Effects of Globalization on the Environment - Case Study Example

1. Introduction a. Background on the link between globalization and the environment b. Why globalization should be a concern for the environment Globalization Increases Carbon Dioxide from Transportation a. Transport facilitate globalization b. Increased transnational transport increases carbon emissions to the environment c. Aviation industry the major emitter of carbon due to globalization 2. Globalization Increases Carbon Emissions from Industrial Activity and Consumption a. Globalization has resulted in an increase in industries b. Industries increases carbon emissions in the atmosphere 3. Globalization promotes deforestation a. Globalization has resulted in increased need for agricultural land b. Increased need for agricultural land has resulted in increased deforestation c. Deforestation has resulted in increased destruction of water catchment areas 4. Globalization Impoverishes Of Biodiversity a. Globalization has resulted in increased need for a variety of products b. The increase in demand for certain products is causing extinction of certain species 5. Conclusion a. Summary of the entire paper b. The way forward 6. Works Cited Effects of Globalization on the Environment Introduction Global warming is the major environmental issue of the current times. There is a consensus among scientists and environmentalists that global warming has increased significantly since 1980s (Huwart and Verdier par. 3). The global warming effect has been characterized by increases in average temperatures, rising sea levels, prolonged droughts, increased glacial movements and flooding just to name a few. These impacts of global warming are felt in all parts of the world, which signify that climate change is a global problem. Although scientists are divided as to how much human contribute to the global warming, a vast majority of the scientists believe that human activities are largely to blame for the problem. In this regard, most scientists believe that the carbon emissions from human activities are the main cause of climate change. Nevertheless, global warming is not the only environmental problem in the current times. Ghemawat found that increased energy needs, industrialization and increased mass consumption resulting from increased global population is also contributing to resource depletion, pollution and extinction of species (par. 5). Globalization, in particular, has been blamed for these developments that are creating havoc to the environment. This document seeks to examine how globalization impacts the environment. The world has experienced globalization over the past few decades. The globalization has been characterized by increased global trade and technological diffusion. Although globalization has benefited many parts of the world, its impacts on the environment have not gone unnoticed. It has emerged that globalization has created an increase in trade, production and consumption of resources in large quantities, which also impacts negatively on the environment. As much as it is still not easy to quantify the effects of globalization on the environment, evidence in some areas show that the globalization impacts negatively on the environment. Firstly, McAusland notes that the globalization impacts negatively on the environment by increasing the amount of greenhouse emissions to the environment, which causes global warming (6). As earlier mentioned, climate change is a major environmental problem today. The world over is currently experiencing a global warming problem, which is characterized by increased temperatures, glacial movements, rising sea levels, prolonged droughts and flooding among others. Greenhouse emissions, in particular, have been found to be the main contributor to the global warming problem. Greenhouse gasses cause global warming by accumulating in the atmosphere where they destroy the ozone layer, thereby resulting in average increases in daily temperatures. Greenhouse emissions come from many sources, such as transportation, industrial production, and deforestation. Although these three sources of greenhouse emissions exist independent of globalization, there increase since 1970s has largely been linked to globalization, notes Ghemawat (par. 11). Globalization Increases Carbon Dioxide from Transportation Transport is an important facilitator of globalization. The increase in international trade due to globalization has resulted in an increase in transport. However, the various modes of transport used to facilitate trade between countries contribute significantly to the increase in the amount of carbon emissions in the environment. Study shows that the amount of carbon emission from roads has increased significantly since 1970 (Huwart and Verdier par. 4). Globalization has also resulted in increased transnational road transport, which is contributing significantly to the increase in the amount of carbon emissions to the environment. Nevertheless, air transport is the major transport mode that has characterized globalization in the past decade. Studies show that emissions from air transport has been increasing every year since 1990 due to increases in air transport facilitated by globalization. For instance, a report shows that greenhouse emissions from the aviation industry increased by 86% between 1990 and 2004 (McAusland 11). Today, an aviation industry alone is responsible for between 4-9% of greenhouse emissions being released into the atmosphere. Additionally, the world has also witnessed an increase in cargo transport between countries via the sea due to globalization. Accordingly, an increase in sea transport has increased the amount of greenhouse emissions from the industry. Current estimate indicates that sea transport consumes about 4% of fossil fuels consumed every year. The carbon emissions from the ships end up in the environment, where it causes havoc. Globalization Increases Carbon Emissions from Industrial Activity and Consumption The world has been witnessing an increase in international trade and investment in the past decades. Such increases have also facilitated an increase in industrial activities in various countries across the globe (Charles par. 4). However, the increases in industries are causing a major problem to the environment by increasing the amount of carbon into the atmosphere. Today, industries are the largest emitters of greenhouse emissions to the environment. The increase is