5 by 50

Sunday, March 15th, 2009
by MollyM5

As my parents approach the age of 50, it got me thinking about the world issues that could be potentially reduced by the time I am 50 years old.

1. Peace on Earth

In the world today, there are about 41 wars being fought. The majority of those wars are seen as the traditional warfare, yet there are some that do not even include fighting. The Korean War began in 1950 and lasted until 1953. Although all fighting in the war has ended, both sides have seized fire and there has yet to be a peace treaty signed. World peace would stop so many world issues, and would eliminate a variety of obstacles. All of the pain, expense, death and destruction caused by a war is not worth it.

2. World Equality

Although all men are supposed to be created equal, there are still many issues of inequality in the world today. There are groups of people viewed as minorities just because they do not fit a given stereotype. People are judged because of their race, ethnicity, financial income, gender, sexual orientation and religion. I find it ridiculous that people are judged on those qualities. People should be evaluated based on their personality, not what color their skin is, or because of their beliefs.

3. Cure for Cancer

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. 1.2 million Americans are diagnosed annually with cancer and 564,000 die each year. That is 1,500 American deaths each day. Internationally, cancer is the leading cause of death among children and teens. Personally, my family has been heavily affected by cancer. My mother lost her sister and niece to cancer, and we recently lost a close family friend. Finding a cure for cancer would reduce heartbreak all over the world. A cure would save more than 500,000 American lives each year, and even more internationally.

4. An End to World Hunger and Poverty

In Asian, African and Latin American countries, 500 million people live in “absolute poverty.” Every year 15 million children die of hunger, and 1 in 8 American children under 12 go to bed hungry. The price of one missile could feed an entire school full of children every day for five years. Every 3.6 seconds, someone in the world dies of hunger.

80% of humanity live on less than $10 a day. 1.3 billion, or every 1 in 4, live on less than $1 a day. Nearly one billion people entered the 21^st century unable to read a book or sign their name. Only 1% of weapon costs could put every child into school. There are 2.2 billion children in the world, and 1 billion of those children are living in severe poverty.

5. A Cleaner Environment

The cost of basic sanitation for the world is $13 billion, which is also the cost that Americans and Europeans spend on perfume each year. 660 million people who live without basic sanitation also live on less than $2 a day. These people are forced to choose between food and a clean environment. Most ozone issues are caused by motor vehicles, and the risk of cancer from breathing in diesel exhaust is 10 times more than ingesting all other toxins combined. Statistics show that if each person walked for 30 minutes a day instead of using their car, they would lose 13 pounds and the carbon dioxide emissions would decrease by 64 million tons.

If everyone paid closer attention to the major issues in this world, the world could be a better place. Things as simple as picking up a piece of trash on the street or saying hello to someone you do not usually talk with all contribute to a happier, cleaner world. There are many world issues, but these are the 5 that I believe are the most important. Any other ideas?

Websites Used:

http://www.growthhouse.org/cancer.html

http://library.thinkquest.org/C002291/high/present/stats.htm

http://www.globalissues.org/article/26/poverty-facts-and-stats

http://www.cleanairsys.com/airzone-blog/2008/01/staggering-statistics-of-air-pollution.html

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