Globalization: A Threatening Reality to the Environment - Essay Example

? Globalization: A Threatening Reality to the Environment Outline Introduction Understanding Globalization The Linkage between Globalization and Environment: Knowing its Effects The Point of View of Government on Globalization and Environmental Issues The Environmental Consequence of Globalization on Society The Significance of Environmental Issues to the Phenomenon of Globalization Conclusion Introduction The term globalization is generally used as a shorthand approach to illustrate the process of interconnectedness of the world. With the phenomenon of globalization, the world has become borderless in terms of minimising the constraints of the distance and nation. That is to say, the economies of nations of world have happened to be highly integrated in a sense that there is no restriction of the flows of goods, services, investments, and other more aspects between and among countries. Indeed, the greater interaction between and among countries can be witnessed with the process for the hope that it would further cause economic prosperity to each developed and developing countries. This is because the phenomenon is understood to bring about industrialisation, urbanisation, hyper – consumerism as well as agricultural modernisation (Croucher, 2004: 10). Without a doubt, the process of globalization has sets of unparalleled positive and negative effects on individual, local, national as well as international level. On the sad note, the developments brought by globalization have often been tied with a threatening impact to the environment (Antle and Heidebrink, 1995; Frankel and Rose, 2005; Najam, Runnalls and Halle, 2007; McAusland, 2008). According to Krugman and Obstfeld (1994: 30), some among the negative impacts of globalization to the environment are damaging the things that people value most such as clean air and water. On the one hand, due to the rise of international transportation, Veen – Groot and Nijkamp (1993: 334) stated that it is not only air pollution that is contributed by globalization but as well as the greenhouse effect and depletion of ozone layer, which are both major environmental concerns. Apart from that, globalization damages the environment through its intrusion to landscapes (Veen – Groot and Nijkamp, 1993: 334). These are only some of the negative impacts of globalization to the environment. However, with the build – up of all these effects would for sure lead to destruction of the environment all over the whole world. Moreover, this brief background is essential in understanding the focus of this paper. Basically, the main goal of this paper is to understand in what ways are environmental issues fundamental to the experience and construction of globalization. Though globalization and environment are two different concepts which seem to be unrelated, the process of globalization must be defined and understood on how it is connected to the environment. Specifically, the effects of globalization to the environment, both direct and indirect, are identified in this paper to better understand the environmental issues crucial to the phenomenon of globalization. Understanding Globalization In order to understand in what ways are environmental issues fundamental to the experience and construction of globalization, to begin with, the concept of globalization must be defined. Globalization is a concept that is simply described as a process which causes the world to become more interconnected and more integrated. According to Anthony Giddens (1990: 64), the phenomenon intensifies the social relations of the entire world in such a way that the distant localities are still connected. Because of this, the understanding of geography and experience of localness are altered (Giddens, 1990: 64). That is because the world has seemed to be borderless. On the one hand, Croucher (2004; 10) stated that such interconnectedness of the developed and developing countries through increase specialisation is considered to contribute to economic growth. Meanwhile, Castells (2001: 52) expressed that globalization is a phenomenon where increased competitiveness and productivity in different firms in various can be witnessed due to the fact that the core economic activities have gone global. With globalization, the ideas, practices as well as technologies are dispersed globally. It is not as simple as modernisation. It is not as plain as westernisation. It is not as definite as the liberalisation of markets. Globalization is something greater than the processes of universalization and internationalisation. The interconnectedness of the world is further elaborated. According to Gray (1999: 57), previously, relationships, interactions and activities were just done face – to – face or locally but now, globalization has enabled it to be made at a greater distance, de – localisation in such exchanges, both social and economic. Moreover, with globalization, the power of national government is also weakened. The national government does not hold the power to control and shape their economies. Though as Hirst and Thompson (1996: 170) claimed, the national government still remain to be key institution that makes conditions and policies which are efficient for international governance but the problem is on how the national government frames their thinking when they create such policies. Nonetheless, in order for the national economy to survive, national government must control politics which are adapting the pressures and demands of the transnational market forces (Leys, 2001: 1). Indeed, it is the case that globalization is opening up a lot of possibility for economic growth but the thing is that it is accompanied by particular risks. As Ulrich Beck (1992: 13) argued, there are production risks or probability of harm due to the economic and technological transformations because of the increase in power from the progress of technology and economy. These risks have gone global and are dipped under borders. The Linkage between Globalization and Environment: Knowing its Effects At first, globalization and environment are two terms which seem to be unrelated. Nonetheless, these two concepts are linked. As a matter of fact, its relationship has certainly defined much of the human condition in the globalized world even though it is the case that people use to think of the environment as just a shared heritage of mankind (Baslar, 1998: 106). The way people think about the environment is nothing but an outcome of