# List of global issues

A global issue is a matter of public concern worldwide. This list of global issues presents problems or phenomena affecting people around the world, including but not limited to widespread social issues, economic issues, and environmental issues. Organizations that maintain or have published an official list of global issues include the United Nations, and the World Economic Forum.

## Global catastrophic risks

Not all of these risks are independent, because the majority, if not all of them are a result of human activity.
* Biodiversity loss
* Climate change
* Destructive artificial intelligence
* Environmental disaster
* Nuclear holocaust
* Pandemic
* Biotechnology risk
* Molecular nanotechnology
* Societal collapse

## United Nations list

The UN has listed issues that it deems to be the most pressing as of 2023:
| Category | Issues | Relevant UN directives/initiatives |
| Africa | poverty, diseases, desertification, malnutrition, regional conflict | Office of the Special Adviser on Africa, African Union, New Partnership for Africa’s Development, United Nations–African Union Mission in Darfur |
| Ageing | ageing population, demographic transition | Vienna International Plan of Action on Ageing, United Nations Principles for Older Persons, Proclamation on Ageing, International Year of Older Persons |
| AIDS | Prevention of HIV/AIDS, HIV and pregnancy, HIV/AIDS denialism | Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria |
| Atomic energy | nuclear weapons, nuclear waste | International Atomic Energy Agency, Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty |
| Big data for sustainable development | Applying ICTs to sustainable development | supporting and tracking the Sustainable Development Goals |
| Child and youth safety online | Fighting cyberbullying, online child abuse and human trafficking of children | |
| Children | Child poverty, Child labour, Child abuse, Child mortality, Global education | Education First, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), World Food Programme, Global Education First Initiative |
| Climate change | Carbon footprint of the human race, Climate change mitigation | Kyoto Protocol, Paris Agreement, United Nations Climate Change conference |
| Decolonization | exploitation | United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization, United Nations Trust Territories, International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism |
| Democracy | democratization | Universal Declaration of Human Rights, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, UNDP, UNDEF, DPKO, DPA, OHCHR, UN Women |
| Disarmament | weapons of mass destruction, chemical and biological weapons, conventional weapons, landmines and small arms | United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs |
| Ending poverty | Measuring poverty | Sustainable Development Goal #1: No poverty |
| Food | world hunger, sustainable agriculture, food security, safety, food riots | Sustainable Development Goal #2: Zero hunger, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Food Programme |
| Gender equality | Women's rights, global feminism | Commission on the Status of Women, Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) |
| Health | maternal health, extreme poverty | Millennium Development Goals |
| Human rights | human rights violations | Universal Declaration of Human Rights |
| International law and justice | war crimes, discrimination, state-corporate crime | International Law Commission, Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (1948), International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (1965), International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966), International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966), Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (1979), United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982), Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989), Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (1996), International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism (1999), Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006) |
| International migration | Human migration | International Organization for Migration |
| Oceans and the Law of the Sea (cf. Water) | marine pollution, ocean governance | United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter |
| Peace and security | | United Nations peacekeeping, List of United Nations peacekeeping missions, Peacebuilding Commission |
| People with disabilities | discrimination, lack of universal design | Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities |
| Population | overpopulation, world population | UNFPA |
| Refugees (cf. Humanitarian Assistance) | | United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) |
| Terrorism | | Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism |
| Volunteerism | | United Nations Volunteers |
| Water (cf. Oceans and the Law of the Sea) | water scarcity, water conflict, water privatization, water pollution | UN-Water, System of Environmental and Economic Accounting for Water, Water for Life Decade, International Recommendations on Water Statistics, United Nations Water Conference, Millennium Development Goals, International Conference on Water and the Environment (1992), Earth Summit (1992) |
As part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the UN Millennium Development Goals (2000-2015) were superseded by the UN Sustainable Development Goals (2016-2030), which are also known as The Global Goals. There are associated Targets and Indicators for each Global Goal.

## World Economic Forum List

In keeping with their economy-centered view, the World Economic Forum formulated a list of 10 most pressing points in 2016:
* Food security
* Inclusive growth
* Future of work/unemployment
* Climate change
* Financial crisis of 2007–2008
* Future of the internet/Fourth Industrial Revolution
* Gender equality
* Global trade and investment and regulatory frameworks
* Long-term investment/Investment strategy
* Future healthcare

## Global environmental issues

No single issue can be analysed, treated, or isolated from the others. For example, habitat loss and climate change adversely affect biodiversity. Deforestation and pollution are direct consequences of overpopulation and both, in turn, affect biodiversity. While overpopulation locally leads to rural flight, this is more than counterbalanced by accelerating urbanization and urban sprawl. Theories like the world-system theory and the Gaia hypothesis focus on the inter-dependency aspect of environmental and economic issues. Among the most evident environmental problems are:
* Overconsumption – situation where resource use has outpaced the sustainable capacity of the ecosystem.
* Overpopulation – too many people for the planet to sustain.
* Biodiversity loss
* Deforestation
* Desertification
* Global warming/climate change
* Habitat destruction
* Holocene extinction
* Ocean acidification
* Ozone depletion
* Pollution
** Waste and waste disposal
** Water pollution
* Resource depletion
* Urban sprawl