90+ Unsustainable Trends in the US and the World

   90+ Unsustainable Trends in the US and the World.  (Draft 2-1-20)

(And, the need to invest in the Sustainable Development Goals)

If you find a website that better represents a trend or counters it, please email 'chuck@igc.org' 

Debt, Finance, and Jobs
US Govt Debt:  https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/americas-debt-spree-isnt-stopping-it-might-soon-be-too-late/2020/01/26/49241ce8-3ee0-11ea-b90d-5652806c3b3a_story.html
US Govt expanding exposure to risky mortgages:  https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/federal-government-has-dramatically-expanded-exposure-to-risky-mortgages/2019/10/02/d862ab40-ce79-11e9-87fa-8501a456c003_story.html
US personal Debt:   https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/the-finance-202/2019/11/22/the-finance-202-personal-loans-are-surging-that-s-an-economic-red-flag/5dd7063c88e0fa652bbbd90e/
US student debt: https://www.nitrocollege.com/research/average-student-loan-debt
Growing interest on US debt:  https://www.thebalance.com/interest-on-the-national-debt-4119024
Rising US income inequality at “steady pace” (according to government CBO 2019 analysis): https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2019-12/55941-CBO-Household-Income.pdf
Rising global income inequality:  http://www.ipsnews.net/2020/01/rising-inequality-affecting-two-thirds-globe-not-inevitable-new-un-report/
Increasing US military spending:  https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2019/04/18/us-military-spending-set-increase-fifth-consecutive-year-nearing-levels-during-height-iraq-war/
Growing global elderly population:  https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/worlds-older-population-grows-dramatically
Growing US elderly population:  https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2018/10/snapshot-fast-growing-us-older-population.html
Increasing US Militia groups: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Militia_organizations_in_the_United_States
Increasing medical costs related to treating consequences of sustained lack of physical inactivity in US population.
China and India are projected to overtake the U.S. in terms of economic output by 2050.
Decline in Union memberships.

Infrastructure & Policy (National and Foreign)
Failure to invest in vital aging infrastructure.
Increasing number of laws destined to fail.
US government dysfunction in dealing with national or global problems.
Legally sustained flow of taxable wealth into tax evading offshore accounts.
Unchecked corporate influencing of government and public policy
Decline in international cooperation.
Increasing number of refugees
Increasing number of failing states.
Increasing populism.
Decline in human freedoms.
Decline in number of democracies.
Decline in local newspapers.
Decline in US birth rates combined with increasing resistance to increasing foreign immigration numbers.
Increasing interference of foreign entities in US elections.

Mainstream Media & Dialogue
Decline in public trust of media.
Growth in misinformation technology:  fake news and deep fake technology.
Decline in public trust in government.
Decline of US and UN institutional legitimacy
Increasingly unfriendly political dialog/civil discourse.
Declining political cooperation between political parties.

Medical

Biological threats:

Evolution of new and re-emerging infectious disease.

Increase in antibiotic resistance pathogens.

Psychological:

Rising youth suicide rates

Between 1999 and 2014:  a 45 % increase in women’s suicide rate (16% rise among men)

Rising death rate among white middle-aged women

Rise in mental illness.

Increasing loneliness: greatest public health problem according to US Surgeon General

Persistent government resistance to increasing investments in preventive measures.

Decline in US life expectancy over last 3 years (last decline was recorded in 1917 from Spanish flu)

Education
Declining numbers of US students with math, science and engineering majors.
Decline in new international enrollments 3.3 percent in 2016/17
Total number of international students slightly decreased between 2017 and 2018.
Since 2000, the U.S. has been progressively losing market share of students to other countries (Australia, Germany, Canada and China)

Environmental: Unsustainable global trends that effect US citizens.
Increasing global temperatures
Increasing extreme weather patterns
Increasing extinction of species.
Rising sea levels.
Declining fisheries.
Increasing plastics in the ocean, air and soil.
Accelerating loss of arable land.
Increasing shortage of clean fresh water.
Increasing loss of forests.
Increasing loss of natural habitats
Increasing wasteful consumption beyond earth’s natural systems to sustain
Increasing loss of small farmers and farmers.
Increasing loss of topsoil and use of pesticides, herbicides.
Dwindling fresh water supplies
Increasing economic loss from natural disasters.

Violence & Unrest (National, International)
A 2,500% increase in deadly attacks at houses of worship in US since 1999.*
Increasing tensions and violence in the Middle East.
China’s growing investments in global infrastructure and military spending.
Evolution of war and terrorism.
Increased partnerships between terrorist groups and criminal groups (drug cartels).
Increased support to secessionist groups.
Increased encouragement of religious extremists and political fringe groups.
Increasing actions and intent to exacerbate social tensions and violence.
Increase in violent hate groups and their advocacy for a race war.
Increasing length of conflicts

Dual use technology (bio, cyber, nuclear, chemical, robotics, conventional …)
Exponential growth of its Power, affordability, availability, and both autonomous and anonymous nature:  
Reduction in weapon’s size and difficulty of use:
Increased dependence on cyber technology (when everything is connected, security is everything)
Evolution of weapons for space.: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=evolution+of+weapons+for+use+in+space&qpvt=evolution+of+weapons+for+use+in+space&view=detail&mid=1DCE8E8372D3CBFFC3331DCE8E8372D3CBFFC333&&FORM=VRDGAR&ru=%2Fvideos%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Devolution%2Bof%2Bweapons%2Bfor%2Buse%2Bin%2Bspace%26qpvt%3Devolution%2Bof%2Bweapons%2Bfor%2Buse%2Bin%2Bspace%26FORM%3DVDRE
Increasing space junk:  https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/space/reference/space-junk/
Evolution of weapons technologies leading inevitably into AI and questions of our capacity to control it
Increasing use of drones:  https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-drones-idUSKBN16S2NM
Increasing use and evolution of IEDs: https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-evolution-of-improvised-explosive-devices-ieds/
Increasing WMD proliferation:  https://www.csis.org/topics/defense-and-security/weapons-mass-destruction-proliferation
Failing arms control measures:
Increasing potential for the use of autonomous weapons systems.
Increase in anonymous weapons systems leading to a reduction in deterrence reliability.
Increasing tactical advantage of using weapon systems offensively.
Increasing use of asymmetrical weapons:  https://www.nti.org/gsn/article/lethal-asymmetrical-technology-will-be-more-widespread-2030-report/
Decreasing costs of mass murder technologies.
Increasing availability of mass murder technologies.
Increased capacity for engineering genetically targeted bioweapons.
Rise in Cyber threats:  Identity theft. Crippling Cyber-attacks. Denial of service…


CONCLUSION:  What are the predictable consequences of any unsustainable trend?
If we fail to end the trends, they may will end us. Or at least our level of civilization.
The linkages between all of the trends is yet more evidence of our interdependent world…and lives, and the urgent need for holistic sustainable solutions based on fundamental principles and not just good intentions, optimism, or denial.