International Development issues have become a common occurrence that hardly any new statistic, advert, or cause, strikes a nerve. Unfortunately, poverty and hunger have become so common that when you travel to a country that has extreme poverty, or learn about a new tragedy in the news, you more often than not brush it off because these things seem to always be happening, and they are never going to end. How many of us actually follow up on some of these calamities after the news channels stop reporting on them? The negative results of Hurricane Katrina, the Rwandan Genocide, and the Tsunami that took place of the coast of Japan are still in effect. I don't blame us for feeling this way. You may have been more excited or concerned with fixing International Development issues in the past, after hearing about campaigns such as the Kyoto Protocol or the Millennium Development Goals that were widely promoted as the cure for development issues. But after constant failure you might have lost hope and even concern for these problems.
So let me remind you why working towards solving development issues is important. It is imperative in order to create intergenerational equity. Intergenerational equity refers to the responsibility of the current generation to preserve their living space and create a sustainable lifestyle that can be used by future generations. Our current actions impact the lifestyle of future generations, this means your children, and their children and many generations after that. If we continue to live in a world where poverty and environmental degradation prevail, imagine the world our kin will be subjected to live in. We are accountable for our actions and how we treat our planet. Remember this the next time you take the car to work instead of the bus, or the next time you leave the water running while brushing your teeth, or the next time you hear about a fatal tragedy.If nothing else, think about your families. Your parents and forefathers must have sacrificed and worked so hard for you to be able to live the life you are living today, so we need to be mindful of our actions to ensure intergenerational equity for future generations. It is your responsibility!
