the top, making it easy to hang.

Problem: The Duvet Getting Scrunched Up In Its Cover

PinionPins Clear Magnetic Duvet Clips with Key

Keeping your duvet in place inside a duvet cover is no easy feat. Luckily, these magnetic duvet clips are an easy solution. The clips secure your duvet with a magnetic pin, and each pin can secure up to 10 pounds. They come in a set of eight, so you can secure the whole edge.

Problem: Accidentally Shrinking Cotton Clothes

Amazon Basics Folding Laundry Rack

Not all fabrics are suitable for a dryer. This Amazon Basics laundry rack is perfect for hanging shrinkable fabrics like cotton, delicate undergarments, or other items that you want to air-dry. The steel rack can support up to 32 pounds and is collapsible, so you can store it away when not in use.

Problem: Leaving The Lights On

Sengled Smart Light Bulbs (4-Pack)

Once you leave the house, there’s no way to know whether or not you left any lights on. That is, unless you use these smart lightbulbs that you can control from your phone. These bulbs connect to an app (and can even connect to Alexa and Google Home) where you can turn them on and off, adjust the brightness, and even change the color of the light.

Problem: Losing Jewelry While Traveling

SANQIANWAN Small Jewelry Travel Organizer Box

If you take your favorite jewelry with you on a trip, then you’re gonna want a safe place to store it. This travel jewelry organizer has compartments to hold rings, necklaces, and other assorted jewelry. It has a zipper closure and is compact enough to fit in a purse. Plus, it comes in 17 colors.

Problem: Pants That Are Too Long

Fearless Tape Double Sided Tape for Clothing (50-Pack)

Adjust the length of your pants without going to a tailor using this double-sided clothing tape . It’s safe to use on both your skin and clothing without damaging either. It can also be used to keep clothing in place, like a dress strap or a low-cut blouse. Each pack comes with 50 pieces of tape.

Problem: Wrinkly Clothing

The Laundress Crease Release Wrinkle Spray

It can be a whole ordeal to pull out the iron just to remove a few wrinkles. This crease release spray works without an iron. Just spray it on the fabric and smooth your hand over it to remove the wrinkles. Plus, it has a clean, fresh laundry scent.

problems in the world that aren't solved

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24 Problems We Should Have Solved By Now

We've explored every corner of the planet. We've used technology to create a global community. We've even put a man on the moon. But we still haven't figured out how to make fitted sheets stay put? Really?

Tanner Greenring

BuzzFeed Staff

1. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups first came out 86 years ago. THIS STILL HAPPENS EVERY SINGLE TIME!

problems in the world that aren't solved

2. You want a pen? Fine, BUT YOU’RE GOING TO WORK FOR IT.

problems in the world that aren't solved

3. That’s not an eraser on the end of your pencil; IT’S A GODDAMNED LIE.

problems in the world that aren't solved

4. THIS ISN’T CONVENIENCE; THIS IS JUST THEATER!

problems in the world that aren't solved

5. NAILED IT, Netflix! I’m DEFINITELY trying to watch my favorite show, “Movies, supernatTV shows, actors, directors.”

problems in the world that aren't solved

6. Did you think you could defy gravity? HUBRIS! THESE ARE THE CONSEQUENCES!

problems in the world that aren't solved

7. God forbid you CHOOSE A SPELLING AND STICK WITH IT, iTUNES.

problems in the world that aren't solved

8. I sure hope your SHOES AND BACKPACK ARE COMFORTABLE, YOU MONSTER!

problems in the world that aren't solved

9. Your computer will select EVERY PIECE OF TEXT OTHER THAN WHAT YOU WANTED. EVERY. TIME.

10. thanks for the reminder, asshole.

problems in the world that aren't solved

11. “Click to enlarge”?! I TRUSTED YOU, WEBSITE! THIS IS HOW YOU DO ME?!

problems in the world that aren't solved

12. Nothing makes you feel cleaner than your knuckles RUBBING AGAINST THE BACK OF A FILTHY SINK. DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MANY OTHER KNUCKLES HAVE RUBBED THAT SINK?! MILLIONS, PROBABLY!

problems in the world that aren't solved

13. GODDAMNIT BUTTER! YOU’RE USELESS!

problems in the world that aren't solved

14. JUST LOOK UP! IT’S RIGHT THERE! YOU’RE DOING THE THING!

problems in the world that aren't solved

15. Your bowl has no problem ferrying whatever slop you're eating from your table to your face, but the second it’s empty IT JUST FOLDS UNDER THE PRESSURE OF YOUR STUPID SPOON.

