Global Concerns
It seems clear that our descendants will look back (if they get the chance) and curse our generations for leading our world into an unprecedented global emergency, and for failing to stop our self-created global catastrophe.
All of us are now moving into the most critical decade in human history. If we just continue as now then catastrophic change will soon be irreversible. There is no excuse for not knowing that we humans must rapidly make fundamental changes to our political and economic systems. This is the view of the United Nations and countless other international organisations and scientific bodies and experts. We, the (supposedly) most intelligent creatures ever to inhabit this planet, are destroying our civilisations and many other species.
The big global concern summarised below show that the systems of failure and injustice are interlocking - they always have been They have been created by humans and must be changed by humans. Nothing is now more urgent or imperative. Anyone who remains silent about this is part of the problem. So, we believe in speaking up, specifically through art : Art with a conscience. While our politicians and media are failing, people across the world look to their artists as powerful cultural influencers who can help bring about change (see more in : 'What Can the Arts and Culture Do ?').
We believe that many artists and creative people already know what these big global concerns are (artists from around 45 countries are shown here on this website). The big global concerns mainly stem from capitalism (nowadays in its dangerous neoliberal corporate form) or communism - both are very materialist and extractivist ideologies, both are built upon vast ongoing injustices.
Decide for yourself which of the big concerns are of most concern to you. The Summaries (below) are here to help you, if needed. None of these are the definitive last word on any problem or issue. Please note : These are not separate things, they are all connected. We only have one world.
Not all the big global concerns are here yet (sadly, there are more of them). If you want to, please send us your own concise thoughts (maximum 300 words) about a big global concern. We may add it to this page.
HERE ARE SOME OF THE BIG GLOBAL CONCERNS :
All of us are now moving into the most critical decade in human history. If we just continue as now then catastrophic change will soon be irreversible. There is no excuse for not knowing that we humans must rapidly make fundamental changes to our political and economic systems. This is the view of the United Nations and countless other international organisations and scientific bodies and experts. We, the (supposedly) most intelligent creatures ever to inhabit this planet, are destroying our civilisations and many other species.
The big global concern summarised below show that the systems of failure and injustice are interlocking - they always have been They have been created by humans and must be changed by humans. Nothing is now more urgent or imperative. Anyone who remains silent about this is part of the problem. So, we believe in speaking up, specifically through art : Art with a conscience. While our politicians and media are failing, people across the world look to their artists as powerful cultural influencers who can help bring about change (see more in : 'What Can the Arts and Culture Do ?').
We believe that many artists and creative people already know what these big global concerns are (artists from around 45 countries are shown here on this website). The big global concerns mainly stem from capitalism (nowadays in its dangerous neoliberal corporate form) or communism - both are very materialist and extractivist ideologies, both are built upon vast ongoing injustices.
Decide for yourself which of the big concerns are of most concern to you. The Summaries (below) are here to help you, if needed. None of these are the definitive last word on any problem or issue. Please note : These are not separate things, they are all connected. We only have one world.
Not all the big global concerns are here yet (sadly, there are more of them). If you want to, please send us your own concise thoughts (maximum 300 words) about a big global concern. We may add it to this page.
HERE ARE SOME OF THE BIG GLOBAL CONCERNS :
1. GLOBAL CLIMATE EMERGENCY
Humans now face an unprecedented global emergency with a rapidly advancing climate catastrophe and mass extinctions - with our own extinction very probable. This is happenning because our political and economic systems have mislead us into a worldwide and dangerous gamble with our planet's ecosystem, our climate and our future...More...
2. MILITARIZATION, WAR, CONFLICT & PROFIT BEFORE PEOPLE
For those of us who want ourselves and our descendants to live in a more peaceful, secure and equitable world, the scale of the military, of conflicts and of war is both daunting and deeply immoral....More...
3. INEQUALITY & POWERLESSNESS
The main 'engine' of the biggest global concerns is the extreme and undemocratic concentration of global political and economic power in the hands of a few. The misuse of this power is having a very bad effect on the whole world. KEY POINT : The real political and economic power in the world is held by a tiny irresponsible elite - less than 1% of 1% (i.e. one ten thousandth) of ...More...
4. POVERTY & MARGINALISATION
The elimination of poverty is one of the U.N.’s four main purposes in its Charter adopted at its formation in 1945. It is also embedded in the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in 1948. This prime need to eliminate poverty has been restated and emphasised on numerous occasions (by the U.N. and many other bodies) in every decade since...And yet ...More...
5. GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECOLOGICAL EMERGENCY
In May 2019 the UN's Intergovernmental Panel for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) declared in its new landmark Report that we humans are doing colossal damage to nature and species globally. The IPBES says this is now a 'Social and Ecological Emergency'. This Report is the most comprehensive and damning global assessment ever produced of the state of nature...More...
6. CORPORATISM & THE GLOBAL CONCENTRATION OF POWER IN THE HANDS OF A FEW
There are numerous global ‘tie-ups’ joining those in political or economic power with the wealthiest (tiny) proportion of the world’s population. In truth, the crucial power now lies in the corporate sector and not in the political machinery of governments, whether democracies or not. In particular, a few thousand big and powerful ...More...
7. PATRIARCHY & THE SUBORDINATION OF WOMEN
This is a strand which runs through all the other big global concerns here. Patriarchy, misogyny and sexism are pervasive in almost all societies on earth - even at the top of the most 'developed' societies (a prime example is the repulsive Trump in the USA) - and are built into social structures, political systems, laws, economies, education systems and cultures. ...More...
8. MEDIA FAILURES
The wealthy and powerful elites are always actively denigrating all other needs and all other people, often using press and media which they either own, control, or have decisive commercial or other influence over. Around the world it is normal for much of the press and media to demonise poor people, the unemployed, the homeless, the powerless. This has become so 'normalised' that ...More...
9. CORPORATE TAX ABUSE
Almost all of the largest corporations own hundreds (and in some cases thousands) of offshore subsidiary companies in Tax Havens and low tax jurisdictions. By doing business through these they avoid paying tax to the countries in which they operate and from which they extract their massive profits. The scale of the world's current economic problems is very large, but not when ...More...
10. WEALTH, POWER & CORRUPTION
These are common factors at the centre of many of the biggest Global Concerns. In too many countries the laws and legal system serve property and wealth, not the needs of the mass of people. Political elites spend a lot of time disguising and hiding their involvements with and subservience to corporate power, to the wealthy, and to rich oligarchs. Linked to this is the massive ...More...
11. SUPPRESSION OF WHISTLEBLOWERS & TRUTH-TELLERS
Those in political, economic or corporate power are very keen to suppress and persecute those who investigate them, criticise them, ‘blow the whistle’ on their deeds, or ‘tell truth to power’. People have been distrusting governments, institutions and corporations for a very long time. The reasons for distrust have kept on growing, as has the desire to call them to account. ...More...
12. FAILURE OF INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTIONS
In theory, we the ordinary people of the world have the United Nations to work on behalf of us all. Since it began in 1945 many Agencies of the U.N. have done excellent work around the world. However, under the U.N's 'watch' many wars, famines, acts of genocide and enormous human rights abuses have been done (and are being done still), without the U.N. preventing them before ...More...
13. FAILURE OF MAJOR POWERS
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Criminal Court (which began as recently as 2002) and numerous other international bodies and institutions are also supposed to work for and on behalf of us all. That may be the theory, but these have not done enough and are too weak at standing up to a few major powers, so they cannot end governmental and corporate ...More...
14. INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE - BUT NOT FOR ALL
Our International laws and agencies are so deficient that we sometimes seem to be going backwards. The International Criminal Court opened its doors for the first time as recently as July 2002 but is still only dealing with a tiny fraction of the law-breakers that it should be holding to account. Those people who lead or mislead their citizens into intolerance, racism, bigotry, ...More...
15. BAD LEADERS & BAD GOVERNANCE
Over the past few decades there has been a gradual awakening to the fact that humanity’s planetary assets and common interests are being severely damaged. By whom ? By politicians, governments, corporations, many international bodies and by the policies they impose. These are responsible for all bad leaders and bad governance wherever it is found... More...
• MORE TO FOLLOW ... and you are welcome to send us your own (maximum 300 words) by Email to : redlineartworks@yahoo.co.uk
Humans now face an unprecedented global emergency with a rapidly advancing climate catastrophe and mass extinctions - with our own extinction very probable. This is happenning because our political and economic systems have mislead us into a worldwide and dangerous gamble with our planet's ecosystem, our climate and our future...More...
2. MILITARIZATION, WAR, CONFLICT & PROFIT BEFORE PEOPLE
For those of us who want ourselves and our descendants to live in a more peaceful, secure and equitable world, the scale of the military, of conflicts and of war is both daunting and deeply immoral....More...
