Buzz
The gap between the beginning of human civilization and its current status is truly staggering. Despite all we've learned and the remarkable strides we've made, numerous issues still trouble modern society. Addressing these challenges will require innovative solutions. The concepts presented here may seem unconventional or even radical, but could they hold the key to a better future or are they too extreme?
10. Youth Unemployment
Youth unemployment remains a significant challenge in many nations. In the United States, youth employment has decreased over the past five years, but the rate is still at 11.1 percent, while the overall unemployment rate is just 5.5 percent. In Canada, the rate for young job seekers is 15.5 percent, while the national average is nearly half that figure. The situation is even worse in Europe, where nearly 25 percent of individuals aged 18 to 24 are unemployed. A potential solution is for employers to offer young workers a reduced workweek. Instead of a standard full-time role, they would begin with 80 percent of the typical workload and salary. This could result in an increase of 10 to 20 percent in job opportunities across the market.
The reason this proposal is specifically aimed at young people, rather than being applied to the entire workforce, is due to a concept known as the endowment effect. This theory suggests that people become attached to their possessions, money, and privileges, and once they have these things, they find it difficult to let go. However, young people are less likely to face this issue, as they don’t yet have much to lose; they gain 80 percent of a job, rather than having anything taken from them.
A proposal has been made to implement a reduced workweek for a large portion of the workforce as a potential solution to boost the economy. A shorter workweek could, in theory, lower individual carbon footprints, enhance employee morale, decrease unemployment, lower childcare costs, and ultimately benefit the economy.
9. Climate Change
Researchers agree that the damage caused by climate change is irreversible, but it is not beyond the point of being mitigated. To slow it down, innovative solutions will be crucial. One intriguing proposal comes from a geoengineering team in the United Kingdom, known as the SPICE project (Stratospheric Particle Injection for Climate Engineering). Their approach involves creating an 'artificial volcano' to help reduce climate change.
The idea behind this project stems from the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines. When the volcano erupted, it released 20 million tons of sulfate particles into the atmosphere, cooling the Earth by half a degree over the next 18 months. SPICE's strategy is to deploy a hose attached to a tethered balloon. Through this hose, particles would be pumped into the atmosphere that would reflect sunlight and potentially cool the planet.
Environmental organizations have voiced concerns about geoengineering, particularly the SPICE project. They fear that such interventions could disrupt ecosystems and alter weather patterns. Despite these concerns, Project SPICE remains determined and is currently working to identify the most effective particle and the best method of delivery in order to cool the planet and slow the impact of climate change.
8. Gun Control
One of Chris Rock’s most memorable jokes, featured in *Bowling for Columbine*, centers around the idea of bullet control. He humorously suggested that the way to curb gun violence is by making bullets prohibitively expensive. While the joke is insightful, the concept of bullet control was actually proposed by New York Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan in 1993. His solution to reduce gun violence was to impose a heavy tax on certain types of bullets. He wasn’t suggesting taxing bullets used for target practice or hunting, but he definitely advocated for high taxes on other types of ammunition, like hollow points. Moynihan's vision was to make a box of 20 bullets cost $1,500. The main opposition to this idea was that it would represent government interference in the free market.
Another potential solution to reducing gun violence is the development of smart gun technology. These guns would be designed so that only an individual or a select few could operate them. This technology, which appeared in *Skyfall* with James Bond, has been in development for several years, and various companies have come up with different methods to ensure that only authorized users can fire the gun. One such technology uses fingerprints, while another employs a wristwatch that sends a signal to activate the weapon. Additionally, some systems use hand biometrics, among other methods. These smart guns could drastically reduce the 11,000 deaths caused by stolen firearms each year, not including the number of police officers killed by their own guns in the line of duty.
Smart guns are not yet available for purchase in the United States, despite studies showing that most gun owners are in favor of the technology. The reason for their lack of availability is largely due to the fact that safety is not a major selling point when it comes to firearms. Gun owners prefer immediate access to a reliable weapon. Additionally, strong advocates of the Second Amendment worry that smart guns could lead to more stringent control over the sale and use of firearms.
7. Refugees
The Syrian refugee crisis has placed immense pressure on many countries, but this is only the latest chapter in a long history of global displacement. Currently, there are 60 million displaced people worldwide, with 20 million of them classified as refugees. Regardless of where these refugees end up, the situation will remain complicated both for the host countries and the refugees themselves.
