Global
Global issues impact people across borders and require some level of international cooperation to solve. This doesn't include issues that happen everywhere that can be solved locally such as say unemployment.Armed Conflicts | Arms Trade |
Biodiversity Loss | Child Labor |
Climate Change | Cybercrime |
Cyberwarfare | Deforestation |
Disease Outbreaks | Droughts |
Economic Cooperation | Education Access |
Energy Sustainability | Environmental Disasters |
Ethnic Conflicts | Extreme Weather |
Flooding | Food Security |
Forced Migration | Gender Equality |
Global Debt | Global Monopolies |
Global Poverty | Human Rights |
Human Trafficking | Humanitarian Aid |
Intellectual Property Theft | International Conflicts |
International Crime | International Trade |
Militarization | Modern Slavery |
Money Laundering | Natural Disasters |
Nuclear Weapons | Overfishing |
Peace & Security | Peacekeeping |
Political Corruption | Political Instability |
Pollution | Refugees |
Religious Intolerance | Resource Nationalism |
Sustainable Agriculture | Sustainable Development |
Territorial Disputes | Terrorism |
Trade Wars | Water Scarcity |
Environmental
The degradation or destruction of the natural world that supports quality of life on a global basis. The natural world represents an immense pool of value for all to enjoy but individual actors may benefit by polluting it or otherwise damaging it. Environmental damage is costly for all and is quite unfair to future generations.Acid Rain | Air Pollution |
Airborne Toxins | Chemical Pollution |
Chemical Spills | Coral Reef Damage |
Deforestation | E-waste |
Endangered Species | Fisheries Collapse |
Fossil Fuels | Global Warming |
Greenhouse Gases | Habitat Fragmentation |
Heavy Metal Contamination | Illegal Logging |
Industrial Agriculture | Industrial Pollution |
Invasive Species | Land Degradation |
Land Erosion | Landfills |
Loss Habitat | Microplastics |
Nuclear Waste | Ocean Acidification |
Ocean Pollution | Oil Spills |
Overhunting | Pesticides |
Plastic Waste | Rainforest Loss |
Species Extinction | Toxic Waste |
Waste Incineration | Wastewater Discharge |
Water Pollution | Wetland Loss |
Social
Social issues relate to people and society. This includes things that impact the quality of life in a society such as poverty and issues related to fairness and justice.Access to Justice | Access to Senior Services |
Affordable Housing | Ageism |
Aging Populations | Animal Rights |
Antibiotic Resistance | Capital Punishment |
Caregiver Burden | Child Protection |
Civil Rights | Class Divide |
Consumer Rights | Corporate Accountability |
Corporate Transparency | Cost of Health Care |
Crime | Disability Rights |
Discrimination | Domestic Violence |
Fair Wages | Family Support |
Freedom of Assembly | Freedom of Movement |
Freedom of Speech | Gun Control |
Health Care Access | Health Care Quality |
Homelessness | Hunger |
Immigrant Rights | Indigenous Rights |
LGBTQ+ Rights | Labor Rights |
Mental Health | Parental Leave |
Police Accountability | Police Brutality |
Police Militarization | Poverty |
Prison Labor | Prison Reform |
Public Health | Public Health Infrastructure |
Public Safety | Quality of Life |
Racial Profiling | Racism |
Religious Tolerance | Reproductive Rights |
Sexism | Social Isolation |
Social Mobility | Social Safety Net |
Substance Abuse | Worker Rights |
Working Conditions | Workplace Safety |
Economic
People need to thrive and to have their material needs met in order to have a good quality of life. As such, economic issues tend to be low in the hierarchy of needs whereby if you have financial decline, instability or stagnation, it's harder to address other problems.Aging Populations | Anti-Competitive Practices |
Asset Price Bubbles | Banking Crises |
Capital Flight | Competitiveness |
Consumer Confidence | Consumer Debt |
Consumer Protection | Corporate Avoidance |
Corporate Governance | Corporate Subsidies |
Cost of Living | Credit Availability |
Currency Devaluation | Debt Crisis |
Deflation | Economic Growth |
Economic Inequality | Financial Crises |