problems in the world that aren't solved

16. You wanted a receipt? HAVE THIS YARD OF USELESS BULLSHIT INSTEAD!

problems in the world that aren't solved

17. Sweet dreams! Don’t worry about your fitted sheet. It’ll just be over there in the corner MAKING YOUR LIFE A LIVING HELL.

problems in the world that aren't solved

18. CAN WE ALL JUST AGREE TO STOP PUTTING STICKERS ON THINGS?!

problems in the world that aren't solved

19. Oh! That’s convenient! Now you don’t need to calculate the tip. EXCEPT THAT $10.25 ISN’T A 20% TIP — IT’S LIKE A 50% TIP.

problems in the world that aren't solved

20. Great textbook design. IT’S NOT LIKE YOU NEED TO STUDY OR ANYTHING.

21. oh perfect that’s exactly where a shoe tongue belongs you stupid piece of shit shoe.

problems in the world that aren't solved

22. WHY DOES THIS ALWAYS HAPPEN?! WHERE DO THESE LITTLE HOLES COME FROM?!

problems in the world that aren't solved

23. Need to erase some text? HOW ABOUT SHUTTING DOWN YOUR COMPUTER INSTEAD?!

problems in the world that aren't solved

24. There’s a special place in hell for book publishers that REFUSE TO LINE UP THE SPINES OF BOXED BOOK SETS.

problems in the world that aren't solved

Via /r/mildlyinfuriating

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15 Everyday Real Life Problems You Face That Have No Solutions

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problems in the world that aren't solved

Life is beautiful even though it comes with its own set of common everyday problems. Regardless of your lifestyle, you’re bound to experience these problems; but who cares. The onus is on us to live this one life with joy and happiness with all these problems without solutions.

In your daily lives, we face a lot of problems that are hilarious, petty, and yet they make your lives hell. But unlike usual problems, we also experience problems that don’t require any solutions–we just go through and laugh. In some cases, these so-called problems are what makes life more interesting and memorable.

You talk about the advancing technology and worship Elon Musk for his futuristic ideas, but there are plenty of unsolved everyday problems that even he won’t be able to find a solution.

Here is a hilarious take on some of those common  problems people face every day  in life where you cannot get away from and yet not find a perfect solution.

1. When you have to visit the loo at night, but you don’t want to get up from the bed because laziness runs in the blood.

This often happens when you’re already sleeping well in a comfortable bed in a cold room. Taking the loo at night and then going back to your sleep won’t guarantee that you’ll be able to experience the same level of comfort.

Also read: 15 Symbolic Small Tattoos With Deep Meanings To Get Inked For A Lifetime

2. You have to lose weight, but just the sight of food makes you crazy. So body goals basically make you ‘gol’.

This is a common problem for many, so if you see yourself experiencing this kind of dilemma, don’t worry because you’re not alone.

3. When you realize your height has come to a standstill but you wanted to be tall. Be ready to invest a lot in heels!

Heels are common products in the market today and you can easily buy several pairs just to look tall. But the real question is, can your feet survive walking around in heels for hours?

4. Whenever you put on Sony, all you see is CID.

5. when you switch on the fm to listen to some music, but all you hear is mindless blabbering..

The never-ending talks of the RJs will usually prompt you to either turn off the radio, work in silence or sing on your own.

6. When a bird shits on you in the middle of nowhere.

While some people would consider this as good luck, having a bird poop on your face or clothes will surely put you in a bad mood. If you truly want to experience good luck without sacrificing your looks, consider looking for information about agate meaning and use gems instead.

Also read: 5 Qualities In Men That Women Always Find Irresistible In Any Part Of The World

7. So you’re a single girl looking for a decent flat? Good luck with that!

8. “freelancer ho oh, par kartey kya ho”, 9. when you have 5.5” phone, but a tiny pocket..

A phone is always a necessity every single day. Not having a pocket large enough to carry it around can become an inconvenience.

10. When air is no longer one of those free things in life.

11. when you realize that mentos has got nothing to do with your ‘ dimag ki batti ’. in short, you are stupid and will remain so., 12. when the eclairs sticks to your teeth and there’s no way to get it out..

This situation can be very stressful, especially if you’re going to eat candy in public. How do you think can you make a good impression on your date if Eclairs are stuck on your front tooth?

