Poverty and Pollution: Human Right to a Clean and Safe Environment - Case Study Example

? Poverty and Pollution Case Study al Affiliation March, Pollution increase poses a great danger to the global and local environments, from both developed and third world countries. Initially, the developed nations were the major contributors of pollution in the globe, but with the new industries and industrial growth in developing countries, the combination of the emissions and disposal of waste products have resulted in serious health illnesses and environmental degradation. Pollution has been shifting from the rich countries to the third world countries due to the cheaper means of production associated with lower costs and regulations against pollution measures. Of course, the implications come with some benefits of economic prosperity at the expense of citizens’ health and expenditure in their future. It is the price they get to pay for the benefits of harmful investment in their countries. This document discusses human right to a clean and safe environment, justifies the moral obligations of developed countries towards third world countries for their incurred costs, and finally, recommends civil liability and taxations as pollution standards that are fair for global enforcement. Keywords: Pollution, Environmental Degradation, Third World Countries, First World Countries, Economy and Development, Pollution Control, Industrialization, Investment, Cities, Production, Costs, Price, Business, Regulations Poverty and Pollution Pollution can be categorized differently depending on its cause and impact in the societies. It has become a key sensitive area not only at the national level but also at a global governance level, with too many policies being enforced from the industrialized nations to the third world countries. Effectively, environmental law is a measure expected to preserve the environmental pure conditions by preventing further degradation. However, its application is being taken seriously in industrialized nations unlike in developing nations, which still feel that they need the opportunity to grow before they apply the law effectively at a pace the industrialized nations have set in their nations. Air and water pollution has taken the lead in bringing serious mass destruction unlike other pollution such as noise. The authors of poverty and pollution case 7.2 address the environmental nature of Brazil’s Valley of Death area known to be highly polluted, consisting of numerous industries that emit hazardous gases, which are unhealthy for the high population density that resides and works within the area. Ethical Implications of Businesses Polluting in Third World Countries The rise of social issues in businesses can be traced back to the mid 19th century, in the so called developed nations today. At the time, their economies were very active to foster development through industrialization; hence numerous businesses had been set up, but the citizens’ interests and concerns had not yet been fully addressed. As of the 1960s, the Americans “saw the decay of the inner cities and growth of ecological problems such as pollution and the disposal of toxic and nuclear waste,” which caused the anti-business attitude in the society that led to establishment of Consumer’s Bill of Rights that serves to protect the rights of the consumers (Ferrell, Fraedrich, & India, 2011, p.10). Comparing them with the less developed nations, industrialization came earlier in the developed nations, hence a step away compared to the struggling third world countries. While such developed nations in the world feel the need to protect their lives and foster economic development in a safe regulated environment, the third world countries are in search of a better economy that can only be steered through more business establishments. It is obvious that the two parties cannot perceive the issue at the same degree, considering that their priorities are quite different. Today, we have most of the populations in first world countries living in urban cities unlike in the third world nations, which largest proportion of the population resides in the rural areas. Third world countries’ necessity for industrialization has been pushing them at an edge, next to risks associated with pollution. Their cities are expanding in size due to rural urban migrations, and industries establishment to provide room for further settlement and production. They are trying to uplift industrialization within the cities regions, which means they are ready to allow more investment even from developed nations to boost their economy. As a result, developing countries leaderships have been encouraging the first world corporations and businesses to get established in those poorer nations, which first priority is benefits of industrialization to their economy. The increasing pollution can be attributed to the third world governments’ ignorance in industrial pollution control that contributes to global environmental degradation, let alone agricultural pollution and deforestation within the countries (Hardoy, Mitlin, & Satterthwaite, 1992). The (internal and external) companies get to operate in these countries with minimal environmental pollution regulation or reduced cost as would have been, if established back in first world nations. What the poor societies of the third world view are just benefits from more employment for better livelihood, production for consumption, development, and economic growth, yet forget the serious health implications of the unregulated release of waste products in their environment. Disregard to Standards of Pollution Third world countries are viewed as poor nations, which need continuous support for their economic stability and growth. On such basis, the companies that establish in such countries operate with a mindset of helping the society. While to an extent it seems right, the companies seem to be taking advantage of the people, governance, and the environment. It is possible to realize that every less developed country is struggling to attract investment into their countries, which means that in the process of competition to encourage multinational companies, close monitoring and management of industrialization is overlooked. Uma and Ekose (2000) believe that these countries are ready to risk health, environmental, and safety issues for the sake of investment and employment benefits. Again, it is not that the corporations do not understand the cost of pollution; rather, they are running away from the high costs and regulation from their countries, which is associated with harsh fines. Investing in third world countries generally reduces the expense in the businesses, so that their currencies values are a bit low, meaning even the wages, establishment cost, and regulation costs are much lower than in developed nations. Unlike in first world countries, the third world lacks effective planning and regulation systems to highly restrict pollution. Similarly, the countries are plagued by high poverty levels, which limit their power to fight air and water pollution. As a result, the powerful international companies get to impose conditions on their establishment that see them thrive at a lower cost and less strict regulations, yet seeming to harm the society via hazardous emissions. Development and Economic Progress The third world countries are greatly condemned for the increasing pollution due to the intensity of the industrialization they are experiencing. Looking at the