Businesses Polluting In a Third World Country - Essay Example

Poverty and Pollution Case Study Determine the ethical implications of businesses polluting in a third world country. Explain your rationale. Ethics in the business industry exist as a moral guide or principle governing how businesses operate. It becomes an ethical implication in the Third World if a business finds itself in a dilemma; unsure whether to abide by the existing moral laws, that should be followed, or focus on generating more profits. Despite being aware of the ethical thing to do, some businesses choose to violate the ethical code and generate huge profits rather than be liable for causing damage to the land, people and animals. Similarly, businesses might choose to obey the rules that regulate pollution or risk the chance of being penalized for not obeying the pollution rules. Considering the financial requirement of the penalty in comparison to fixing the problem, most businesses would rather pay the ‘smaller’ penalty, than fix the problem. This is usually exacerbated by the fact that majority of most environmental problems are not addressed by the government. The existing regulations are neither implemented fully nor the penalties punitive enough. For instance an American Company established in an African country would find it easy to pay fines imposed on them as the exchange rate favors them. Equally, the cost of ‘fixing’ the problem, such as moving a factory from a populated mining area is too high compared to the fine imposed on the same. Thirdly, businesses in the third world find it easy to pollute because their ‘home’ environment is not affected. This is usually the case chiefly because the existing regulations and repercussions are inferior to those in their ‘home’ country. The third world governments are also to blame for the increase in such activities, because with poorly implemented rules and regulations, majority of authorities are easily compromised can accept bribes. Some companies bent on polluting the environment and failing to take responsibility opts to entice the local authorities through bribery and ‘sweet’ deals that they cannot refuse. As a result, the regulations are imposed unfairly; hence exposing the country to ultimate disintegration (Dworkin, 1977). Suggest the reasons a business may conduct operations in a third world country and disregard any standards of pollution control. Third World countries (also known as the least developed countries), in addition to their poor economic conditions also suffer from the effects of extremely poor environmental conditions. As governments strive to address the most basic of their fundamental needs (food, clean water, and healthcare), pollution and other countless environmental problems are neglected; with pollution primarily remaining unrestricted. For a poor country, it would be economically disastrous to create and enforce environmental regulations. It is thus, forced to ensure food is accessible instead of having a clean environment. Trapped in such a dilemma, rich Western countries through their multinationals take advantage of the situation. In the pretence of improving the livelihoods of the citizenry, the foreign companies build plants which emit considerable pollution, to escape the legal ramifications and regulations they would face at home. They also damp hazardous waste and garbage (Gedicks, 1993). Chemicals produced by some multinational corporations that are deemed overly dangerous in the First World find a ready market in the Third World. Because the government busies itself with improving their economic standards, it cannot restrict the usage of these ‘cheap’ chemicals, considering that procuring quality chemicals is not its priority. The greatest victims of this environmental discrimination are countries in Africa, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and Asia. Water pollution, air pollution, soil erosion, environmental poisoning, deforestation, and desertification are the major environmental problems faced in the Third World. In spite of their inability to rid themselves of these problems, Third World nations are aware of their existence and impacts, and are willing to solve them. Help from international organizations such as the United Nations and others, will go a long way in motivating them and in setting up strong policies against this environmental inequality. It has been said that pollution is the price of progress. Assess the connections between economic progress and development, on the one hand, and pollution controls and environmental protection, on the other. Pollution is considered the price of economic progress. Economic growth results from increase in the quality of a country’s resources reflected by the rising level of national output. In addition to the improved quality of resources and improvement in the technology, national growth is also affected by an increase in the quantity of goods and services generated nationally (country’s GDP). On the other hand, economic development refers to the universal improvement in the livelihoods, confidence needs and freedom from expression among the citizenry. While economic growth is measure using GDP, economic development is measured using the Human Development Index (HDI), as it is applicable in the context of human sense of morality (good or bad, right or wrong). The citizens’ life expectancy and literacy rates used during the computation of HDI have a direct effect on productivity and often leads to economic growth, environmental conservation, and creation of more opportunities in the employment, healthcare and education sectors (World Bank, 1992). Although economic growth excludes the size of the informal economy, economic development improves peoples’ living standards by providing employment and shelter. Similarly, economic growth overlooks the depletion of natural resources which are the likely precursors of congestion, pollution, and disease, but development concerns