The world today

The world today

1. Urban problems

   • In 2007 more of the half of the world was living in cities
   • There are some adventages of living in cities,but its constant growth also causes some disadvantages.Some of them are:
     • Enviromental degradation:Caused by different types of pollution
     • Supplies and waste management:Cities consume a lot of resources and this can result in supply and waste problems
     • Social segregation:In a city people usually is divided in different cultural,ethnic or social groups.They tend to live in specific areas
     • Housing:Because the growth of the urban population more and more houses need to be built.Speculation caused by high land prices and this invcrease price of housing.This problem is more pronunced in developing countries

2. Globalisation

   • Since the end of the 20th century some processes in the world has been taking place
   • Some of the most important of them are the expansion of capitalism,free market,and the technoogical revolution
   • Types
     • Economic globalisation
       • Concentration of wealth,inestability and inequality
       • Loss of purchising power and unemployment
       • Relocate production to increase power for multinacionals
       • Decision-making power transferred from stages to large private companies
       • High mobility of workers,materials and capital
     • Scientific and technological globalisation
       • Comunications
       • High technology

3. Conflicts

   • In the 21st century geopolitical tensions,civil conflicts,wars,disputes and terrorism occur
   • Causes
     • Unresolved conflicts
     • Cultural or religious intolerance
   • Diplomacy and mediation by international organisations can migrate some effects of disputes

4. Migration

   • Causes
     • Natural:When natural dissasters and catastrophies force people to leave their homes
     • Socioeconomic:Enmigrants seek for a better health,education,or employment in other countries.This is themost common type of migration
     • Political:Conflicts and political crisis disrupt a country and force people to leave their country.They are called exiles when the leave their country
   • Types:
     • Forced:People are forced to leave their country or place of residence
     • Voluntary:Enmigrants leave to seek for a better future
     • Temporary:Enmigrants return to their country after a period of time
     • Permanent.Enmigrants settle in their destination country

5. Population

   • Is the number of inhabitants living in an area at a certain time
   • To understand a population´s characteristics we need to study some things:
     • Dead rate:Number of people who die in a population
     • Life expectancy:Is the number of years a person is expected to life in average
       • Women usually live longer than men
     • Natural population growthTells us how a populationhas developed or changed in a specific period
     • Birth rate:Number of people who are born in a population

6. Introduction

   • New period in history due to
     • End of the cold war
     • Fall of the Berlin Wall
     • Dissolution of the Soviet Union
   • Today´s world is characterised by globalisation
     • Disadventages
       • Migration
       • Conflicts
       • Urban and demographic problems