One proposed solution to the refugee crisis is to establish a new nation specifically for refugees. The idea of a 'Refugee Nation,' suggested by Israeli real estate billionaire Jason Buzi, involves purchasing sparsely populated and underdeveloped land to create a new homeland where refugees could rebuild their lives.
Critics argue that the concept of a Refugee Nation is flawed because it focuses on exclusivity and keeping people out. While there is some truth to this critique, the humanitarian benefits of such a nation are significant. A functioning country with an economy, permanent housing, and social services would offer far more dignity and opportunity than the inhumane refugee camps where people are often forced to live for years, without work and dependent on aid. Moreover, refugees living in the Refugee Nation would be able to work and live independently, reducing the need for external aid. Ultimately, the aim would be for the Refugee Nation to establish its own government.
Building a new nation from scratch, especially one intended to house millions of refugees from diverse countries, would be an incredibly complex endeavor. Beyond the logistical challenges, it would require significant diplomatic compromise among nations with differing views on governance.
6. Homelessness
Homelessness is one of the oldest societal challenges, yet it became more prominent during the Industrial Revolution. In the United States, which boasts the world’s largest GDP, over 610,000 people were residing in homeless shelters on any given night in January 2013. Nearly 25% of these individuals were children under the age of 18.
Various solutions have been proposed to address homelessness, with one of the most forward-thinking being the establishment of permanent housing where people can live at no cost. This approach was successfully implemented in Medicine Hat, Alberta, making it the first city in North America to eradicate homelessness. Medicine Hat provides free housing to anyone who has stayed in an emergency shelter for over 10 days without having a safe place to go afterward.
The rationale behind providing permanent housing is also economically sound, as it is significantly more cost-effective than maintaining traditional homeless shelters. In Medicine Hat, if someone were to remain homeless, the government could incur up to $100,000 in related services. Conversely, providing permanent housing for such individuals costs the city only about $20,000 per person. Utah has a similar initiative, where housing someone in permanent accommodation costs between $10,000 and $12,000, compared to about $20,000 if they were living on the streets or in shelters.
While the idea seems feasible, there is another interesting element to consider: the United States has 14.2 million vacant homes. Even a small fraction of these abandoned properties could be repurposed as housing for the homeless. This is exactly what the nonprofit organization Breaking Ground does in New York City. They refurbish dilapidated buildings, transforming them into high-quality transitional apartments with added social services for residents. Their first project was the 1994 conversion of the Times Square Hotel, which is still operational today.
Naturally, some people argue that the government providing free housing to the homeless is just enabling laziness. However, this perspective is rooted in a harmful stereotype. Many individuals experiencing homelessness do so because of mental illness, not because they are lazy.
5. The Prison System
In much of the United States, when someone is accused of a crime, the judge may impose bail, requiring the accused to pay a set amount of money as collateral to ensure their appearance at trial. Alternatively, they can remain incarcerated in either a county jail or a maximum security prison while awaiting trial.
The bail system has become a major issue for individuals with low incomes who may struggle to afford the bail amount. This has become so widespread that in January 2015, 730,000 people, mostly nonviolent offenders, were imprisoned solely because they couldn’t afford bail. In states like New Jersey, 40 percent of incarcerated individuals are there because of their inability to post bail. At Riker’s Island, a maximum-security facility, approximately 85 percent of detainees are simply waiting for their trial. This situation significantly contributes to the overcrowding of the U.S. prison system, and it costs an astounding $22 billion annually to house individuals who are imprisoned simply because they couldn’t afford bail.
In addition to the strain on the prison system, incarcerating someone simply because they cannot afford bail can have devastating consequences for the person’s life. While they are in jail, even without a conviction, they are likely to lose their job. In some cases, the family of the arrested individual may become financially strained, relying more on social benefits, which adds further pressure on the system. Furthermore, individuals often plead guilty, even if they are innocent, simply to avoid waiting months for a trial, as remaining incarcerated during this time would be too detrimental.
One potential solution to this issue is to abolish the bail system for individuals who are unable to pay. This would help reduce the number of people in prison and prevent innocent, nonviolent offenders from being incarcerated at all. There is even an example of this in Washington, DC, where bail has been largely eliminated for those who can’t afford it. Instead of bail, pretrial services would assess whether someone poses a flight risk or a danger to the public. If they do not, they would be allowed to return home, potentially monitored with an ankle bracelet or required to take drug tests. Before their court date, pretrial services would call to remind them. These systems are cheaper, more effective, and far more humane than keeping people locked up simply because they cannot afford bail.
