Poverty and wealth
The gap between rich and poor continues to grow, with the eight richest individuals and families in the world owning as much wealth as half the world\’s population.
How many.
There are more than 2,200 dollar billionaires, and their total wealth is estimated at just over $9.1 trillion (a trillion has 12 zeros). The average billionaire, however, has assets of about $4 billion. That is an unimaginable fortune for the vast majority of us. Many billionaires would solve many of the world\’s problems.
What power do they have?
Homelessness – a much bigger problem in America than here. If every billionaire would only donate 14%
of his annual income, every person in the US would receive $200,000
(4.6 million kronor)
Education – A major global problem is the lack of education and access to education in developing countries. If every child were to receive primary and secondary education, it would cost $340 billion per year.
This is a really big amount, but since countries pay 80% of the cost themselves, “only” $68 billion would not be so bad for the wealthy.
World hunger – 815 million people are hungry, which is about 10.7% of the world population. Approximately 25,000 people die each day
. Sadly, this problem can be “easily” solved with money. It costs $30 billion a year to save these people. Fortunately, the number of hungry people and children has already decreased by 220 million since 1992, and by 2030 this problem should be gone.
Clean Water–Polluted water is a major problem. People get sick just trying to quench their thirst. They can\’t wash, which only makes them even sicker. Providing drinking water and disinfection for all would not only prevent illness and death,but would also help third world countries develop faster and their economies grow.
They are not evil people
But I do not mean to suggest here that all rich people are evil and heartless. Yes, they can and do solve many problems. For example, Bill Gates, who has established perhaps the largest charitable foundation in the world, gives scholarships to universities and helps fight diseases like AIDS and polio in developing countries. He has also arranged for the supply of many vaccines against measles, whooping cough, and yellow fever. And then there are names like Warren Buffett, Larry Ellison, and Elon Musk. The campaign, which asks millionaires to donate half of their pennies to a good cause, has already signed up $500 billion worth of pennies. [Many problems are being solved. More, less. It doesn\’t matter if it\’s to look good or because they want to help. What matters is that they are helpful.
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