Financial Inclusion | Financial Literacy |
Free Markets | Globalization |
Government Entitlements | Government Spending |
Income Tax Fairness | Inflation |
Interest Rates | Labor Unions |
Market Stability | Minimum Wage |
Monopolies | Open Competition |
Pensions Funding | Price Gouging |
Productivity Growth | Protectionism |
Public Debt | Recessions & Depressions |
Social Security Funding | Sovereign Wealth Funds |
Stagflation | Standard of Living |
Supply Shocks | Tax Avoidance |
Tax Burden | Trade Wars |
Unemployment | Unfair Competition |
Wealth Concentration |
Technological
Issues related to the use of technology and the high rate of change that technological advancement imposes on society, culture and the economy. Technology also tends to create risks and new ethical questions.AI Accountability | AI Ethics |
AI Transparency | Algorithm Bias |
Auto-renewing Subscriptions | Biotechnology Ethics |
Bloatware | Content Moderation |
Content Scraping | Copyright Infringement |
Cyberbullying | Cybercrime |
Cybersecurity | Data Breaches |
Data Literacy | Data Ownership |
Data Privacy | Deepfakes |
Digital Addiction | Digital Divide |
Excessive Data Retention | Excessive Notifications |
Forced Updates | Genetic Modification |
Geolocation Tracking | Health Effects of Tech |
Human Cloning | Information Overload |
Internet Censorship | Internet Freedom |
Job Displacement | Lack of Attribution |
Lack of Tech Transparency | Lack of User Control |
Network Neutrality | Online Safety |
Paywalls | Privacy Rights |
Privacy Violations | Robotics Ethics |
Surveillance | Tech Monopolies |
Technology Access | Unfair Terms of Service |
Unilateral Changes to Terms of Service |
Media
Issues related to communication, journalism, online information, entertainment and social media. With the commercialization of the internet in the 1990s, the world entered a new age of communication where anyone can communicate out to the entire world. We are still in the midst of starting to deal with all the issues that this has generated.Agenda Setting | Celebrity Culture |
Censorship | Clickbait |
Echo Chambers | Editorial Independence |
Ethical Journalism | Fact-Checking |
Fake Reviews | Fear Mongering |
Filter Bubbles | Freedom of Press |
Influence of Advertisers | Influencers |
Media Bias | Media Driven Polarization |
Media Literacy | Media Monopolies |
Media Objectivity | Media Ownership |
Media Representation | Media Saturation |
Media Transparency | Misinformation |
News Desensitization | Online Shaming |
Partisan Media | Paywalls |
Privacy Rights | Propaganda |
Reputable Sources | Satire |
Self-Censorship | Sensationalism |
Slanted Reporting | Stereotypes |
Trolls | Trust in Media |
Whistleblowing |
Political
Politics is the process of deciding what to do collectively as a society or community. This is an inherently difficult and contentious process that is prone to serious problems such as corruption.Authoritarianism | Bureaucratic Overreach |
Campaign Ads | Campaign Finance |
Civil Rights | Conflict of Interest |
Constitutional Amendments | Corruption |
Cultural Wars | Disenfranchisement |
Electoral Integrity | Foreign Interference |
Gerrymandering | Government Corruption |
Government Shutdowns | Government Transparency |
Isolationism | Judicial Independence |
Justice System Integrity | Militarization of Civilian Life |
Minority Rights | Misuse of Emergency Powers |
Political Gridlock | Political Instability |
Political Intimidation | Political Patronage |
Political Polarization | Protest Rights |
Regulatory Capture | Regulatory Overreach |
Rule of Law | Separation of Church and State |
Separation of Powers | State vs. Federal Power |
Term Limits | Trust in Government |
Undue Corporate Influence | Voting Rights |
Weak Regulatory Oversight |
Education
Anything that prevents students from learning and developing to their full potential is an educational issue. However, as with politics education tends to be a contentious topic because parents deeply care about the education of their children and often have vastly differing views on what education should be. Education can also have deep structural problems such as education systems that are tilted to benefit elites in a particular nation whereby it can actually work against class mobility.Academic Freedom | Academic Honesty |