4. Declining Postal Services
The postal service was once an essential part of society, but with the rise of the Internet, the volume of mail has sharply declined, and private delivery services have taken a larger share of the market. As a result, the United States Postal Service (USPS) reported a $5.1 billion loss for the 2015 fiscal year. This issue is not unique to the U.S.; countries like Canada and Australia face similar challenges. Still, the postal service remains vital, particularly for people who do not have access to computers.
In an effort to adapt to modern times, some European and Asian post offices have begun offering banking services as a means of generating revenue. Inspired by this model, U.S. presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has proposed transforming post offices into banks. This plan would be cost-effective since the USPS already operates a vast network with locations in nearly every U.S. city and town.
Transforming post offices into banks could serve a dual purpose: it would ideally make the USPS profitable and assist low-income Americans. Many low-income individuals struggle to access traditional banking services because they are not considered desirable customers by banks. As a result, they often rely on check-cashing services that charge exorbitant fees. This is a widespread issue, with 20–40 percent of Americans having used these predatory services.
3. Third-World Poverty
Would you even notice if a small tax, less than the price of a cup of coffee, was added to each luxury item you purchased? For instance, would you really miss $1.50 on a $1,500 vacation? Most likely, people wouldn’t notice or mind, and although it may go unnoticed by consumers, the cumulative effect of these small contributions could amount to billions of dollars, helping people living in poverty. Philippe Douste-Blazy, a French cardiologist and special adviser to the UN Secretary-General for innovative financing, tested this concept using a €1 service charge (around $1.50) on flight tickets from France. Between 2006 and 2014, they raised $2 billion without any complaints about the levy.
These so-called 'invisible donations' can be directed towards various initiatives. Currently, Douste-Blazy is channeling funds from the airline ticket charge to fight diseases like HIV, AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria in third-world nations. He believes that public health is essential to a strong economy. When people are healthy, they can attend school, find jobs, and contribute to economic growth, ultimately boosting a country's GDP. Douste-Blazy envisions this kind of financing as a pathway to greater global stability.
2. Water Scarcity
It may be surprising to those in developed countries, where people flush their waste with clean water, that 783 million individuals lack access to clean drinking water. On top of that, 2.5 billion people live without proper sanitation. Peter Janicki's innovative solution to address both challenges is the Omniprocessor, a device that extracts clean water from human waste.
The Omniprocessor works by taking sewer sludge and boiling it in a large tube. As the waste boils, water vapor is produced, which then enters a filtration system within the machine. In just minutes, the water is purified and ready for use. One unit can continuously supply clean water to 100,000 people. What truly sets the Omniprocessor apart is that the leftover waste is turned into steam, which powers the machine itself. If there is surplus energy, it can be used to power the surrounding community.
Bill Gates is a personal supporter of the Omniprocessor. He even drank the purified water from it, claiming he would drink it every day. The project, aimed at installing these machines worldwide, also receives backing from the Gates Foundation.
1. Food Production
One of the major concerns people have is overpopulation. While cities may not resemble the dystopian future seen in *Blade Runner*, there is a pressing issue that accompanies the predicted population growth: providing enough food for everyone. According to UN estimates, the global population is expected to reach 9.6 billion by 2050. If food production continues on its current path, there won't be enough food to sustain everyone. While food production has historically kept pace with population growth, despite many doomsday forecasts, it needs to increase by 60-110 percent over the next 35 years, compared to a projected increase of 38-67 percent.
MIT researchers are tackling this challenge with a project called CityFARM. The goal of this initiative is to revolutionize urban farming by using data science to monitor each individual plant with sensors that 'listen' to the crops. In their experimental lab, the plants are observed by 30 sensors that send data back to a computer every eight seconds, providing information on the crops' carbon and nutrient needs. These sensors ensure that the plants receive precise amounts of resources, making the growing process highly efficient. In fact, CityFARM uses 98 percent less water than traditional farms, boosts vegetable growth speed fourfold, and eliminates the need for chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Additionally, the nutrient content of the crops will be doubled, and their flavors can be enhanced or altered. Once the optimal 'recipe' is established, the data will be made available on an open-source platform, allowing anyone to download and apply it to their own farming operations.
In addition to improving the growing process, CityFARM addresses another major issue: food transportation. Shipping food over long distances wastes resources and leaves a significant carbon footprint. With CityFARM technology, cities can dedicate entire blocks to these urban farms, providing enough food to feed the entire population. The project's leader, Caleb Harper, envisions constructing one billion of these small urban farms across cities worldwide.
