International Development issues have become a common occurrence that hardly any new statistic, advert, or cause, strikes a nerve. Unfortunately, poverty and hunger have become so common that when you travel to a country that has extreme poverty, or learn about a new tragedy in the news, you more often than not brush it off because these things seem to always be happening, and they are never going to end. How many of us actually follow up on some of these calamities after the news channels stop reporting on them? The negative results of Hurricane Katrina, the Rwandan Genocide, and the Tsunami that took place of the coast of Japan are still in effect. I don't blame us for feeling this way. You may have been more excited or concerned with fixing International Development issues in the past, after hearing about campaigns such as the Kyoto Protocol or the Millennium Development Goals that were widely promoted as the cure for development issues. But after constant failure you might have lost hope and even concern for these problems.
So let me remind you why working towards solving development issues is important. It is imperative in order to create intergenerational equity. Intergenerational equity refers to the responsibility of the current generation to preserve their living space and create a sustainable lifestyle that can be used by future generations. Our current actions impact the lifestyle of future generations, this means your children, and their children and many generations after that. If we continue to live in a world where poverty and environmental degradation prevail, imagine the world our kin will be subjected to live in. We are accountable for our actions and how we treat our planet. Remember this the next time you take the car to work instead of the bus, or the next time you leave the water running while brushing your teeth, or the next time you hear about a fatal tragedy.If nothing else, think about your families. Your parents and forefathers must have sacrificed and worked so hard for you to be able to live the life you are living today, so we need to be mindful of our actions to ensure intergenerational equity for future generations. It is your responsibility!
I think most of our generation tend to forget that our actions will impact the lives of future generations. We live with this mindset that the actions of one cannot change anything but that's so false. I am also very guilty of this and of forgetting about things that don't happen right in front of me. I have to constantly remind myself that even though these things might not affect me today, it will affect us all on a global level in the years to come. I think we believe that if things are no longer talked about in the news, especially with the examples you provided, that they may not be that bad anymore but that is also a misconception. I will consciously try to do my part because if we all do a little, a lot can be done; thanks for the insight!
ReplyDeleteWow! You don't realize how much of your daily life impacts the rest of the world. You've truly opened my eyes in regards to doing a little more towards sustaining the earth and the rest of the global population. I wish you luck in all your endeavors in international development. You talked about the failure of global campaigns such as the Kyoto Protocol or the MDG's- I just wanted to touch on how it's unfortunate that there are no governing agencies who monitor the progress of the states who endorse in these campaigns. You've definitely brought forth an air of hope when it comes to development and I wish you the best in continuing your humanitarian adventures!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post! It a powerful reminder that our actions today will have significant impacts for our planet in the future. Many people feel that humans will adapt and find new ways to cope with new problems in the future. So many people think that it is ok to just overlook thinks like saving water and recycling. But the planet has finite resources and with the global population constantly increasing there will be very little time to adapt. This means it is important for everyone to understand that we need to preserve our resources and be more careful about how treat the planet. In order for the planet to sustain itself and future generation we need be more responsible.
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