history of North America, Europe, and Japan’s economies, it can be realized that their current development was not a smooth road but had numerous issues with pollution and social health. This is to admit that progress came at a price felt within the nations. According to Dickenson et al., most European rudimentary industries during industrial revolution left their local environment highly polluted considering that measures for its control were too minimal (p.187). Most of these countries have been the major sources of industrial pollution (let alone the developing nations) in the 19th century, and as they stand, they have transformed their economies step by step to the point of achieving development in their nations. They have established themselves not by other different ways but through industrialization that cost them on health issues and ecological problems too. The less developed nations are currently showing rapid economic progress and development in their highly industrial concentrated cities, though the side effects in human health are witnessed. As the industrial production grows rapidly, the environmental problems due to industrial pollution will be more severe (Hardoy, Mitlin, & Satterthwaite, 1992). Similarly, Brazil, India, China, and even third world countries are hoping to achieve development through industrialization as a way of economic growth, although they are significantly contributing to pollution and harming their local environment. Pollution Control and Environmental Protection To protect the environment, sufficient effort to control pollution is needed in both developed and less developed nations. When countries apply proper measures in their industrial production and other polluted areas, the contribution will be a step ahead towards better global environment. The developed western nations have placed strict regulations and fines against polluting businesses; they include air pollution control in the major cities to protect the population and environmental health. Third world countries have been lagging behind in enforcement of such strict rules, and feel that adopting the strict global pollution control would limit their essential development unlike in the economic growth of first world countries (Dickeson et al., 1996). The more the resistance for strict pollution regulation, the more the environmental degradation and the more the poor in the less developed nations get to pay the price in terms of their health breakdown. Hence, nations need to rethink on better drainages, recycling of waste products, and treating of effluents before release, measures on location of plant establishment away from residential areas, and proper standards of emitting harmful gases from industries among other controls within human reach. As much as priorities differ, protecting the environment limits the price the society pays for in cases of increased pollution. Human Life and Livable Environment There seems to be a disparity in valuing human life based on nations’ economies that gauge them on per capital income (Shaw, 2011). While it may be criticized, though leading to an understanding due to tradeoffs and benefits involved, the less developed nations can be criticized for loose monitoring and management of investing corporations, against measures of pollution control. What is seen today are numerous foreign companies dealing with harmful chemicals and products being established in third world countries with poorer measures of pollution control than those that would have been enforced in their developed nations. According to Reitze (2001), production of the ozone depleting chemicals has been shifting from the developed nations to developing countries, and most of it being exported back later, because they are the major users of the chemicals produced. They understand the harm of the production in their populated local environment and see the need to preserve their peoples’ lives, yet take advantage of the poverty in the third world countries and their lower population, imposing conditions on their establishment and operations for minimal cost and regulations in the name of investing for future development. This is a disregard of the lives and health of the poor and low earning citizens in less developed countries. If their intentions are pure, the same adherence to strict measures against pollution should be followed and the governments should stop swaying back in the fight against pollution. Otherwise, the number of citizens who will get sick due to pollution related diseases such as respiratory and cancers illness will increase, leading to massive loss of productivity. The same way the life of an American is important, so is the life of a third world country citizen. Obligations to Less Developed Countries Considering that the developed nations were the initial causes of the deterioration of the environment due to their earlier industrialization, it looks unfair to urge the less developed nations to adopt their environmental controls as in their nations because chances which foster development that relocate to other nations would be high. Third world countries are not supposed to sacrifice their course for economic growth but should take reasonable measures to counter pollution. The number of diseases associated to atmospheric and pollution influence increased towards the 1980s, and these poor countries have to struggle to sustain and protect their citizens. Referring to Bedjaoui (1991), there should be some form of assistance to the third world countries, either as compensation or redemption of their departure as actions towards protecting the nature. There is a need for the rich countries to bear responsibilities for their earlier contributions to global pollution, which has also strained the growth of less developed nations through their heavy expenditure in health plans and environmental cleanup. Since the less developed nations are reluctant to impose heavy restrictions on polluting industries for the sake of their economy, the world governance should seek other alternative ways that are comfortable within countries, and still retain the benefits of the established businesses, whichever their locations. Civil liability and taxations as pollution standards can be accommodated and enforced through the law (either international or countries’ environmental laws), and through the plan, the persons or businesses can take the legal issues to court for future directives, or even compensations as well as high taxations and penalties for environmental pollution. References Bedjaoui, M. (1991). International law: Achievements and prospects. Paris: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. Dickenson, J. P., Gould, B., Clarke, C., Mather, S., Prothero, M., Siddle, D., Smith, C., & Thomas-Hope, E. (1996). The geography of the third world (2nd edition). London: Routledge. Ferrell, O. C., Fraedrich, J., & Ferrell, L. (2011). Business ethics: Ethical decision making and cases (8th edition). Mason, OH: South Western Cengage Learning. Hardoy, J.E., Mitlin, D.C., & Satterthwaite, D. (1992). Environmental problems in third world cities. London: Earthscan Publication. Reitze, A. W. (2001). Air pollution control law: Compliance and enforcement. Washington DC: Environmental Law Institute.  Shaw, W. H. (2011). Business ethics. Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Uma, R. W., & Ekosse, G. E., eds. (2000). Pollution control and waste management in developing countries. London: Commonwealth Secretariat. Read More