Business Ethics dealing with Poverty and Pollution in the Environment - Term Paper Example

Running Heading: Business Ethics dealing with Poverty and Pollution in the Environment Business Ethics dealing with Poverty and Pollution in the Environment Customer Name University Name Introduction Environmental pollution is turning out to be one of the biggest problems of the world in the 21st century. Businesses are getting pressure from not only environmental groups but also general populace to take steps in order to reduce environmental degradation. The ethical implications of environmental pollution in developing world are also significant. People in large number are affected by toxic industrial waste and pollution, and therefore it can in way be justified. Third world countries, due to poverty and lack of resources, are not able to invest in environmental friendly technologies and devise environmental regulations. This allows corporations to pollute in the third world countries without any problem. In this paper we will discuss the environmental pollution with the reference of businesses and third world countries. We will observe the reasons why businesses ignore pollution related regulations in the developing world. Other aspects of environmental pollution will also be discussed with reference to the case of ‘Poverty and Pollution’. Ethical Implications of Businesses Polluting in the Third World The ethical implications of businesses pollution in a third world country are significant. Environmental pollution affects the whole population of the region and therefore it cannot be ethically justified. There is no doubt that environmentally polluted technology is cheaper and therefore third countries use it in order to remain competitive in the global market. But the economic argument in favor of environmental pollution in the third world country is not justified because pollution affects a great number of pollution and not all people are able to get the economic benefits of businesses operating in their region. This is one of the ethical implications of businesses polluting in the third world. Another ethical implication of businesses polluting in the developing world is that it is not possible to value human life. Environmental pollution caused by firms in the third world countries create all sorts of health problems for its inhabitants and therefore decreases human life expectancy in the region. This is not ethically justified because people living in the region do not have any choice to move to another area as they are extremely poor. This is actually exploitation of human beings which can never be ethically justified. It is therefore proved without a doubt that environmental pollution is not ethically justified. Reasons why a Business Ignore Pollution Control Standards Businesses ignore pollution control standards in the third world because it drives down their production cost. Investment in required to reduce pollution for example in order to dump industrial waste in an appropriate manner significant investment is required. This drives the production cost up which hurts the profits of the firm operating in the third world countries. They are in the country just because of the promise of lower production cost and this is why they ignore pollution control standards. Organizations are profit making entities and therefore they do anything in their power to reduce their cost and maximize profits. Lack of will is another reason why businesses ignore pollution control standards. Laws are not strict in the third world countries and corporations therefore feel that they are not obligated to follow them. This is the main reason why firms don’t feel compelled to make a change and follow the pollution control standards. The firms are not willing to change their practices and this is why they lack the will to abide by the pollution control standards set by third world countries. Is Pollution the Price of Progress? It is argued sometimes that pollution is the price of progress. It is said that for developing countries to economically develop they require competitive edge over other developed countries and that can only be created through a cost advantage of production in the developing countries. This cost advantage is achieved through ignoring environmental laws regarding air, sea, and land pollution. This cost advantage is vital for developing countries to grow, according to some economist. Pollution control and environmental protection is costly and this will snatch the cost advantage of developing countries hence their attractiveness for foreign businesses. This hypothesis regarding pollution and progress is flawed because it assumes that environmental protection is costly. This view of progress and pollution also thinks in absolute terms and ignores the fact that pollution, if cannot be completely eradicated, can be controlled to a certain extent. Firms operating in the developing countries may not completely avoid environmental pollution but can at least take measures to reduce pollution. Also the cost benefit that is obtained from pollution is not sustainable and therefore is not useful over a long period of time. Therefore we can safe conclude that pollution is not the price of progress. It might be argued that pollution is a price for short term progress, but not for long term progress. Right of a Livable Environment All human beings have an inherent right for a livable environment no matter what country they live in. John Locke, a famous philosopher, described right to life, freedom, and property as human beings natural rights (Simmons, 1994). Livable environmental is essential for life and therefore it can be concluded that right to livable environment is a natural right of all human beings. Also living in developing country or developed country should not matter as right to a livable environment is universal. All human beings should have a clean and healthy environment at their disposal irrespective of their country because it is their natural right, which no one can take away from them. There are certain basic rights that are necessary for everyone in order to live and these are not granted or given by anyone. Right to a livable environment is such a right and therefore it is not restricted by geographical boundaries. Should Wealthier Nations help Poorer Nations? Wealthier nations have an obligation towards poorer nations because wealthier nations have done their share of environmental pollution during their industrialization process. The only thing good was that the developed world started its industrialization way back in the early 20th century and environmental pollution was not a significant issue at that time. Richer countries are also polluting the world even today (Gardener, 2008). It is therefore a responsibility of wealthier nations to help poorer countries develop greener industries and environmentally friendly technologies. It is not possible for the developing world to come out of the pits of poverty without the help of the developed world. Reducing pollution is not only about money but about effective regulation and education (Tierney, 2009) and this is where poorer countries can get help from richer countries. Environmental pollution is not the problem of only the developing world as pollution will adversely affect the lives of every person on earth. It is therefore not only important but necessary for the developed countries to invest in cleaner energy projects and industries in the developing countries. The developing countries do not have the resources to tackle the problem of pollution on their own. This is why developed world has to intervene in order to safeguard the environment for future generations. Wealthier nation can help the poorer nations in reducing their pollution problems by absorbing the extra cost the poorer countries will incur to invest in greener, environmental friendly industries. For example wealthier nations can continue to buy goods made in the developing world at little higher prices if the poorer countries make sure that goods are produced in an environmental friendly manner. Such initiatives can help poorer countries a lot in tackling their pollution problems. Plan for Uniform Global Pollution Control Standards Any global plan for pollution control standards will not be successful if problems of the developing countries are not taken into account. The third world countries should be given some levy in this regard and they should be allowed to emit pollution more than developed world. In this way global pollution control standards can be successfully implemented. Poorer nations can be given incentive to mend their ways by opening trade routes with the developed world. Also foreign aid can be linked to reduced levels of environmental pollution. Such measures can help implement a global pollution control plan. The control standards for the developed world should be extremely strict. These countries have achieved immense progress and therefore they have no right to emit environmental pollution. The control standards for them will be extremely tough. Developed world will also be fined a significant amount if they do not abide by their standards. This will help the whole world to a great extent to reduce environmental pollution problems. Standards for developed world will also be made stricter every year so that finally a uniform pollution control standard is developed for all countries. Conclusion Environmental pollution is a big problem and the whole world is trying to find out ways to protect the environment and make the world a safer and healthier place to live for coming generations. The role of businesses operating in the developing countries is great because these are the countries that are facing significant environmental pollution problems. Developed world should come to the rescue of the poorer nations and should help them develop greener technology and industries in order to achieve success. Developing countries should also be given some levy initially in terms of pollution standards and for them standards should be made stricter so that there comes a time when the whole world has to follow the same pollution control standards. References Gardner, T. (2008). Rich countries part responsible for pollution in poor countries. Green Change. Retrieved on August 23, 2012 from http://www.greenchange.org/article.php?id=3450 Simmons, J. (1994). The Lockean Theory of Rights. London: Princeton University Press Tierney, J. (2009). The Richer-Is-Greener Curve. New York Time. Retrieved on August 23, 2012 from http://tierneylab.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/20/the-richer-is-greener-curve/ Read More