The global population has reached the dubious number of 7 billion according to some UN estimates. This news has raised alarm bells among many population experts as they see this as a matter of concern, for the natural resources that would support this bludgeoning population is shrinking at an alarming pace. If radical and drastic measures are not taken immediately this perilous situation would run out of control. World leaders at the forthcoming G20 meet at Cannes would brainstorm on finding solutions that would kick-start actions for sustainable development in the world.
The force of the 7 billion population is gathering steam as is evident from the various instances of street protests that we see around in the different countries of the world. The realisation about the superiority of democracy over other forms of government is driving people to fight against the autocrats who had usurped power from them through unscrupulous means. The defeat of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali of Tunisia, Hosni Mubarak in Egypt or Muammar Gadhafi in Libya is a sign of this growing people’s power. The lesson we have learnt is that whenever people tend to have trust deficit on their rulers they will get out on to the streets and can bring down powerful rulers.
The Census Bureau estimates show that about 255 people are born every minute whereas about 106 people die per minute. With the advancement of science and technology and the subsequent improvement in health facilities around the world life expectancy of people has increased. High quality health care provided by welfare governments in the various countries of the world has accounted for such an improvement in human life. Even then there are millions of people around the world who die every minute because they don’t get access to good health care facilities. With population increase every government has this additional responsibility to make sure that the whole population get the health care benefits offered by them. Insofar as the plight of the millions of poor people of the world is concerned, there is much left to be done.
Growing economic uncertainty in the world, coupled with market volatility and increasing inequality result in losing trust of the people on their leaders as well as the public institutions. In many countries people believe that the government works for the rich and often forget the poor. The bailing out of big banks by governments when they were in financial trouble because of their poor management of finances has caused much indignation among people. The moral force behind movements like ‘Occupy Wall Street’ comes from such public fury. Governments around the world have got their task cut out, for unless and until they stop this growing tide of people’s legitimate discontent, they are sure to perish.
Sustainable growth and development should be the slogan of the welfare states around the world. For improving the lives of people and to lift them from the pits of abject poverty it is essential for governments to increase welfare spending on infrastructure development. However many governments struck by financial troubles are looking for fiscal austerity, which results in reduced government spending. This would automatically result in reduced developmental activities which would pull down countries further down to economic instability. Governments must continue investing on developmental policies and programmes including women and children’s health, agricultural growth as well as gender equality.
Women and young people are taking to the streets and asking for economic and political improvements in their life. They constitute two-thirds of the world population and governments around the world can no longer exist without hearing their voices and demands. Even some Islamic countries are making amendments in their constitutions to give greater representation of women in the political arena. Their involvement in many recent pro-democracy movements in the world is worth mentioning. The world recognised the growing involvement of women in the societal improvement of many populations by naming three women for this year’s Nobel Prize for Peace.
7 billion is a mere number but the human lives that it signifies are our hope for the future. Now is the time for making the hard choices and with wisdom, foresight and commitment we can start on the path of sustainable growth and development. We have squandered many such opportunities in the past but let us not waste anymore, for it is now or never.
No comments:
Post a Comment