Envision: young people making a difference

Issue | Global Challenges

Global Challenges

The big global issues of today can often seem to be far removed from our lives. The global climate is a complicated science and we rely on our governments to seek the advice of experts and create policy based on this to protect us. Poverty around the world can seem like too big a problem: the huge numbers and statistics can make the challenge seem impossible to ever solve.

It is easy to feel small when faced with these global problems. However it is the actions of small people in history that have changed the course of the world. Once we realise that world issues aren’t as remote and irrelevant as they might seem, and that we can have an effect on them, taking action becomes a pressing priority.

There are many global challenges that have been solved through collective action. The hole in the ozone layer was a looming global catastrophe just 20 years ago but governments took decisive action and managed to repair the damage before it became too late. In a similar way global climate change, war and global poverty can be tackled by individuals who inspire others around them and create a movement for change.

Governments are forced to take notice as electorates protest and lobby for decisive action. We live in a global community where people around the world are linking up to challenge their governments. Millions of people have been inspired to add their name to campaigns and hold the government to its promises: to tackle poverty in the UK and abroad; to make the tough decisions that will slow climate change; to change their foreign policy or to show their disapproval of a destructive war. It is up to individuals to make sure that governments are acting in their best interests, and to realise their own power to make a change in the world!

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Taking action!