International efforts are needed to even out economic imbalances across the world.

Few people would argue that the current situation is fair. Too many countries are very poor, and the gap between the haves and have-nots is huge. A top sports star, for instance, earns more money by wearing a certain brand of trainers than the thousands of workers who make them; he makes enough money each second to buy each worker a house.

However, there are many disagreements about how to make the system work better. Some people believe capitalism does not work and would prefer to see a Communist form of governance. Others believe the market is not free enough and that governments should interfere less.

While the debate continues, a huge number of people around the world are trying to improve people’s lives. Charities, environmental campaigners, even celebrities are all trying to make people aware of the problem in the hope that if enough people get involved and make their voices known, the future will be a fairer one for everyone.

One movement that has taken off in recent years is Fair Trade, which is a campaign that tries to improve the lives of farmers in the developing world by paying them more money for their produce, campaigning for better working conditions and raising awareness about the unfairness of the current system.

Natural hazards can make global inequalities worse.

Some areas of the world are more vulnerable to enormous natural hazards which can have a detrimental effect on the people for many years. Many of the regions where natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes and droughts regularly occur are also the poorest nations on earth.