attributed to globalization that has seen many countries, including developing countries engage in industrial processes that emit a large amount of gasses to the atmosphere. For instance, unlike in the past where industrial pollution was linked only to developed countries, presently even developing countries emits a large amount of carbon from industries, whose developments are facilitated by globalization. China, for instance, has become the largest emitter of greenhouse gasses from industries, overtaking the United States, whose global greenhouse emission currently stands at 20% (Huwart and Verdier par. 6). Therefore, futurists also expect that the amount of greenhouse emissions from industries might increase in the coming years as many countries became industrialized thanks to globalization. Globalization Promotes Deforestation The world has witnessed an unwarranted increase in deforestation in many parts of the world. Apparently, deforestation has been linked to the increased accumulation of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere. Forests are usually critical in the sense that they absorb excess carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere, thereby helping keep the air clean. However, the increased deforestation has increased accumulation of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which is creating havoc to living things and the natural environment. Some of the cleared forests are also burnt, which released huge amounts of carbon dioxide. Current estimates indicate that deforestation accounts for about 20% of the increased level of greenhouse emissions in the atmosphere (McAusland 14). In fact, report indicates that the world has lost an estimated 3% of the forest cover between 1990 and 2005 due to deforestation. The report also projected that about 200 square kilometers of forest cover disappear every day due to deforestation. Apparently, globalization is the main driver of deforestation. Studies show that the increased deforestation witnessed in the recent past is caused by the need for agricultural lands. This trend has been witnessed in the developing nations, where most forest covers are increasingly been cleared to create land for agricultural activities. Brazil, for example, was once an export-oriented economy. However, the increased demand of soy in China prompted Brazil to clear thousands of forest cover in the country to create land for the planting of soy so as to meet the demand of the product in the Chinese market. The report indicates that between 1996 and 2003, the demand for Brazilian soy in the Chinese market increased from 15,000 to 6 million tons. Te increase prompted the Brazilian farmers to clear part of the rain forest to create land for agricultural activities (Smith 4). The same trend has been observed in many developing countries across the globe that is increasingly clearing forests to create land for agricultural activities. However, the clearing of land is causing a serious problem to the environment and people. Forests mostly act as water catchment areas. Therefore, clearing of forests facilitates the disappearance of water catchments, which is promoting the development of droughts that are witnessed today. This is serious because, without rain, certainly there would be no food, especially to most developing countries that are largely agriculture oriented. In fact, a UN report indicates that the drought could render at least 90 million acres of land sterile in sub-Saharan Africa by 2060 if nothing drastic is done to stop deforestation (Charles par. 9). The report also indicated that at least 1.8 billion people could face a water crisis in the next seven decades, with Northern China, Andres and Central Asia being largely at risk. Globalization Impoverishes Of Biodiversity Globalization is also impacting negatively on species. Quite a number of species that have undergone extinction largely because of globalization. Although various human activities that cause disturbance and displacement of species from their natural habitats are not the result of globalization, globalization creates demand for the products in the world market. As a result, globalization promotes the industrialization and the need for fertile land for agriculture, and other resources that weaken the ecosystem. For instance, the increased demand for fish in the global market has resulted in the an increase in the fishing activities in various lake, seas and oceans across the globe. However, the increased fishing activities have resulted in the disappearance of certain species of fish and other aquatic lives. Currently, 22% of mammals, 24% of snake species, 35% of bird species and 31% of amphibians are at risk of extinction because of globalization, according to Smith (8). Conclusion Globalization is certainly one of the best things that have ever happened to the world. It has promoted international trade, exchange of ideas and technology among others. However, globalization has also impacted negatively on the environment. Evidence has shown that globalization has resulted in an increase in pollution and global warming effect, which has resulted in environmental change. Globalization has done so by increasing the amount of carbon emissions from the transportation and industries. Additionally, globalization has impacted negatively on the environment by increasing deforestation, as well as impoverishing biodiversity. Therefore, as much as globalization benefits many nations, care and mitigation measures should be put to ensure that globalization does not affect the environment negatively. Works Cited Charles, John A. The Environmental Benefits of Globalization. 14 July 2004. Web. 5 December 2014 http://www.globalenvision.org/library/1/645 Ghemawat, Pankaj. Globalization Plays a Bit Part in Environmental Issues. Harvard Business Review 25 May 2012. Web. 5 Dec. 2014 https://hbr.org/2012/05/globalization-plays-a-bit-part/ Huwart, Jean-Yves and Loïc Verdier. “What is the impact of globalization on the environment?” in Economic Globalization: Origins and consequences, OECD Publishing. Web. 5 Nov. 2014 http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264111905-8-en McAusland, Carol. Globalization’s Direct and Indirect Effects on the Environment. Global Forum on Transport and Environment in a Globalizing World 10-12 November 2008, Guadalajara, Mexico. 1-22. Print. Smith, Gar. Globalization’s Carbon Bootprint. Earth Island Journal, 23 no. 2 (2008): 1-24. Read More