'devastating problems' is a perfectly correct and usable phrase in written English.
You can use it to refer to serious problems which have a large, overwhelming negative impact, such as a natural disaster, a war, or a financial crisis. Example: The country faced devastating problems after the economic recession.
Moreover, democratic regimes have shown their vulnerabilities of late: a tendency to make unaffordable promises to the elderly and other politically powerful groups; a tendency toward polarization, which immobilizes governments even in the face of devastating problems.
She said she loved the work because she could help people with devastating problems.
"Climate change is real, it is caused by human activity and it is already causing devastating problems.
Reminding us that there are other devastating problems facing women, whilst accurate, shouldn't affect the importance of handling the issue in question.
The exchange went, in part, like this: SANDERS: As you may know, some ninety-seven per cent of scientists who have written articles for peer-reviewed journals have concluded that climate change is real, it is caused by human activity, and it is already causing devastating problems in our country and around the world.
Dr. Green would like the F.D.A. to require all doctors who prescribe Accutane, all pharmacists who dispense it and all patients who take it to register with the agency, as they must with thalidomide, which also causes devastating problems in the fetus.
With a strategy that spans farm to salt shaker, community to government, Zanzibar is on track to eliminate the hidden, but devastating, problem of iodine deficiency.
Our study indicates that sexual coercion of married women by husbands is widespread and also a serious problem in Nepal, which could lead to devastating health problems for women.