13. You have no idea what to do with the torn notes.

14. when you make the mistake of ordering continental food in rajdhani express., 15. when your period comes before the scheduled date., stories that strike a chord, delight, and inspire get them inboxed ..

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The Borgen Project

Top Problems in the World That Can Be Solved

problems in the world that can be solved

Top Problems that can be Solved

The Copenhagen Consensus Center, a think tank that researches the smartest solutions to global issues, organized a panel of five distinguished economists in 2012 to set priorities for fighting the 10 top problems in the world that can be solved:

  • Armed Conflict
  • Chronic Disease
  • Infectious Disease
  • Population Growth
  • Biodiversity
  • Climate Change
  • Hunger and Malnutrition
  • Natural Disasters
  • Water and Sanitation

The panel was asked to describe the best ways to advance global welfare, specifically that of developing countries. The experts then assembled a prioritized list of thirty solutions.

Solutions to the World’s Issues

The number one solution was “bundled interventions to reduce undernutrition in pre-schoolers” and addressed the challenge of hunger and education. Some other proposals high on the list were subsidies for malaria combination treatment and expanding childhood immunization coverage.

The group of experts covered topics besides health, with solutions ranging from investing in early warning systems for natural disasters to increased funding for green energy.

With this list in mind, world leaders at the U.N. Sustainable Development Summit adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in Sept. 2015. On Jan. 1, 2016, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) replaced the eight Millennium Development Goals of 2015.

The new 17 SDGs were to:

  • End poverty
  • End hunger and improve nutrition and sustainable agriculture
  • Promote well being for all ages
  • Ensure equitable and quality education
  • Achieve gender equality
  • Ensure water and sanitation for all
  • Ensure access to modern energy for all
  • Promote sustainable economic growth and productive employment
  • Build resilient and innovative infrastructure
  • Reduce inequality
  • Make settlements safe, resilient and sustainable
  • Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
  • Take urgent action to combat climate change
  • Conserve and sustainably use Earth’s water
  • Promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems and forests, and halt and reverse land degradation and biodiversity loss
  • Promote peaceful societies, provide access to justice and build effective, accountable institutions
  • Implement and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development

A New Set of Problems

80,000 Hours, an independent nonprofit organization that researches how graduates can make the biggest difference possible with their careers, came up with another list defining problems in the world that can be solved. Drawing from research from groups such as the University of Oxford’s Future of Humanity Institute and the Copenhagen Consensus Center, 80,000 Hours created a framework to rate global issues.

The organization based its scoring on how solving the problem would reduce the risk of extinction , raise the global economic output, increase the income among the world’s poorest 2 billion people and save years of healthy life. It also used factors like the amount of good done compared to the percent of the problem solved and the number of resources required.

Risks from artificial intelligence topped 80,000 Hours’ list  out of 11. Also on the list were biosecurity, developing world health and climate change. Other issues 80,000 Hours has yet to rate include science policy and infrastructure, cheap green energy and promoting human rights. The group indicates that improving health would be more beneficial than topics like empowering the poor and education.

Due to how differently each solution overlaps with others there are various ways to rank a list of top problems in the world that can be solved. Thankfully, experts are doing their best to target issues to focus on and world leaders are taking calculated steps to implement solutions to such issues.

– Connie Loo

Photo: Flickr

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Why the Tech Industry Won’t Disrupt Health Care

  • John Glaser,
  • Sara Vaezy,
  • Janet Guptill

problems in the world that aren't solved

Digital transformation will most likely come from established health systems. Here’s what they need to do.

At first glance, it looks like health care in the United States is ripe for disruption. Digital technology advances have the power to help address the shortcomings of care delivery: It costs too much, its quality isn’t what it could and should be, and millions of people live hundreds of miles from the nearest hospital and/or don’t have a primary care doctor. But for many reasons, the incumbents — established health systems — will be extremely hard to displace. Instead, the winners will be health systems that team up with digital tech companies.

We’ve all watched digital innovators demolish certain industries: video and record stores, neighborhood movie theaters, travel agents. A one-time #18 on the Fortune 500, photo film giant Eastman Kodak was felled by digital photography. But some industries and players successfully fend off digital competitors and incorporate their innovations into their daily operations. An Economist article observed that even though most banking has moved online, the average large bank is 138 years old. Walmart, the world’s largest brick-and-mortar retailer, is also the second-largest online retailer.

