Whether global events are war, pandemic or economic crisis, they tend to be emotionally challenging for many people. Find out how you can adjust your relationship to the news and minimise the impact on your wellbeing.
While there is much truth in the statement that ‘global events affect all places’, the severity of these effects also differs from place to place. These differences reveal important aspects of the processes involved in the creation of globalisation and, thereby, global events.
Global events can generate enormous economic benefits for the host nations such as the Olympic and Paralympic Games, world expositions, sporting championships and trade fairs. They can encourage external investment, boost tourism, grow trade and bring communities together. However, the positive impacts of these events must be carefully designed and monitored to ensure sustainable development.
When Big Events disrupt or otherwise significantly alter the ways in which people manage their lives, they often lead to harmful health consequences. These include increased drug use and risky sexual practices among population groups that are already at higher risk. They can also reshape the social networks, normative environments and thoughts and beliefs of youth and lead to intergenerational normative disjuncture. This can cause young people to devalue the life experiences, norms and values of their parents or grandparents – leading to dignity denial.
Finally, some global events have lasting implications on the natural environment and increase the risks for humans and other organisms, especially those in less developed places that contribute the least to climate change. These places have limited resources to cope with the changing conditions.