State of the World: Global nightmares are materializing locally

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The threats are not isolated phenomena but are intertwined, forming a complex web where the economy, politics, the environment, and human rights are closely connected.

The world is at risk of dividing, and democracy now also needs to be defended.

One of the most critical global threats is economic inequality and its increase with globalization.Citizens are already strongly criticizing how the globalized economy has concentrated in the hands of a few, multinational companies, and financial institutions.

This has led to a situation where the gap between the rich and the poor has widened even further, both in developed and developing countries. Sources highlight that the benefits of globalization have not been distributed evenly and that poor and marginalized people lack sufficient influence over economic decision-making.

Another significant threat is climate change and its consequences.Researchers first point to climate change, emphasizing its impact, especially on the poorest countries.

Climate change exacerbates existing problems such as poverty, hunger,

and conflicts. They call for global cooperation to combat climate change and adapt to its effects.

A third global threat that emerges is nationalism and populism. How the uncertainty and fear caused by globalization have led to the rise of extremist movements.Nationalist and populist movements seek to exploit people's fears and offer simplified solutions to complex problems.

This has already led to the polarization of societies and the weakening of democracy

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Other global threats that should also be addressed include:

• Weakening of supply security: Globalization has increased countries' dependence on each other, making them more vulnerable to various disruptions, such as economic crises, natural disasters, and conflicts.

• Growth of tax evasion and the shadow economy: Multinational companies and wealthy individuals take advantage of globalization's opportunities for tax evasion and shadow economic practices. This weakens state tax revenues and increases economic inequality.

• Negative consequences of technological development: Rapid technological development can lead to job losses, privacy violations, and new security threats.

• Cultural homogenization: Globalization can lead to the disappearance of local cultures and languages if Americanized, Western culture spreads worldwide.

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Responding to global threats requires international cooperation and new ways of thinking.Traditional state structures are not sufficient to solve global problems.

Instead, new types of cooperation networks are needed, involving states, international organizations, companies, and civil society.

Local economy. It is essential to remember the grassroots level, the concept of glocalization, which describes the interweaving of local and global phenomena. Glocalization can offer opportunities to combat global threats, as it can strengthen local identity and create new forms of cooperation.

HOW WE PREPARE Preparedness is becoming a central focus in future work, even at regional and municipal levels, as the worst threats materialize.

We are already experiencing tomorrow's nightmares, which we haven't wanted to see, as wishful thinking has been an easier way to continue.

Climate change is already being experienced as wildfires, the drying of Europe's great rivers from Italy's Po to Germany's Rhine, heatwaves, and the melting of glaciers in the North Pole and the Alps.

Food is at risk of running out, driving people to migrate. The World Watch Institute, which monitors the state of the world, predicted as early as the late 1970s that Europe's food self-sufficiency, propped up by "subsidies" and overproduction, would end by 2024. It wasn't believed – but now we see that the prediction was accurate.

In 1978, Heikki Haavisto, the chairman of MTK, predicted in an interview with Uusi Suomi to this writer that of Finland's 130,000 farms, only a third would remain by 2024. Fortunately, farm size has grown at the same time.

Pandemics have begun to recur as global plagues, and drought drives people in Africa and Asia to migrate in search of water and work because the world's population has exceeded nature's capacity.The vicious cycle of hate takes hold in the despair of inequality and hunger.

The impoverished South no longer agrees to be a cheap supplier of raw materials; hatred rises as Russia exploits it to polarize the West against other parts of the world.In wishful thinking, Finland moves from the role of a healer to that of a judge.

The world has left responsibility for tomorrow to "the markets" and is now realizing that politicians, in their naïveté, drove nations to cold hearths and empty cupboards through wishful thinking, and learned that they were guided there by a business elite, making risk investments with infallible million-dollar bonuses.

Debt remains with us, and the price of energy, along with operational losses in Finnish agriculture, guarantees that in drying/flooding conditions, the plagues begin to affect wallets in a devilish way.

Crises are met in the local environment

The war in Ukraine demonstrated the brutal nature of warfare, with the main threat being an old opponent fried in butter using the strategy of causing fear and destruction among civilians through scorched earth tactics.

Thus, it is clear that the same shock strategy with hybrid elements would apply to Finland if arms and cyber sabotage were used between Finland and Russia.

Municipalities must be able to carry out their duties and ensure supply security and residents' well-being despite external or internal disruptions, threats, and risks.The tool for municipalities' preparedness is the local security plan as part of risk management.

Municipalities also make security plans with regions, other municipalities, and provinces. In large municipalities, it has been deemed necessary to create district or village plans to ensure effective action.

The mayor leads the organization of risk management and preparedness at the local level. The mayor also leads the municipality's operations in times of disruption.

A new challenge has emerged in the form of the paralysis of the digital information society and networks.

Engaging residents, improving awareness of risks to their own lives, improving knowledge and skills in combating digital threats, and enhancing actions that influence and improve safety are growing areas of development for new municipalities after the formation of social and health service) – because ultimately, problems are always encountered close to the people.