itself with meeting the present needs without interfering with future needs. Due to the increased pressure imposed on governments due to global warming, the environmental problems are slowly becoming deterrents. Therefore, the measure for progress and quality of life in developing countries uses economic development while economic growth measures progress in the developed countries. However, economic growth applies to both developed and developing countries because growth is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for economic development. Support the argument that human beings have a moral right to a livable environment regardless of the country they live in. That human beings have a right to a livable environment refers to environmental protection and sustainable human health. According to World Bank (1992) report, human health is defined as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease”. If everyone is affected by air pollution, the equal protection of the law is diminished; just as if they are all at risk of drinking dirty water. Similarly, their political right is diminished if persons, disallowed to kill, are allowed to kill others slowly through environmental pollution. It is thus virtually impossible to have human rights and freedoms without the right to a livable environment. Hence in order to recognize all other human rights, all humans have a right to a livable environment. The right o being healthy imposes a duty on everyone not to interfere with the health of other persons; and therefore a responsibility to ensure the environment is free from pollution. Not only is the livable environment conducive for survival, but that individuals have an enriched, adequate life with intellectual, cultural, social and spiritual opportunities (Benson, 2000). Human beings’ social contract of equal human rights ought to adopt a theory of priority needs so that the more important needs are met before the less important ones. Such needs are classified as necessity, enhancement and luxury. While necessities include food, clothing, shelter, and healthcare, enhancements include education and recreation. Luxury goods are not essential to our well-being and include such items as private cars or favorite food. Thus, with their social contract of equal rights to equal opportunities, some countries might go wrong by having luxury goods while other countries are not helped to meet their necessity needs. Similarly, the human social contract in the environmental ethics should ensure equal human rights among persons, among generations, within nations and among nations. Primarily, we ought to respect the rights of members of future generations for them to live and enjoy the earth that is equal to ours. Secondly, we should distribute environmental risks equitably within our own borders; with the government leading the way by equally protecting its citizens from environmental risk, regardless of regions. Thirdly, individuals, corporations and countries should refrain from violating the principle of international equity and overlooking the social contract. Government regulations and punitive costs should prevent developed countries from offering millions of dollars to developing countries to take their toxic chemical wastes (Dworkin, 1977). Take a position on whether wealthy nations have an obligation to provide poorer nations with, or help them develop, greener industries and sources of energy. Explain your rationale. Wealthy nations have an obligation to provide poorer nations with, or help them develop greener industries and sources of energy. By the implicit social contract, every person in every society and every generation is entitled to the resources necessary to sustain a minimum standard of living and well-being. Furthermore, those in the wealthy nations have an obligation to grant equal access to excess resources to other countries. Wealthy nations are bound by the “complicity responsibility” because they have benefited from the unsafe working conditions and unregulated environmental standards common in the developing countries. In exchange for the price of worker health hazards and environmental degradation in third-world countries, developed countries have benefited from a higher balance of trade, lower inflation rates and lower prices of goods. Thus, developed countries owe a debt of compensation to developing countries (Dworkin, 1977). Propose a plan for uniform global pollution control standards and how you would enforce them An efficient plan for uniform global pollution control standards should include direct regulation, coupled with monitoring and enforcement systems backed by such regulatory instruments as standards, licenses and permits. The command-and-control and economic strategies requires governments to establish health- or ecology-based ambient environmental objectives and specify the amount of pollutants that can be discharged. Various economic systems such as pollution charges, marketable permits, subsidies, deposit and return systems, and enforcement incentives create more flexibility, cost-effectiveness and efficiency into pollution control (Gedicks, 1993). In addition to permits and charges, subsidies such as low interest loans, and tax incentives act as incentives to polluters to alter their behavior. Deposit-refund system allows customers to pay a surcharge when purchasing a potentially polluting product. These controls and waste management strategies can be implemented through agencies by first educating the affected parties of what is expected of them. References Gedicks, A. (1993). The New Resource Wars: Native and Environmental Struggles Against Multinational Corporations. Boston: South End Press. Benson, J. (2000). Environmental Ethics, London, Routledge. Dworkin, R. (1977). Taking Rights Seriously. Cambridge Massachusetts: Harvard University. World Bank (1992). World Development Report: Development and Environment. New York: Oxford University Press. Read More