Detailed Thread About Factors Behind The Present Crisis

In the past, we have studied many scenarios where the world was at a big risk, like nuclear warfare, water war, etc. Still, the world is witnessing many unexpected crises because of COVID-19, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, political instability in the neighbourhood (Sri Lanka-Emergency, Pakistan-No confidence motion), Cyberthreat, Global climate change, etc. Due to these scenarios, the world is witnessing many crises like financial, security, education, environment, etc.

Before beginning with factors, we must know what is meant by the term crisis. It is a situation that causes danger and instability affecting the life of people, society, groups, harming the environment, etc.

Factors responsible for the present crisis

There are various factors, which are creating situations of crisis. Let’s check them out in detail. Currently, the whole world is facing the biggest humanitarian crisis in history that is Covid-19.

• COVID -19 

Currently, the world is facing one of the biggest humanitarian crises. The ‘Novel coronavirus’ was first traced in Wuhan, a city in China. And it was found to be a type of contagious disease spread from person to person. It spread very fast across the country as people travel from one country to another. To stop the spread, the governments of different countries took some initiatives, one of which was lockdown. 

Due to this pandemic, there was a massive loss of human life worldwide. And because of the massive spread of disease, the medical health care sector had to bear the consequence. There was a lack of medical facilities all around the world. In fulfilling the demands of those situations and taking the initiative to stop the spread of Covid-19, the economy of various countries was affected. This pandemic affected many sectors like health, food, MNCs, and local business.

• Russia-Ukraine War

Making international news currently is the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. What began as an invasion quickly turned to be a devastating global crisis. With civilians killed, cities abandoned, and families distraught, the conflict has created a multi-fold impact on the world. In terms of the economy, there is major instability in countries across the globe. This is brought on by sanctions being put on Russia. Given these sanctions, there is an increase in crude oil prices globally, resulting in a price rise and an increase in poverty. India’s 90% of sunflower oil import depends on Russia and Ukraine, and this war disturbs the Indian oil market. With the pandemic, the economies of many countries were already struggling. With the onset of the conflict, these countries are struggling to stabilise their economies.

• Sri Lanka’s Economy Crisis

Another issue impacting the current global crisis is what is going on in Sri Lanka due to the collapse of its economy due to the government’s mismanagement. The cause of this crisis in Sri Lanka is raising the tax cuts, external debt, tourism, agricultural crisis, and the Russia-Ukraine conflict. As an impact of this crisis, Sri Lanka declared an economic crisis. A food emergency was also declared, resulting in electricity and fuel shortages and paper shortages due to which the education sector was affected. Big international brands like Zara and H&M have moved their textile export from Sri Lanka to India. 

• Climate change

While the above factors make for a man-made crisis, we are also undergoing a natural crisis. While this crisis also owes itself to many human activities, it has been going at a gradual but alarming crisis. Climate change and global warming are the major issues that have made global news for a while now, and for the right reasons. To understand this change, we need to understand that climate change refers to the sudden change in the pattern of climate. This results in global warming. 

If we look at climate change from a specific region’s perspective, it will include changes in seasonal temperature, average rainfall, and change in wind patterns. Due to this sudden or unexpected change, the crops would be affected. Imagine a prolonged drought in a region that’s known to produce crops. It also leads to unnatural winter storms and floods. When we try to study the reasons behind this climate change, we need to understand that our wrong-doings are often responsible for climate change. Activities like burning fossil fuels aid in the process of climate change. This, in turn, releases harmful gas into the atmosphere and is a big reason for climate change. 

Recently news came from Australia that the ‘Great Barrier Reef,’ which can also be seen from space, is facing a crisis due to climate change. The news read that the reef is unfortunately bleaching. The intergovernmental panel on climate change has also shown their concern that the world will face an average earth’s surface temperature of 1.5 Degree Celsius over pre-industrial levels in the upcoming 20 years. It will lead to sea-level rise, precipitation, drought, and glacier melting.

Conclusion 

To sum it up, to overcome these crises, we should use renewable sources of energy instead of non-renewable energy sources. Solar-based irrigation systems can be established. We should use a clean source of energy that emits a low or negligible amount of carbon. In terms of the pandemic, we need to understand that responsible behaviour from our end would aid in putting an end to the spread of the virus. With the conflict crisis between Ukraine and Russia, the governments must understand that in the world of globalisation, where countries are interdependent, a conflict between two countries affects the entire world. One can only hope that the crisis in Sri Lanka and Pakistan will resolve soon. It is imperative that we understand that man-made crises need to be avoided as much as possible.