Challenges+Over+the+Next+25+Years

I believe the world will experience several major global trends that will have a significant impact on our lives over the next 25 years. Walter Parker wrote an article entitled “Educating World Citizens” in which he looked at this concept of global trends. In GLIP2012, we are specifically looking at life in five global areas: North Carolina, Hawaii, Turkey, Russia and China. These areas all have differences due to culture, history and heritage, but I believe all five of these areas will be impacted by several common global trends in the next 25 years.

Some of the global trends that will have a significant impact on North Carolina, Hawaii, Turkey, Russia, China and the world are increasing levels of pollution, rapid urbanization, our dependency on technology, and our dependency on gasoline.

If pollution is not a significant problem where you live, it will be in the future. Some places have already begun to tackle this problem. Much of the world is familiar with slogans like “going green” which encourage people to do things or use products that are aimed at helping reduce pollution. Some countries, states and corporations are starting to take action. I have a friend that works for Canon (a technology company that specializes in cameras). Her job at Canon is helping to make the corporation more environmentally friendly. Many large cities – especially those that have popular tourist attractions – have begun placing more garbage cans along the streets and in city parks to encourage people to throw trash in the cans rather than on the ground.

Urbanization – the movement of people from rural areas to the cities – is becoming more and more prevalent in developing countries. There are many problems associated with urbanization including increase traffic, pollution, destruction of agricultural lands, poor infrastructure (water, sewer, roads), inadequate public safety (police and firefighters) and overcrowded schools.

The world is becoming more and more dependent on technology and specifically on the Internet. Most students today turn to the Internet to complete research assignments. More and more technologies are becoming available to enable us to be “online” pretty much all the time. Students can have access to books, GPS maps, and all their friends on very small smart phones. This will radically change the way in which we live life.

As a global society, we are also still heavily dependent on gasoline. Automobiles are an important aspect of societies around the world. Even people that do not own cars are affected by them. For example, many of the items that are purchased in local stores travel to the store in the back of a truck. Rising gas price will make the prices of nearly everything increase.

We will need to have specific characteristics in order to cope with and manage these trends. It is important to understand what will be needed and how these characteristics should be developed. As a global society, we will need to be able to work with each other. This will require that we work with people who are very different from us. Communication will be a significant aspect of this so people that can speak more than one language will be very important. We will also need to understand and accept the cultural differences that exist among us. Facing these global trends will require us to think critically and creatively. In the US, we would say that people need to learn to “think outside the box”. We will also need to be willing to make changes in our personal lives where needed. For example, if one way to combat pollution is recycling, we would need to agree to recycle items even if it means more work for us in sorting our trash to remove items that can be recycled.

In order to develop the needed skills, students today should be given opportunities in school to think critically and creatively. School curriculum may need to be changed to encourage students to learn more about computer technologies and how those technologies can be used in positive ways to impact the world. Project like GLIP2012 will help students from around the globe begin making connections with others throughout the world and will help students to begin learning more about the world around them. Students should be encouraged to study abroad to learn more about the cultures of the world. I also think it is important for students to be given opportunities to perform community service. I believe this will help the next generation to see the significance of their choices on the communities around them.