the increased economic integration brought by the phenomenon of globalization (Baslar, 1998: 106). According to Esty and Ivanova (2004: 1), the phenomenon of globalization has both positive and negative impacts on the environment. This suggests that the phenomenon is not innately bad even though the same direct and indirect consequences of the forces of globalization can not only create new environmental issues but can even worsen the problems concerning the environment at present. The debates on the environmental challenges as a result of globalization are controversial and have been discussed even in the past. Because of the very nature of globalization which transcends boundaries of nations and makes them integrated, the impacts of globalization on environment are now beyond borders (Najam, Runnalls and Halle, 2007: 1). For the most part, what is suggested by the current debate between globalization and environment is that the direct and indirect consequences of the processes of globalization can possibly lead to the collapse of environment (Oosthoek and Gills, 2005; Sanderson, 2009). It is vital to consider the fact that the biosphere is not growing. What our society has is finite resources to nurture in order to sustain the needs of the human race. As Daly (2005: 80) suggested, any system including the environment, human being’s biological system as well as the economy has a steady state in which it has to adjust itself to a dynamic state. Understanding that the natural resources are just finite, it should be recognised how the speedy acceleration in the global economic activity could deplete the natural resources as an effect of globalization (Najam, Runnalls and Halle, 2007: 10). Indeed, the process of globalization has intensified the exploration and exploitation of the natural resources for greater production. Since globalization has enabled the whole world to interact and be highly integrated, it is not only the natural resources that are consumed by the locals but exploitation of the natural resources of other nations has escalated given the hope for economic prosperity. This increased exploitation of resources has challenged the limited amount of resources available for human use. In fact, Sturm and Wackernagel (2003), Bromley (2006), Roughneen (2006) and Godoy (2006) had all stated that today, the whole world is observing an increasingly global competition for the finite natural resource to ensure a continued supply of such for greater production to ensure the economic prosperity. With the increasing global economic activity, it will come up to a point that the natural resources will be depleted. As an effect, the depletion of natural resources could undermine the pursuit of continued economic growth. In addition to that, the human beings will be harmed in the process and could even cause as death. Apart from that, the environment is confronted by the massive deforestation as a consequence of globalization. This massive deforestation is one among the major reason of degradation of the environment, especially in the developing regions in the world like Zimbabwe (Bhalla, Davies, Magubu and Magubu, 1999: 10). This is for the reason that the developing countries of the world have huge volume of forest lands which can be transformed into crop lands (Bhalla, Davies, Magubu and Magubu, 1999: 10). Aside from that, the cost of labour in the developing regions is cheap relative to that of the developed countries. Given this, the forest environment of developing countries is exploited not only locally but internationally. It is the case that in this globalized world, the crop patterns have intensified. The areas which are intended for crops have expanded as well lands (Bhalla, Davies, Magubu and Magubu, 1999: 10). This scenario is worsened by the fact that the goal to have higher yield can be achieved through resorting to the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. The use of this chemical – based fertilizers and pesticides are without a doubt, dangerous for the environment as well as human beings. In this globalized world, exports have intensified because of the liberalization of trade. Production of manufactured goods for export as well as industrialisation has comparable effect on the environment as a whole. It is not just about exploiting and destroying the forests for crops but also for modernisation like building establishments, fuel wood, logging and a lot more others. This does not damage the agricultural resources but as well as the urban environment (Bhalla, Davies, Magubu and Magubu, 1999: 10). According to Krugman and Obstfeld (1994: 30), some among the negative impacts of globalization to the urban environment are damaging the things that people value most such as clean air and water. The damage posed by the consequences of globalization is through causing pollution to the air and water (Bhalla, Davies, Magubu and Magubu, 1999: 10). Apart from that, this also destructs the other forms of life that do not harm the agricultural production. It must be understood how deforestation results to all sorts of issues concerning the environment like destruction of the wildlife habitat, soil erosion and global warming as well. On the one hand, it is also the case that given the rise of international transportation, globalization has also an unintended consequence of greenhouse effect and depletion of the ozone layer (Veen – Groot and Nijkamp, 1993: 334). This is indeed, the global warming phenomenon where the temperature of the earth has increased constantly which affects the environment and the species living in it as a whole. On the sad note, no one and no part of the earth can escape the effects of global warming. The Point of View of Government on Globalization and Environmental Issues The phenomenon of globalization is beneficial for the economic state of any society. It provides more jobs, more goods, and more opportunities for economic prosperity. Unfortunately, the environment is one among the affected aspects with the consequences of globalization. Hirst and Thompson (1996: 170) stated that the power of national government is declined when it comes to decision – making processes when it concerns economic prosperity against environment. In times like this, the national government is controlled and influenced by the goal of economic growth. In this manner, the policies made by the national government are adapting the pressures and demands of the transnational market forces (Leys, 2001: 1). On the one hand, it is argued that today, with the