  • John Glaser is an executive in residence at Harvard Medical School. He previously served as the CIO of Partners Healthcare (now Mass General Brigham), a senior vice president at Cerner, and the CEO of Siemens Health Services. He is co-chair of the HL7 Advisory Council and a board member of the National Committee for Quality Assurance.
  • Sara Vaezy is executive vice president and chief strategy and digital officer at Providence, where she is responsible for corporate strategy, artificial intelligence strategy, marketing, digital, and experience for the integrated delivery network, which includes 51 hospitals and 1,000 clinics serving 5 million patients annually. She also is a member of the National Committee for Quality Assurance’s board of directors and the Harvard Executive Education faculty.
  • Janet Guptill is president and CEO of the Scottsdale Institute, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping its more than 60 large, integrated health systems leverage information and technology to create effective, affordable, and equitable health care centered on whole person care.

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Large-scale cellular phone outage hits AT&T customers across US

More than 70,000 affected as users of AT&T report disruptions including to emergency service calls

A cellular phone outage hit cities across the US early on Thursday. Thousands of AT&T customers reported service disruptions that rendered them unable to send texts, access the internet or make calls, even to emergency services via 911.

More than 50,000 incidents were reported at about 7am ET, according to data from the outage tracking website Downdetector.com. Outage reports spiked above 70,000 around 9am ET.

By 11am ET, reports of service failures had decreased to 60,000. Just after noon, AT&T said in a statement it had restored 75% of its network. Around 4pm ET, the company said it had “restored wireless service to all our affected customers”.

“We sincerely apologize to them,” the company’s statement reads.

An AT&T spokesperson, Jim Greer, said in an earlier statement: “Some of our customers are experiencing wireless service interruptions this morning. We are working urgently to restore service to them. We encourage the use of wifi calling until service is restored.”

AT&T, the largest cellular service provider in the US, with 240 million subscribers, has not offered a detailed explanation for the outage but said in a statement that it did not believe it was due to a cyber attack. “Based on our initial review, we believe that today’s outage was caused by the application and execution of an incorrect process used as we were expanding our network,” the company said in a statement .

Intermittent outages have hit AT&T networks in recent days, but the scale of Thursday’s outage was much larger.

Cities where most users were affected included San Francisco, Houston, Atlanta and Chicago, the website showed.

Federal law enforcement agencies in the US were investigating whether a technical malfunction or a cyberattack could have caused the outage, ABC News reported. According to a memo from the Department of Homeland Security’s digital threats division, Cisa, “the cause of the outage is unknown and there are no indications of malicious activity.”

Users of Verizon, T-Mobile, Cricket and UScellular also reported disruptions, though the outage with the services was much smaller than AT&T, according to Downdetector. Verizon and T-Mobile tweeted that the outage had not affected their own customers except when attempting to reach customers of another carrier.

T-Mobile said in a statement: “We did not experience an outage.” Verizon’s statement read: “Verizon’s network is operating normally.”

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AT&T operates a network for first responders and emergency services, FirstNet, which went out alongside the company’s general cell network, but AT&T said FirstNet was back online by 10.30 am US eastern time. A post on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, from the San Francisco fire department said the outage was affecting people’s ability to reach emergency services by dialing 911.

“We are aware of an issue impacting AT&T wireless customers from making and receiving any phone calls (including to 911),” the fire department said, adding that it was “actively engaged and monitoring this”. Chicago’s office of emergency management and communications issued a similar statement.

Atlanta’s mayor, Andre Dickens, said that calls to and from the city’s emergency services were still functional: “Atlanta’s e-911 is able to receive inbound and make outbound calls. We have received calls from AT&T customers that their cellular phones are in SOS mode.”

Massachusetts state police said the department’s dispatch centers had been inundated with worried callers testing their phone service by dialing 911. The bureau advised against doing so.

The department said via X: “Many 911 centers in the state are getting flooded w/ calls from people trying to see if 911 works from their cell phone. Please do not do this. If you can successfully place a non-emergency call to another number via your cell service then your 911 service will also work.”

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AT&T Says Service Is Restored After Widespread Cellular Outage

White House officials said the incident was under investigation, but it did not appear to be a cyberattack. Verizon and T-Mobile said their networks were operating normally.

The AT&T logo.

By Jenny Gross and David McCabe

Jenny Gross reported from London and David McCabe reported from Washington.

