"A tense community, an impending showdown, and time running out—the classic movie, High Noon, is a perfect metaphor for today’s global situation," says Jean-François Rischard, former World Bank vice-president. Rischard, author of the book, High Noon: Twenty Global Problems, Twenty Years to Solve Them, writes that the world faces a crucial window of opportunity to solve its most serious challenges. The author highlights the urgent need for new approaches to global problem-solving. The old way of doing things no longer works.

Because you will be the innovators of tomorrow, why not begin thinking today? This research project asks you to identify and investigate one of these twenty challenges in depth. The links provided for each of the twenty challenges will give you a sense of the issues they encompass. After surfing around, select one challenge to conduct your own internet investigation and research. What statistics and facts make this problem one of the top twenty? What are some of the underlyinging issues or subtopics? Why does this particular challenge interest you? Post your answers to these questions.