The Hindu Business Line : State of the World doesn't look good

ENVIRONMENTAL degradation, poverty, infectious diseases and rising competition over oil and other resources are among the underlying sources of global insecurity, says the Washington-based Worldwatch Institute in its annual `State of the World' report released on Wednesday.

The global war on terror has, in fact, diverted attention from these causes of instability, the report says. Terrorism is only symptomatic of the broader set of complex problems that require more than a military response, adds the `State of the World 2005.'

In the report's foreword, Michael Gorbachev, former President of the Soviet Union and Chairman Green Cross International, calls for a "global glasnost — openness, transparency and public dialogue" to meet the challenges of poverty, disease, environmental degradation and conflict.

Of the several destabilising forces examined in the report, oil, water, food, infectious diseases and youth unemployment are described as critical to creating a more peaceful world. For instance, many developing countries are experiencing a "youth bulge" or a situation in which people between the ages of 15 and 29 account for over 40 per cent of all adults. As many of these young people are not employed, they can be a destabilising force if their discontent pushes them into crime or into joining extremist groups, the report explains. Similarly, other factors such as water scarcity, food shortages and the spread of infectious diseases can undermine global stability, it adds.

According to Christopher Flavin, President, Worldwatch Institute, "Poverty, disease and environmental decline are the true axis of evil." Unless these threats are recognised and responded to, the world runs the risk of being blinded by the new forces of instability, he points out.

In order to confront these challenges to global stability and security, the report suggests the strengthening of civilian institutions and systems that are best equipped to address such issues.

According to the report's authors, strategic investments in sustainable energy, public health, protection of ecological systems, jobs, education and poverty alleviation will help provide greater stability.

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State of the World doesn't look good