Infrastructure Blog 2 By Fabienne Cadet

Among all the good in the world, and all the progress being made in global issues, there is still much more to be done. Given the overwhelming disasters that nations, including the U.S., have been or still are going through, it is important to be aware of the most pressing global issues. Being knowledgeable and educated on these issues can become the reason why we overcome them. Project 2 focused on themes of topics that needed to be addressed. And the three topics discussed were climate change, infrastructure and gender equality. We were given the task of taking these three topics and deciphering all the things we can do to understand and help our country and the world in the upcoming years. The three topics were divided into our original groups of 3. Group 1 which was my group handled infrastructure, while group 2 had gender equality and group 3 Climate change.

  

Starting this project was very frustrating to say the least. I did not know where to start. But the thing is, regardless of whether you know how to do something or not, it’s part of your job to make sure it gets done. After a good deal of frustration, I started on my quest in completing this project. Project 2 had multiple assignments within it which contributed to the project as a whole.  We were tasked with completing a brochure, agenda and study guide prior to presenting on presentation day. The first assignment due was the agenda each group included their topic, with the group members name, subtopic, and outline of what they were going to be discussing in their presentation. Next was the brochure and study guides which were due the same day. The brochure was basically an overview on what the presentation entailed. However, the Study guide on the other hand consisted of the chapters each group was given to summarize and put in studying format.

When you think about global issues in our community you automatically think that everyone must be discussing or publishing articles and journals on the topic. However, that is far from the truth. Most people don’t typically think about these issues unless it becomes an issue that affects them. Infrastructure is one of the biggest. Infrastructure makes up our roads and transit systems, water pipes and water treatment, as well as our parks and waste facilities, to name just a few. Our group tackled these topics as best as we could at the moment and came up with subtopics to address the topic as a whole. Those subtopics were:

• An American perspective on infrastructure
• A history overview on infrastructure
• a world perspective
• Important events 
• National organizations
• Local originations
• Government laws (state) (federal) 
• Environmental changes 
• and what’s going to happen in the next 10-20 years

My Subtopic was state Government laws dealing with infrastructure. To say that I struggled would be an understatement. I could not find any real details for my topic in question and wanted to pull my hair out by the end of my research. However, nothing in life is ever easy so I buckled down and sought guidance from people who were educated on that specific topic. After gathering information from them and the little bit of sources I was able to find I began putting my project together. The issues with state Government laws dealing infrastructure are because states are cutting infrastructure spending as a share of the economy, the opposite of what is needed. states need to evaluate the tradeoffs. State policymakers will need to prioritize infrastructure projects and weigh their value against other state needs. Since states generally have so underinvested in their infrastructure, there’s little question that they can identify affordable projects that will boost productivity over time. At the same time, many states have also neglected to invest properly in their residents’ education, health, and quality of life. In some cases, states will need to raise revenue to meet these various needs, and all states will need to evaluate the tradeoffs involved in choosing various investments over others. 

  

Another one of the major global issues that we are currently battling is climate change. This Topic was researched, organized and presented by group 3. They were the first ones to present, and man did they leave an impression they tackled this topic head on and provided so much information starting from how we got to where we are with climate change as a community, what can be done to improve the situation, and where do we go from here. This project was beautiful presented and very informative. They did not come to play. They delivered on every aspect of climate change. 

Presenting after them was Group 2 with gender equality. This topic is one that really did numbers for me. As a black woman in America, I connected to this topic on a whole other level. Everyone is affected by gender inequality - women, men, trans and gender diverse people, children and families. It impacts people of all ages and backgrounds. We need gender equality urgently. Gender equality prevents violence against women and girls. It’s essential for economic prosperity. Societies that value women and men as equal are safer and healthier. Gender equality is a human right. Everyone benefits from gender equality. Group 2 provided good descriptions and definitions. They went into detail about what is happening currently in our government and education.  When they concluded they Informed us on what should be done, and where will we be in 10 to 20 years.

With so many current global issues that require immediate attention, it is easy to get discouraged. However, the amount of progress that organizations have made in combating these problems is admirable, and the world will continue to improve in the years to come. By staying active in current events and standing up for the health and safety of all humans, everyone is able to make a difference in changing the fate of our world. Project 2 was undeniably more intense than project 1 but I was definitely able to see growth and progress in my group members and I.