The World’s Biggest Problems portal has a simple, clear mission: educating people all around the world about the biggest problems facing humanity.These problems have two criteria, they must be global in scope, and have the potential to rapidly escalate into severe crises.

• Economic Collapse : Fragilities in the current global economy could tip the developed world into conditions not seen since the 1920s.

• Peak Oil : Petroleum has powered the modern world for almost 100 years; today, many industry insiders say that we may be reaching a permanent peak in oil production.

• Global Water Crisis : Over the last 50 years the human population has nearly tripled, while industrial pollution, unsustainable agriculture, and poor civic planning have decreased the overall water supply.

• Species Extinction : Certain species that human beings depend upon for our food supply are going extinct; if their numbers fall too low we may face extinction ourselves.

• Rapid Climate Change : While the debate rages on about the causes of climate change, global warming is an empirical fact. The problem is both a curse and blessing, in that people from different cultures will either have to work together or face mutual destruction.

WBP fulfills its role in several ways:

• Content Aggregation : WBP utilizes the collective intelligence of its users by allowing them to independantly add content, ensuring that only the most relevant and timely information is pulled to the site.

• Sophisticated Filtration : The WBP tagging system filters and sorts information in a way that is natural and intuitive. It allows for users to filter content not only by problem, but also by specific issues within or between problems.

• Provides Objectivity : In a world where zero sum advocacy is the norm, WBP offers overviews of all the problems that seek to inform, not persuade, the reader.

• Gives its Users a Voice: All WBP users can post a personal blog on the site, giving them the ability to share their views with thousands of like minded people from all over the world.

Read Staff Writings on these problems

See Content related to these problems