establishment of World Trade Organization (WTO), the society’s wants are abandoned but what is pushed through are the wants of the global corporations. Krugman and Obstfeld (1994: 23) stated that WTO has happened to be one among the most powerful decision making bodies on the earth simply because, it has been granted by great powers of deciding on the rights to include on trade. These rights are effective in all the countries who have happened to be its members. WTO is powerful enough to nullify and enforce very harsh sanctions on others who are posing danger to the public health, food safety, labour standards, small businesses, human rights, culture, as well as other social and economic procedures (Krugman and Obstfeld, 1994: 23). That is to say, the trade rules provided by the WTO do not license any harm to any part of the world. Nonetheless, it is the case that the international rules could not stop the countries especially the powerful ones to do not accept the products that do not meet the criteria of the WTO. The Environmental Consequence of Globalization on Society Globalization is of course advantageous for the economy of different regions of the earth. This is highly recognised that is why exploration of the natural resources has been very much encouraged. As a result of searching for the available natural resources, exploitation of these available sources escalates for the hope of economic growth. Moreover, how threatening globalization is to the environment has been discussed. Nonetheless, it is also important to consider how these effects would harm the society as a whole. The cumulative impacts of globalization are harmful to the environment through a number of ways. Indeed, it is the case that the process of globalization can lead to decay of the environment. As a matter of fact, the environment has showed its signs of collapse through a lot of incidences like flooding, landslide, and deaths. Indeed, it has been mentioned the possibility of depletion of non – renewable natural resources (Daly, 2005: 80). Without a doubt, the natural resources could yield the capitalists tons of money. However, at the time that all the natural resources have been consumed and there are no longer available resources to sustain its needs, this money would just go to waste. This money could not buy the sustainability of life. This is for the reason that the costs of environmental decay include the lives of human race. Without a sustained environment, all the creatures of the world would not survive. This planet will no longer be a healthy place for the rest of society to live in. Unfortunately, the exploited regions of the earth are the ones who suffer most. This is because the developing regions are the ones taken advantage of by the developed countries. The Significance of Environmental Issues to the Phenomenon of Globalization Defining the context of globalization and identifying its effects, direct or indirect, to the environment have helped understand the importance of environmental issues to the experience and construction of globalization. Without a doubt, globalization is a huge and all – encompassing process that promotes economic prosperity. However, the taken – for – granted consequences of globalization include the threats it has posed to the environment. The relationship between an increasingly integrated world and environment has caused the developed countries to abuse and exploit the unspoiled areas of the developing countries (Salvatore, 2004; Porter; 1990). Through continuous exploration of available resources, the exploitation of the areas of the developing countries has escalated. Indeed, this has caused advantages to both the developed and developing countries. However, the developing nations have happened to suffer the disadvantages brought by the globalized world. Without a doubt, the main advantage brought by globalization is economic growth but the thing is that, there is a serious harmful impact made on the environment. The environment, the main resource of all the consumed materials for production, is abused. The natural resources are limited, finite, and therefore, these could not be renewed. This is threatening to the environment as well as the society for the reason that the unintended consequences of globalization are destroying the place which all people live in. With the probable collapse of environment due to damaging effects of globalization, there is a need to review how the process is conducted. The negative effects to the environment only signal a fact that there is a need to reconcile these issues. Indeed, it is the goal for profit maximisation that highly drives this abusive behaviour towards the environment. Nonetheless, there is a limit to any abusive behaviour. There will come a time that all the natural resources will be depleted and there is no longer a reserve to supply the needs for production. The environment must be taken care of even in this period of globalization. The developed regions of the world must evaluate the ways of how they deal with the environment. There are greater things than the aim for profit. Well (1946: 232) expressed that this entire planet we used to live in is highly driven by economic market forces. Such economic forces have included the exploitation of natural resources. This concern needs to be addressed. Furthermore, as Tonybee (1976: 593 – 596) suggested, the present – day global set of national government could not save the environment due to the pollution brought by the human race. Capitalism is useless when environment has decayed. Capitalism is nothing when life has ended. Conclusion The phenomenon of globalization has enabled the world to become borderless in terms of economic activity. Different countries of the world have happened to be highly integrated. The main aim of globalization is economic prosperity. In this regard, globalization has been successful. Nonetheless, the process itself has also negative consequences on individual, local, national as well as international level. Unfortunately, the consequences that globalization brings to the environment is highly destructive. The particular effects of globalization on the environment are varied. As a matter of fact, the cumulative direct and indirect effects of globalization can even result to the collapse of the environment. It is the case that the effects of globalization to the environment can be associated on how exploration and exploitation of natural resources are conducted. 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