The world is roughly divided into 199 nation states, each governed by its own people. You might be thinking that the interaction and the agreement between these countries is what drives the world forward. Sorry to burst your bubble but the world is actually being governed by 10 powerful forces that are running the world which could be quite shocking for someone who has naive views.
10. Cats
That might have come as a surprise especially if you were expecting the name of some organization with connections with the dark forces of the world! The reason why these feral creatures are amongst the 10 powerful forces that are running the world is because they have been responsible for the extinction of 33 species.
In America, undomesticated cats are considered one of the most dangerous predators in the continent. Feral cats actually domesticated on their own some 10,000 years ago. Cats live on every continent except Antarctica and their estimate global population is 600 million. Feral cats are those which are literally wild- born and brought up there and their estimated number in the world is expected to be 100 million with 12 million living in the U.S alone. Not only are the feral cats the number one reason for mammal deaths (especially rabbits) they are also the number one cause behind extinction of bird species.
9. YKK Zippers
The Japanese company Yoshida Kogyo Kabushikikaisha (YKK) for short makes 90% of the zippers on Earth. The company does not outsource a single operation including the machines that it makes the zippers on. Even the manufacturing machines are built by the company on their own which eventually produce zippers so dependable, that only a few clothing companies will risk not using them. The man who started the company initially made zippers for his own self but was not satisfied with the existing production methods and he devised his own machines. Thus 90% of the world’s population using zippers depends on YKK. In fact it is so common that people have asked questions like “Why does every zipper has YKK stamped on it?”
8. The ESRB
The ESRB is one the top 10 powerful forces that are running the world because they are a group of six individuals who would decide whether a video game should appear on the shelves of major retailers of the world or not. The decision is made based on their personal morals. So if some game developer know them or understands their psyche well, they could be in for a major breakthrough in their game development life. Game developing is one of the most paying professions that college graduates with no strong financial background can use in order to get rich. It is also amongst the top ranking professions in the world.
7. The founders of the WHO
In 2002, a report was issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) in which it was stated that the amount of sugar taken in by a person should not exceed 10% of the total calories that are taken by anyone in one day. This led to the protest of the sugar making companies. At direct stake were major players like PEPSI and Coca Cola as well. Therefore the sugar companies enlisted senators from the sweet states to apply pressure on the WHO so that the report could omit this clause. In the subsequent report issued in 2004 by WHO, there was no mention of the 10% cap. So not only the people who fund the WHO are amongst the 10 powerful forces that are running the world. They are also players when it comes to the welfare and wellbeing of people.
6. American Psychiatric Association Board Members
The Board of Trustees of the American Psychiatric Association consists of twenty members and together they vote on which revision gets accepted into the DSM which is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Inclusion or exclusion into the DSM influences legislation, research funding and health care coverage and it also governs what is a personality disorder and what is not. So let’s say if anxious depression is not included into the DSM based on the voting, it might affect on the coverage it gets in someone’s medical insurance! In this way the American Psychiatric Association is heavily ruling what can be imparted to a person owing to his or her mental state. According to WHO, 350 million people worldwide suffer from at least one form of depression. Go figure!
5. Luxottica
The Italian company that governs the production of 80% of the sunglasses in the world can charge whatever price it wants for the products. This is why sunglasses that are so cheap to make can be so expensive. You might wonder that there are independent brands like Ray Ban, Oakley and Oliver People but these American brands are also owned by Luxottica. There are other brands, sunglasses departments of which are controlled by Luxottica too. These brands are Coach, Armani, Chanel and Versace for example. The power of Luxottica as one of the powerful forces that are running the world does not stop here. They also own major eyewear retail chains such as Pearle Vision and Sunglass Hut. That is utter control of the market, rendering ultimate power to the company.
4. AARP in Washington D.C
There are many lobbyist groups in Washington D.C one of which is AARP that happens to be one of the most powerful amongst these. The policy making of the U.S drives policies all over the world especially after the beginning of the post cold war era. As the world moved towards a unipolar world, what happened in America, did not stay there- it affected people almost everywhere in the world. How does AARP affect the policy of the government? AARP neither finances nor funds candidates but it affects the political leaders primarily through using their voting power as a leverage. There are some 40 million members of the AARP. They can use the money that they have to promote or defame any political figure and can affect policy through lobbying as well.
3. Vultures
Vultures are a natural disposal unit for this earth and one of the most important as they consume as much as 70% of the meat in some regions of Africa. In this way they consume the carcasses strewn in the wild and prevent the spread of diseases. They are also a natural obstacle to the contamination of water and landscape. Interestingly, vultures destroy the pathogens and bacteria that make rats and wild dogs carriers for diseases like anthrax, cholera, rabies and salmonella. This natural disposal unit is disappearing at a fast pace and is a threat to the ecology of this world. It is incredible that something so understated is playing such a vital role in our sustenance and well being.
2. FUNGI
Fungi is quite an important thing even if we don’t like it. First things first, it gave us one of the most important antibiotic Penicillin. Before the advent of the antibiotic, 10 million people died in Europe alone (during the World War) and the majority of these deaths was due to infections. Scientists say that Fungi allowed plants to move onto land around 600 million years ago which otherwise would have left the world as an ocean. Fungi help in the making of bread, wine, cheese and a few species like the common mushroom are edible to us. One of the most important role that Fungi play is the decomposition. They decompose dead and living matter through secretions that digest even the strongest of substances like the plant cellulose. Like vultures, fungi too are a blessing to the ecosystem.
1. The Winner of this list: China’s Three- Gorges Dam
The earth is sturdy when you look at it holistically but it is also fragile. Man’s activities have been plaguing the world since he landed from heaven, yet the beautiful creation of God has been bearing out the looting and plundering with patience. Global Warming is such a threat to us because the glacial composition of the earth cannot and must not be disturbed at any cost. It will disturb the balance of the ecosystem. The axis of the earth for rotation has been set with such precision that the slightest change can raise havoc on this planet. Amidst all this however, the Chinese Three Gorges Dam has slowed the Earth’s rotation by 0.06 microseconds. For us that is not even noticeable but for the Earth- it is not an understatement!