3. INEQUALITY & POWERLESSNESS
The main 'engine' of the biggest global concerns is the extreme and undemocratic concentration of global political and economic power in the hands of a few. The misuse of this power is having a very bad effect on the whole world. KEY POINT : The real political and economic power in the world is held by a tiny irresponsible elite - less than 1% of 1% (i.e. one ten thousandth) of ...More...
4. POVERTY & MARGINALISATION
The elimination of poverty is one of the U.N.’s four main purposes in its Charter adopted at its formation in 1945. It is also embedded in the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in 1948. This prime need to eliminate poverty has been restated and emphasised on numerous occasions (by the U.N. and many other bodies) in every decade since...And yet ...More...
5. GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECOLOGICAL EMERGENCY
In May 2019 the UN's Intergovernmental Panel for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) declared in its new landmark Report that we humans are doing colossal damage to nature and species globally. The IPBES says this is now a 'Social and Ecological Emergency'. This Report is the most comprehensive and damning global assessment ever produced of the state of nature...More...
6. CORPORATISM & THE GLOBAL CONCENTRATION OF POWER IN THE HANDS OF A FEW
There are numerous global ‘tie-ups’ joining those in political or economic power with the wealthiest (tiny) proportion of the world’s population. In truth, the crucial power now lies in the corporate sector and not in the political machinery of governments, whether democracies or not. In particular, a few thousand big and powerful ...More...
7. PATRIARCHY & THE SUBORDINATION OF WOMEN
This is a strand which runs through all the other big global concerns here. Patriarchy, misogyny and sexism are pervasive in almost all societies on earth - even at the top of the most 'developed' societies (a prime example is the repulsive Trump in the USA) - and are built into social structures, political systems, laws, economies, education systems and cultures. ...More...
8. MEDIA FAILURES
The wealthy and powerful elites are always actively denigrating all other needs and all other people, often using press and media which they either own, control, or have decisive commercial or other influence over. Around the world it is normal for much of the press and media to demonise poor people, the unemployed, the homeless, the powerless. This has become so 'normalised' that ...More...
9. CORPORATE TAX ABUSE
Almost all of the largest corporations own hundreds (and in some cases thousands) of offshore subsidiary companies in Tax Havens and low tax jurisdictions. By doing business through these they avoid paying tax to the countries in which they operate and from which they extract their massive profits. The scale of the world's current economic problems is very large, but not when ...More...
10. WEALTH, POWER & CORRUPTION
These are common factors at the centre of many of the biggest Global Concerns. In too many countries the laws and legal system serve property and wealth, not the needs of the mass of people. Political elites spend a lot of time disguising and hiding their involvements with and subservience to corporate power, to the wealthy, and to rich oligarchs. Linked to this is the massive ...More...
11. SUPPRESSION OF WHISTLEBLOWERS & TRUTH-TELLERS
Those in political, economic or corporate power are very keen to suppress and persecute those who investigate them, criticise them, ‘blow the whistle’ on their deeds, or ‘tell truth to power’. People have been distrusting governments, institutions and corporations for a very long time. The reasons for distrust have kept on growing, as has the desire to call them to account. ...More...
12. FAILURE OF INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTIONS
In theory, we the ordinary people of the world have the United Nations to work on behalf of us all. Since it began in 1945 many Agencies of the U.N. have done excellent work around the world. However, under the U.N's 'watch' many wars, famines, acts of genocide and enormous human rights abuses have been done (and are being done still), without the U.N. preventing them before ...More...
13. FAILURE OF MAJOR POWERS
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Criminal Court (which began as recently as 2002) and numerous other international bodies and institutions are also supposed to work for and on behalf of us all. That may be the theory, but these have not done enough and are too weak at standing up to a few major powers, so they cannot end governmental and corporate ...More...
14. INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE - BUT NOT FOR ALL
Our International laws and agencies are so deficient that we sometimes seem to be going backwards. The International Criminal Court opened its doors for the first time as recently as July 2002 but is still only dealing with a tiny fraction of the law-breakers that it should be holding to account. Those people who lead or mislead their citizens into intolerance, racism, bigotry, ...More...
15. BAD LEADERS & BAD GOVERNANCE
Over the past few decades there has been a gradual awakening to the fact that humanity’s planetary assets and common interests are being severely damaged. By whom ? By politicians, governments, corporations, many international bodies and by the policies they impose. These are responsible for all bad leaders and bad governance wherever it is found... More...
• MORE TO FOLLOW ... and you are welcome to send us your own (maximum 300 words) by Email to : redlineartworks@yahoo.co.uk