AT&T said on Thursday that it had fully restored service to its wireless network after a widespread outage temporarily cut off connections for users across the United States for many hours, the cause of which was still under investigation.

The outage, which affected people in cities including Atlanta, Los Angeles and New York, was first reported around 3:30 a.m. Eastern time, according to Downdetector.com , which tracks user reports of telecommunication and internet disruptions. At its peak, the site listed around 70,000 reports of disrupted service for the wireless carrier.

Multiple government agencies said they were looking into the incident, although the Biden administration told reporters that AT&T said there was no reason to think it was a cyberattack.

AT&T did not disclose the scope of the outage, nor the reason for it. When the outage first began on Thursday morning, the company listed the cause as “maintenance activity.”

Jim Greer, an AT&T spokesman, apologized in a statement confirming service was restored and said the company was “taking steps to ensure our customers do not experience this again in the future.”

The outage underscored the importance of connectivity to daily life as individuals and businesses were cut off from communications and the ability to use mobile apps. AT&T advised consumers they could make calls over Wi-Fi and sought to respond to angry customers online. Many phones showed an “SOS” symbol on their screen, signaling they could only make emergency calls, while local governments offered alternate ways to reach 911.

Reports of outages on Downdetector began to fall midmorning, and at one point AT&T’s website showed that outages were limited to users in California , though users in other states were still reporting issues. Cricket, which is owned by AT&T, also reported that its users were experiencing wireless service interruptions and said it was working to restore service.

Reports also surfaced early Thursday that FirstNet, the network AT&T maintains for emergency services personnel, had experienced outages, but AT&T said around 10:30 a.m. that the network was fully operational.

Verizon experienced 3,000 reports of outages at one point on Thursday and T-Mobile about half that. Both companies said in statements that their networks were operating normally.

“Some customers experienced issues this morning when calling or texting with customers served by another carrier,” Verizon said. “We are continuing to monitor the situation.”

In an email, T-Mobile said that it did not experience an outage. “Downdetector is likely reflecting challenges our customers were having attempting to connect to users on other networks.”

Officials in Washington said they were working to understand the cause of the outage. A spokesman for the Federal Communications Commission said its inquiry was being handled by its Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, which was in touch with AT&T as well as other providers.

John Kirby, a National Security Council spokesman, said on a call with reporters on Thursday that the Biden administration was told “that AT&T has no reason to think this was a cybersecurity incident,” although he added that they would not be certain until an investigation had been completed.

Mr. Kirby said that, in addition to the F.C.C., the Department of Homeland Security and the F.B.I. were collaborating with technology companies to investigate the outage.

The F.B.I. said in a statement it was in touch with AT&T and would respond accordingly if any malicious activity was found.

Throughout the day, cities urged residents to find alternate ways of reaching emergency or municipal services, like landlines or phones connected to Wi-Fi. The City of Upper Arlington, Ohio , said the fire department might not be notified of fire alarms because of the outage. It urged that any fire alarm be followed up with a 911 call.

The San Francisco Fire Department said on social media that it was aware of an issue affecting AT&T users who were trying to call 911. “We are actively engaged and monitoring this,” the fire department said. “If you are an AT&T customer and cannot get through to 911, then please try calling from a landline.”

The Massachusetts State Police said on social media on Thursday morning that 911 call centers across the state had been flooded with calls from people checking to see if the emergency service worked from their phones. “Please do not do this,” the police said. “If you can successfully place a non-emergency call to another number via your cell service then your 911 service will also work.”

Even in less extreme circumstances, the outage complicated the many elements of life that have come to rely on a reliable connection to the internet.

Staff at the First Watch restaurant in Dania Beach, Fla., had to turn away breakfast customers for a time while the outage prevented them from processing payments.

Debra Maddow, who lives in southwest Houston, said that she first noticed something was off after 7 a.m., when she went to check traffic and Google Maps was offline. Later, she visited a Starbucks to make an urgent call through its free Wi-Fi, she said.

“I’m really frustrated that they’re not telling us anything,” Ms. Maddow said in a phone interview over Wi-Fi. She said she tried to call AT&T for an update, but after a long time on hold, the call was dropped.

Victor Mather , John Keefe , Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Adam Goldman contributed reporting.