Affluent Family Advantage | Bilingual Education |
Bullying | Career Readiness |
Class Divides | Classroom Echo Chambers |
Classroom Size | College Affordability |
College Readiness | Cost of Education |
Credential Inflation | Credentialism |
Curriculum Reform | Digital Divide |
Early Childhood Education | Education Access |
Education Disparities | Education Inequality |
Fairness of Admissions | Funding Inequality |
Homeschooling | Homework Load |
Ideological Bias | Intellectual Elitism |
Ivy League Elitism | Ivy-Obsessed Employers |
Language Barriers | Legacy Admissions |
Math Proficiency | Parental Choice |
Parental Involvement | Plagiarism |
Political Agendas in Schools | Politicized Classrooms |
Politicized Curriculum | Prestige vs. Merit |
Reading Literacy | School Accountability |
School Choice | School Discipline |
School Dropout Rates | School Nutrition |
School Safety | Special Education |
Standardized Testing | Student Engagement |
Student Loan Debt | Student Mental Health |
Student Privacy | Student Rights |
Teacher Salaries | Teacher Training |
Teacher Unions | Test Bias |
Vocational Training |
Community & Local
Issues that are often handled at the local level or that can differ greatly from neighborhood to neighborhood. These can include both urban and rural issues.Affordable Childcare | Affordable Transportation |
Affordable Utilities | Aging Infrastructure |
Air Quality | Bullying |
Community Centers | Community Health |
Community Investment | Community Spirit |
Crime Rates | Crime Recidivism |
Culture Programs | Disability Access |
Disaster Preparedness | Economic Development |
Elderly Care | Elderly Isolation |
Emergency Services | Family Instability |
Flood Control | Food Programs |
Gentrification | Green Space Access |
Gun Violence | Homeless Prevention |
Housing Discrimination | Income Support |
Indoor Air Quality | Internet Access |
Job Creation | Job Training |
Light Pollution | Local Economy |
Local Infrastructure | Local Tax Burden |
Neighborhood Revitalization | Neighborhood Safety |
Noise Pollution | Policing |
Public Housing | Public Parks |
Racial Profiling | Rent Control |
Small Business Support | Social Services |
Substance Abuse | Support For Local Businesses |
Traffic Safety | Urban Heat Islands |
Volunteerism | Water Quality |
Youth Programs | Youth Unemployment |
Personal Issues
Personal issues are problems, challenges and risks facing an individual. Everyone has problems like this from time to time but some problems are bigger than others and it is important to ask for help where you need it.Academic Pressure | Addiction |
Adversity | Aging |
Anxiety | Behavioral Issues |
Being Disrespected | Business Failure |
Career Dissatisfaction | Career Stagnation |
Caregiver Burden | Chronic Pain |
College Rejections | Crisis of Faith |
Debilitating Fears | Debt |
Delusional Thinking | Divorce or Separation |
Emotional Burnout | Facing Discrimination |
Family Instability | Financial Struggles |
Foreclosure | Gambling Addiction |
Gossip & Rumors | Harassment |
Health Insurance Gaps | Health Problems |
Healthcare Costs | High Interest Rates |
Housing Instability | Identity Crisis |
Identity Theft | Income Instability |
Infertility | Interpersonal Conflict |
Job Insecurity | Job Loss |
Lack of Direction | Lack of Intimacy |
Lack of Meaning & Purpose | Lack of Savings |
Lack of Self-Control | Lack of Social Support |
Language Barriers | Legal Issues |
Life Transitions | Loneliness |
Loss & Grief | Loss of Independence |
Low Academic Performance | Mental Decline |
Mental Exhaustion | Mental Health Issues |
Mobility Issues | Obesity |
Overworking | Parenting Challenges |
Physical Frailty | Poor Work Performance |
Poor Working Conditions | Relationship Issues |
Sleep Deprivation | Social Isolation |
Stress | Student Loans |
Substance Abuse | Unhappiness |
Victim of Crime |
