Human Race Survival

TASNEEM HAMEED

“In a world that is in chaos politically, socially, and environmentally, how can the human race sustain another 100 years?” Dr. Steven Hawking

One way to answer the question posed by Dr. Steven Hawking, is to predict the future events. It could be done by looking into the events of the immediate past and present having common patterns and having, lasting effects. History tends to repeat itself in similar circumstances, and it may also be helpful in finding a way to probable future events. A fact however, should not escape our attention, and that is the factor of change. Change is inevitable and is supposed to be the only Constant. Change will be factored into any analysis about future events. Thus, it’s a mix of continuity and constancy which will define the future.

Considering the period 1910-2010 as the immediate past, analyzing it from the political, social and environmental point of view will be helpful in predicting their likely shape in the hundred years beginning 2011.

Starting from Politics, we find a mixed bag of events ranging from wars to victories in the areas of democracy and human rights. The first world war resulted in the killing of 15 million people, and in the second world war 63 million people lost their lives. There had been wars in Viet Nam, Middle East, South Asia, Yugoslavia, the Gulf, Afghanistan and Iraq to mention the more prominent in which millions lost their lives. The nuclear bomb used for the first time in Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the USA and the number of nuclear states continued to grow. There had been revolutions in the Soviet Union, China and Iran with far-reaching consequences. The fall of the Soviet Union and the rise of terrorism also happened during this period.

This was a period of great advances in science and technology. It saw the invention of the most dangerous weapons of mass destruction. Simultaneously, technology also helped in ushering a new era of development in business, trade and industry. The arrival of the Internet completely changed the landscape of business leading to globalization. However, despite these positive changes bad management practices derailed the economies of even the most developed countries. The gap between the rich and the poor continued to grow even in the most developed countries. The rise of China as the second biggest economy of the world greatly influenced the international markets and business. Democracy and the concept of human rights and its protection became more widespread, although not achieving the level expected of a civilized world.

The education and health sectors saw great strides in their modernization and finding cures for fatal diseases, however, it was limited to the developed countries. Growth and technological development brought new health problems and challenges.

In the environmental area there was a very late, and very little realization about its importance and consequences of being ignored. The developed countries, the main cause of global warming, failed to act properly in controlling it and continued to care more about their industrial development than acting to avert the looming disaster.

Seeing in totality hundred years ending 2010 were the years of turmoil, destruction, inventions, advancement of democracy and human rights and rapid changes.

For answering the question, which is the topic of this discussion, it is important to find the factors which need constancy and those that must change. The answer is not very difficult. Factors which enhance the survival and sustenance of human race must stay and those that hinder or contribute to it will be eliminated. As discussed in the beginning change is the only constant and cannot be averted, it is necessary to direct it towards the efforts of sustaining the human race.

In the near past the elements which endangered the human sustenance had been wars, nuclear weapons, inequity and global warming. For removal of the dangers to human sustenance world needs the following measures:

Removal of the underlying causes which had and may lead to war and terrorism.

Destruction of nuclear weapons and putting limitations on conventional weapons.

Master plans for the economic development and provision of education and health facilities to underdeveloped countries and its implementation in letter and spirit.

All acts contributing to global warming will be declared international crime and regulations enacted for monitoring and control.

But, who will do it and why will all the countries agree to it?

A new world organization by the name of One World Organization will be created in place of the United Nations Organization with the charter of implementing the measures enumerated above with full powers of implementation. All the countries should sign the charter and help in its implementation. This is the change discussed earlier which would cut dangers to sustenance of the human race and help in laying the foundations of a new world order, based on the principles of equity, human dignity, and sharing of gains and pains. ONE WORLD ORGANIZATION is the solution of all the problems confronting humanity. We have one earth why cannot we have one world when we all say all human beings are equal.