Jenny Gross is a reporter for The Times in London covering breaking news and other topics. More about Jenny Gross

David McCabe covers tech policy. He joined The Times from Axios in 2019. More about David McCabe

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AT&T cellular service restored after daylong outage; cause still unknown

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  • A cellular outage Thursday hit thousands of AT&T users in the United States, disrupting calls and text messages as well as emergency services in major cities including San Francisco.

About 58,000 incidents were reported around noon ET, according to data from outage-tracking website Downdetector.com.

  • Shares of AT&T were down about 2% Thursday following the outages.

In this article

A cellular outage Thursday hit thousands of AT&T users in the United States, disrupting calls and text messages as well as emergency services in major cities including San Francisco. The company said service was restored to all affected customers shortly after 3 p.m. ET.

"Keeping our customers connected remains our top priority, and we are taking steps to ensure our customers do not experience this again in the future," the company said in a statement.

AT&T said late Thursday that based on an initial review, the outage was "caused by the application and execution of an incorrect process used as we were expanding our network, not a cyber attack." The company will continue to assess the outage.

AT&T, which put up a website for system updates , did not say how many customers were affected by Thursday's outage. The FCC said on X that it was investigating the incident and was in contact with AT&T and safety authorities .

Shares of AT&T closed 2.41% lower Thursday.

Phones affected by the outage displayed zero service bars in the top right corner of the device or the letters SOS. Customers were still able to make calls by enabling Wi-Fi calling.

A spike in outages began around 4:00 a.m. ET and peaked at around 74,000 reported incidents at 8:30 a.m. ET, according to Downdetector.

The AT&T outage affected people's ability to reach emergency services by dialing 911, a post on social media platform X from the San Francisco Fire Department said.

"We are aware of an issue impacting AT&T wireless customers from making and receiving any phone calls (including to 911)," the fire department said.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said in a post on X that the city could receive and make outbound 911 calls but that AT&T customers in the area had reported issues.

"We have received calls from AT&T customers that their cellular phones are in SOS mode. Please direct all inquiries to restore service to AT&T," Dickens said.

The Massachusetts State Police said that people were flooding their 911 center with calls trying to determine if the service worked from their cell phones.

"Please do not do this. If you can successfully place a non-emergency call to another number via your cell service then your 911 service will also work," the state police said in a post on X.

Users of Verizon and T-Mobile reported a few thousand outages each as of 10:00 a.m. ET, according to Downdetector.

The reports were likely due to calls made trying to connect with other networks, both companies said.

"Downdetector is likely reflecting challenges our customers were having attempting to connect to users on other networks," T-Mobile said in an emailed statement.

– Reuters, CNBC's Steven Kopack and Chris Eudaily contributed to this report.

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Is AT&T down? Reports of nationwide outages may also be impacting Verizon and T-Mobile

problems in the world that aren't solved

Couldn’t make a phone call this morning? 

Customers with cellular service through AT&T may be impacted by massive nationwide outages, which could also be impacting Verizon and T-Mobile users, according to Downdetector, a real-time outage monitoring website. 

T-Mobile claimed there were no outages this morning, according to a statement.

Customers are seeing SOS only where service bars usually appear on their devices. Here's what that means.

AT&T wireless service restored Thursday afternoon

AT&T said they have "restored wireless service to all our affected customers," according to a 2:10 p.m. CT network update on their website . "We sincerely apologize to them. Keeping our customers connected remains our top priority, and we are taking steps to ensure our customers do not experience this again in the future."  

What time did the AT&T outage happen? 

According to Downdetector , more than 30,000 outages were reported at 3:29 a.m. ET this morning. By 6:59 a.m. ET, there were up to 71,000 outages. 

Why is my phone on SOS only? 

When a user's cell phone isn’t connected to a cellular network, they will typically alert the user by giving an indication in the phone's status bar. Those notifications usually say “No Service” or “Searching,” but your phone may also say “SOS” or “SOS only.” When your phone goes into SOS mode, it can still make emergency calls. 

AT&T outage map

AT&T allows users to sign up for text alert updates about outages, or you can check on  outages with your mobile phone or internet here .

How to check for Verizon outages

Verizon requires customers to sign into their accounts  to check outages , but you can also find troubleshooting info and check on the status of repair requests.

T-Mobile says they had no outages

Through a statement via email, T-Mobile said, "We did not experience an outage. Our network is operating normally. Down Detector is likely reflecting challenges our customers were having attempting to connect to users on other networks."

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  2. Maya Angelou Quote: “Hate, it has caused a lot of problems in the world

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    problems in the world that aren't solved

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