a new millenium

Having Begun a New Millennium, it is Timely to Examine the Changes That Occurred during the Twentieth Century to Prepare for the Twenty-First Century

The 20^th century is one of the remarkable centuries of our time. Notable changes, inventions and occurrences took place during that period. Some important changes that occurred in the century require good understanding. First, the issue of environment. The 20^th century was characterized by use of fossil sources and nuclear power. There were considered conventional powers during the fighting in the World Wars. Use of petroleum in industries to make plastics and as a fuel contributed negatively to the environment. The fossil fuel consumption caused air pollution. Consequently, global warming and global climate change are the results we face. In addition, accumulation of pesticides, herbicides and toxic chemicals in the environment led to environmental pollution. Environmental hazards have threatened planet livability due to global warming. Therefore, there is need for humans to understand this problem and introduce measures that will control environment degradation.

Second, the demographic changes characterized the 20^th century. World population rose from about 1.6 million people in 1901 to 6.1 billion people at the century ends (Schaefer, 2010). The world is characterized by overpopulation. Overpopulation was believed to be the root cause of problems in the 20^th century. Overpopulation lowers economic growth and diminishes the standard of living of human beings. Understanding the social change will be important, as it will ensure poverty is reduced, better measures of birth control will be formulated and improved life standards for the average person. The third change was a boost in the transportation sector. Development in transportation is among the important changes that marked the era. An airplane was invented in this era and its significance in transport cannot be undermined. Its creation led to many changes in the world. The impact of these was the ability to fly, travel, shipping and connecting globally of all nations.

Science and technology was the fourth prominent trait that characterized the 20^th century. Technology grew drastically and many inventions came to be during this period. Some of the inventions were in home appliances such as refrigerators. In fact, the advancement in communication and media was also important for instance, radio and television made exchange of information easy. A remarkable change was the use of personal computers and emergence of internet in people’s lives. Technology enabled people to communicate freely and transformed the world to a global village. Each invention in that century marked a great benefit to this century we are living in now. Furthermore, the technology made every sector better off for instance the medical sector.

One of the significant challenges that will face the first half of twenty-first century is the issue of climate change. How the nation produce its energy and consume it will determine how the country will fare on for the rest of its centuries. The country will face the obligation of cleaning the air and enacting better energy consumption practices. Controlling global emissions of carbon monoxide will pose as a challenge. Weather changes affect our water levels and food security. The policies that the country will adopt will determine the fate of the nation.

Another great challenge the nation will face is overpopulation. Social change and increase in population poses a big challenge on how human beings will survive on the earth-limited resources. Overpopulation is the root of most world problems. For instance, environmental hazard is contributed by the increasing numbers on earth. Furthermore, increasing numbers increases poverty in the nation, employment lacks and social vices increase in the society. The government will need to come up with ways of curtailing this population, increasing jobs and sustaining the families in the nation. In addition, quality of life or standard of living rises each day due to the boom in childbirth and economic factors that make essential products expensive. Improving quality of life will be an agenda the nation will need to address.

Reference

Schaefer, R. T. (2010). Sociology. New York: McGraw-Hill.